Welcome to part two of the ‘How To Make A Mixtape, The Ultimate Guide’ series. This is a three part series detailing good practices and tips on how to make a mixtape and sell it. For those that haven’t read already (Or even if you have but just want to get reacquainted with the basics), you should read:
before you read this. Also once you’ve finished reading this check out:
If you’ve already read that, let’s move on. In part two we’ll be looking at how ethical it is to use other people’s beats for your mixtape, where to get backing tracks for your mixtape, and finally how to make your mixtape stand out from the crowd. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Can You Use Other People’s Beats On Mixtapes?
This is still a question without any concrete answers. While everyone has their own opinions on this matter, mixtapes are generally known for musicians vocalizing already well known backing tracks. This practice is very widely accepted, especially in the more urban hip hop and grime music scenes. Many producers and vocalists don’t mind people doing versions of their material as long as they’re not used for commercial release. If you did want to commercially release your version, you’d have to contact and get permission from the original owners of the martial before you could go any further. You’d also have to pay them royalties if you’ll be selling the song.
There are some people that don’t want others to use their material without permission though, whether people are making money from it or not. As other people’s beats are copyrighted, using them without permission could lead to a law suit. However, this is very rare if you’re only using their instrumentals for mixtapes. The most I’ve seen happen from tons of mixtapes I’ve seen been released is an angry email being sent by the original producer (They wanted to cash in on the mixtape’s success, but the issue was resolved by the producers tune being taken off the mixtape instead).
While I’d say using other people’s material for mixtape songs is largely safe, you’re still using copyrighted material so do so at your own risk.
Where Can You Get Beats For Mixtapes
Once you know what type of beats you’ll be using for your mixtape (Original or already popular beats) you have to go about getting them. If you’ll be using already popular beats, most of them can be found by doing a quick Google search. You’ll want to search the name of the artist that sings the song, followed by the name of the song and then the word ‘instrumental’. So for example, you may do the search “Rihanna Rude Boy Instrumental”. This search result will turn up places you can get your chosen instrumentals on the internet. Some will have to be paid for, some will be free. I recommend you only download off trusted website though, as illegal websites may have viruses on them which can ruin your computer.
One really good website I’ve found for getting instrumentals is Karaoke Version. This website allows you to CUSTOMIZE and download popular beats for a low price (£1.50 / $1.99 EACH). Say for example you want to download a popular instrumental but didn’t like the horns in the song. No problem, you can easily edit the horns out before you download it. Or don’t like the drums? You can get rid of that too. This of course is a great customization feature and allows you to get your mixtape sounding exactly how you want it.
If you will be using original beats however, you may have to do a bit more searching. You’ll need to find producers who can make an instrumental you like and will be willing to let you use it for your mixtape. If you’re new starting out in music this can be tricky, but not impossible.
One method I’ve found that works is using forums. Forums are a great place for communities to get together and discuss a specific niche, and you’ll often find producers, singers, designers and much more on the more popular ones. So, how do you go about finding these producers?
First you need to find a relevant forum. I suggest you Google search your chosen genre of music followed by the word ‘forum’ which will give a list of the top forums in that genre. Look around the top three for a while, sometimes the producers hang around and post their material in a ‘production’ area of the forum. Other times you’ll have to to a bit more digging. If there’s no select area for producers, try posting a topic saying you’re looking for producers to feature on your mixtape. Leave a sample of your work and a contact email address. This will hopefully have producers finding your post and contacting you if they like what they hear. Note though, it’s always advisable to post a few replies to other topics before you post your own to look like you’re part of the community. You’ll get a much better response if you do this as you won’t look like you’re just spamming the forum.
Another place you can find producers is MySpace. You may already have an idea of some producers in your chosen music genre, but if not, do a bit of research and MySpace message these people. When messaging someone to ask for a beat, make sure you keep the message short and straight to the point. Even if they’re a slightly well know producer they may be getting messages every day, so you’ll need to be able to make your point quickly. You also want to appear professional (No slang or short hand, message fully spell checked etc) and list the benefits of you using their material. Lastly, make sure you give a sample of your material and contact details so they can get back to you if they so choose.
These are some of the main and most effective ways for getting beats for your mixtape, but there are many others so don’t be afraid to experiment with other methods as well.
How To Make Your Mixtape Stand Out
Mixtapes in some genres of music have become pretty much a standard thing. Even if they wouldn’t define it as a mixtape, a demo with 6 or more tracks if basically what a mixtape is all about. So with everyone having or making mixtapes it’s important for you to make yours stand out. But how can you go about doing this? Here are a few ideas:
This stuff is great. Awesome info cuz I’m planning on puttin out a mixtape in late July. The part that i wanted to know about most had to do with using other people’s beats and whatnot. Just to get it strait; it’s acceptable but risky to SELL mixtapes with other artist’s beats?
Hi Lil Dizzy. As long as you’re vocaling them it’s not really that risky. There’s a chance a producer may ask you not to use their beat, but the chance is very slim as it’s pretty much standard practice (Especially if the type of music you make is hip hop or grime)? If you were planning to be selling the producer’s beats without any vocals though I’d recommend against that. Good luck with the mixtape, if there’s anything else you need advice on let me know.
Can you give me advise on how to get established artists on my mixtape without paying them.
Hi Kai. A good strategy to use is by building your way up. Bigger musicians are more likely to feature on your songs if they see other known acts doing the same, but of course it’s hard to get that first big name to work with you. So work with a well known musician in your area. This will get you on more people’s radar and you should be able to work with a bigger musician next time. Now when you’re going to look for your next colab, get some one with a slightly bigger name and name drop the person you last worked with. Keep doing this until you’re working with the top level of artists. This should happen after about three to five collaborations, but of course that will depend on your talent.
If however you want a quick route then you could always pay the established act. I wouldn’t recommend this though, as it’s better to know you’re deserving of the colab. If you can get it without paying you know your music’s good. If you get it and pay big money for it people still may not like you song and you will have wasted your time and money. Good luck.
Hello independent thanks for your advice, it has really sealed my zeal in music. But can i do a remix on someone’s music,by adding my original verse. Let say like eminem toy soldier, i include my own rap in it.
Hey this info is very helpful thank you so much, one question i want to use peoples beats and upload them on youtube can I upload them separately or will i get sued for that should i put all my music on one youtube upload or can i put each song on my mixtape separate.
@ Austin:
It shouldn’t be too much of an issue if it’s an underground mixtape and you’re not releasing it commercially, but do so it is at your own risk…
@ invisible Man:
Youtube have got very tight on their rules, officially you’re not allowed to upload any videos where you don’t own the full copyright. As I’m sure you’ve seen though, people still do it all the time. What will usually happen if the original owner sees you’ve uploaded their material and wants it down, is they’ll contact you to take it off. That or they will report it to Youtube who will take it off. As long as you take it down and don’t upload any more of their material it should end there. However, do this at your own risk.
I started recording music for fun last week. I have recorded a few songs on beats that were put on livemixtapes.com and put them on facebook. People say that i have some talent and believe that I should make a mixtape. I have about three recorded songs that I have and I am considering making a mixtape. The only problem is that I have some beats that were made by someone else. I really am jus doing this for fun and found out that I can make some extra money from doing this. Seeing that i am going of to college soon and will be playing football, I wouldnt be able to hold a job and it really appealed to me. I just dont want to get in legal trouble and I am not really trying to make it off of music at the moment. I just want to make some extra money while in school. My main question is will I have to purchase beats and not use the beats that I downloaded from livemixtapes.com, or is this ok? (the producer is not well known)
Hi KB. It’d probably be best to contact the producer directly and ask his permission to use the beats. Tell him what it’s for, and if you can’t pay him for the use let him know that. If you are going to get him exposure and he’s relatively unknown, this might be enough of a motivation for him to let you use his beats.
can i call my mix tape a mix cd
If you wish, yes. It’s up to you.
Im tryin to make a mixtape for my area to generate a fan base to get to the next level can I use free instrumentals to make a mixtape to showcase my talanet. Not for promotional use for free, and can I submit a song to my local radio station they play local artits at certain times of the day is that legal.
You can generally use free instrumentals if you’re not selling it and you credit the original producer. You may want to check if your local radio station only plays 100% original material though (With original beats). That is the case with some.
Thanx for the info about using someonez beat can i also include a person we have collaborated with on my mixtape if they are from a different country? N also how many tracks are most appropriate 4 a mixtape
Hi El. It doesn’t matter what country they are from, as long as they can send you the vocal. This can easily be done online.
How many tracks you put on your mixtape is up to you. Normal is between 10 and a full 80 minute CD. I’d personally suggest 10 to 12 good quality tracks.