How to sell beats and keep publishing

Option 1: Lease the beat

The simplest way to keep everything. You license usage rights (with stream/sales limits) and retain 100% ownership and publishing. The artist pays a fee, uses the beat, and you can lease the same beat to others. No split sheet needed because the artist doesn’t own the composition.

Option 2: Sell exclusive with co-ownership

The artist gets exclusive use of the beat. You retain a percentage of the composition (typically 20–50%). This means you continue to earn publishing and royalties on the song. Document this with a split sheet listing both parties and their percentages. See what percentage beat makers typically get for standard ranges.

Option 3: Sell exclusive, keep publishing only

Some deals transfer the master but let the beat maker keep their publisher’s share. This requires a co-writer agreement that explicitly separates master rights from publishing rights. It’s more complex but lets the beat maker earn from sync, performance, and mechanical royalties.

What to avoid

Never sell a beat with a work-for-hire agreement if you want to keep publishing. A WFH agreement transfers everything — composition, master, publishing, all rights. If you sign one, you walk away with a fee and nothing else. Only use WFH if you’re intentionally giving up all ownership.

How to document it

For co-ownership deals: create a split sheet with both parties. For deals with publishing terms: use the co-writer agreement generator to include publishing administration clauses. Use the music split calculator to determine fair percentages before negotiating. For the full picture on publishing, read how to split publishing rights.