Beatmaking
The craft of creating instrumental musical compositions, typically using digital audio workstations, samplers, and synthesizers.
Definition
Beatmaking is the art and practice of creating instrumental music tracks — commonly called "beats" — using digital audio workstations (DAWs), drum machines, samplers, synthesizers, and other electronic or acoustic instruments. While the term originated in hip-hop culture, modern beatmaking spans virtually every genre including pop, R&B, electronic, and Latin music.
The beatmaking ecosystem has evolved from a closed studio practice into a global marketplace. Producers sell beats online through platforms like BeatStars and Airbit, lease instrumentals to independent artists, and build careers entirely through digital distribution of their productions.
Why It Matters
Beatmaking has democratized music production, allowing anyone with a laptop and creativity to create professional-quality music. This has fundamentally changed the music industry's power dynamics — hit songs now regularly come from bedroom producers rather than exclusively from major studio facilities.
The beat marketplace economy is substantial, with top producers earning six and seven figures annually from online beat sales alone. Understanding beatmaking culture, licensing models (exclusive vs. non-exclusive leases), and production trends is essential for anyone working with contemporary music artists.
Examples in Practice
A producer creates beats in their home studio using FL Studio and sells non-exclusive licenses for $30-50 each on BeatStars, earning $8,000 monthly from a catalog of 500 instrumentals.
A rapper discovers a beat on YouTube with a "type beat" tag matching their style, purchases an exclusive license for $500, and records a song that reaches 10 million streams.
A beatmaker builds a following by posting daily production videos on social media, eventually attracting a major label artist who commissions custom productions at $5,000-$15,000 per beat.