Instrumental music has a real audience on streaming platforms: people who study, work, drive or simply prefer music without words. For producers, a beat tape is also a calling card that shows your sound to artists who might work with you. Releasing one is mostly the same as releasing a song, with a few details that matter more than usual.
Marking the track as instrumental
Platforms want to know whether a track has lyrics. Most release forms let you say so, often by choosing "instrumental" or "no lyrics" where you would normally select the language of the lyrics. Use that option rather than inventing your own label. It helps platforms place the track correctly, for example in focus or background playlists, and keeps it out of searches for vocal music in a language it doesn't contain.
The word "Instrumental" in the title is a different thing. Add it as a version, for example "Night Drive (Instrumental)", only when the track is the instrumental version of a song that also exists with vocals. A beat that was never meant to have vocals doesn't need the word in its title at all.
Make sure the beat is really yours
This is where producers get into trouble most often. Before you release, be clear about what you own:
- Beats you made from scratch are the simplest case, as long as every sound inside them is yours or properly licensed.
- Beats made with someone else belong to both of you. Agree in writing who releases them and how income is shared.
- Samples from other recordings need permission from the owners of the recording and the composition, even if the sample is short.
- Loops and one-shots from sample packs are usually licensed for use inside your music, but the terms vary. Some packs forbid registering the result with fingerprinting systems, because thousands of other producers use the same sounds.
- Beats you sold or leased to artists are a special case. If you sold an exclusive licence, you may no longer have the right to release that beat yourself. Read your own contracts.
You must own or have permission for all the audio and artwork you submit. Keep your licences, contracts and sample sources in one folder, because if a claim arrives you will need them.
Titles and cover art
A beat tape sells itself on mood and identity, so give tracks real names. Titles like "Beat 14" or "Untitled 3" are forgettable and hard to search for.
Avoid using other artists' names in titles to attract searches. "Type beat" titles with a famous name are common on video sites, but platform rules generally don't allow other artists' names in titles unless they are actually involved. The same goes for words like "free", "prod. by" or your social handle: none of them belong in the title field.
For the cover, a strong, simple visual identity works well, especially if you plan a series. On CULT the cover must be a JPG of exactly 3000 × 3000 pixels. Many producers keep the same layout for each volume and change only the colour or image, so the series is recognisable at a glance.
Content ID: useful, but handle with care
YouTube's Content ID finds your music in uploaded videos and lets the rights owner track or monetise those uses. For instrumentals this can be valuable, because creators often use beats in their videos.
It can also cause real damage if it is used on the wrong material. If your beat contains loops from a popular sample pack, Content ID may claim videos from other producers who used the same loop. If you leased the same beat to twenty rappers, their songs may get claimed by your own release. This is why YouTube's rules require exclusive rights to everything you register.
CULT adds eligible releases to Content ID and sends whitelist requests for your own channel and for channels you work with, such as artists who licensed your beats. Rights are checked first, and approval is not automatic. Be honest with yourself before you ask for it: if any part of the track isn't exclusively yours, leave Content ID off for that release.
Before you release a beat tape
- List every track and confirm you own or have licensed every sound in it.
- Check your lease and exclusive contracts for beats you have already sold.
- Mark each track as instrumental in the release form.
- Give every track a real title without other artists' names or extra words.
- Prepare a 3000 × 3000 JPG cover that works as part of a series.
- Decide track by track whether Content ID is safe to use.
Done carefully, a beat tape builds an audience of listeners and an audience of artists at the same time.