What's the difference between a single, a beat and a mixtape?
On this page
A song (single) is one track that stands on its own. A beat is an instrumental you can sell to other artists with licenses. A mixtape is a group of tracks released together, and a beat tape is the same thing made of beats. You pick the type on the upload form.
Songs
- One track with its own page, artwork, credits and lyrics.
- Can be free, or sold for dollars and/or XP.
- Shows in the Songs tab of My Library.
- Can be added to playlists, set as your profile Anthem, and chart on the Underground 20.
Beats
- An instrumental. A BPM is required, and you can add the Key and Mood.
- Beats have no lyrics field.
- When sold, beats use your license tiers (for example an MP3 lease, WAV, stems or exclusive) instead of a single price. Set these up in Creator Studio → Licenses.
- Under Files for buyers, you can add an Untagged WAV and Stems (.zip, .rar or .7z). They're kept private and only go to buyers whose license includes them.
- Shows in the Beats tab of My Library.
When you upload a beat and you don't have any license templates yet, it gets a basic lease so it can be bought. Set up your own licenses to control what's offered. See Beat licenses.
Mixtapes and beat tapes
- Several tracks released together as one project with one cover, title and tracklist. Use it for albums and EPs too.
- Artwork and a title are required.
- Each track still has its own page and can have its own credits and lyrics.
- You can sell the whole mixtape, and on its edit page you can also set a price for each track.
- Free, downloadable mixtapes download as one ZIP file of all the tracks.
- Shows in the Mixtapes tab of My Library.
Several singles at once
If you drop several audio files on the upload page, you can post them as separate singles instead of a mixtape. Each one becomes its own song (or beat), and shared settings save you from typing the same details over and over.
Can I change the type later?
Yes. On a song's edit page you can switch between Song and Beat, and on a mixtape's edit page between Mixtape and Beat tape. A single song can't be turned into a mixtape. Upload a new mixtape instead.