MP3 lease vs WAV lease vs exclusive
Short version:
| MP3 lease | WAV lease | Exclusive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price | $20-50 | $40-80 | $500-$5,000+ |
| File delivered | MP3 | WAV | WAV + stems |
| Streams cap | ~100k | ~250k | Unlimited |
| Units cap | ~2,000 | ~5,000 | Unlimited |
| Performance rights | Usually yes | Yes | Yes |
| Broadcast rights | Rarely | Sometimes | Yes |
| Sync rights | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Exclusivity | No (producer can resell) | No | Yes — beat pulled |
When to pick which
MP3 lease — you're experimenting, demoing, or building a soundcloud/mixtape catalog. You won't hit the cap for a long time.
WAV lease — you're serious about this single. Better master for mixing. Higher usage cap gives you headroom.
Exclusive — you want to release commercially with no caps, you want the beat pulled from the market, and the song is a lead single or album centerpiece.
Upgrade path
Beatsheaven lets you upgrade in-place — if you bought an MP3 lease and now need WAV, go to /library → the beat → "Upgrade." You only pay the delta.