Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Better financial option
Keep leasing non-exclusively
Projected total lease revenue
$360
Exclusive offer
$300
Lease revenue minus exclusive price
$60
Leases needed to match exclusive offer
10.0
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How to use this
- 1Enter non-exclusive lease price ($).
- 2Enter expected leases over beat's life.
- 3Enter exclusive sale price offered ($).
- 4Read your better financial option on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Producers choosing between non-exclusive leasing and a single exclusive sale are really deciding between smaller repeated payments versus one larger payment that ends the beat's earning life for them. This calculator projects total revenue from leasing the same beat to an expected number of buyers over its selling life versus a one-time exclusive price, so you can see the breakeven number of leases an exclusive sale is actually worth.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Non-exclusive lease price: 30 $
- Expected leases over beat's life: 12
- Exclusive sale price offered: 300 $
Results
- Better financial option: Keep leasing non-exclusively
- Projected total lease revenue: $360
- Exclusive offer: $300
- Lease revenue minus exclusive price: $60
- Leases needed to match exclusive offer: 10
What each field means
Inputs
- Non-exclusive lease price ($)
- The non-exclusive lease price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 30 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Expected leases over beat's life
- The expected leases over beat's life used in the calculation. Starts at 12 so you have a working example on load.
- Exclusive sale price offered ($)
- The exclusive sale price offered used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 300 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Better financial option
- Returned as a plain value and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected total lease revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Exclusive offer
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Lease revenue minus exclusive price
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Leases needed to match exclusive offer
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What rights does an artist actually get with a lease vs exclusive?
A non-exclusive lease grants limited usage rights (often capped streams/sales) while you retain ownership and can keep selling the same beat to others. An exclusive sale transfers full or near-full ownership to one buyer, who then owns the master rights and can stop you from ever selling that beat again.
Why would a producer ever take an exclusive deal below total projected lease revenue?
Cash flow now versus uncertain revenue later — leasing income is spread over months or years and depends on continued marketing, while an exclusive payment is immediate and guaranteed. Also, exclusives to artists with real momentum can lead to placements and exposure that leasing rarely delivers.
How many times does a typical beat actually get leased?
Most beats on marketplaces like BeatStars sell 0–5 non-exclusive leases in their entire lifespan; a small percentage of standout beats sell 20+. Base your expected-leases input on your actual sales history and genre demand, not optimistic guesses.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Beat Lease vs Exclusive Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/beat-lease-vs-exclusive
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/beat-lease-vs-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beat Lease vs Exclusive Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Beat Lease vs Exclusive Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/beat-lease-vs-exclusive) (2026).