Should I Include Stems With My Beat Upload?
As an up-and-coming producer, you should always be on the lookout for small ways to put yourself in a position to win big. One of the easiest ways to help increase the stability of your business is understanding the importance of stems.
While the monetary return may not feel as immediate as marketing yourself to artists and potential buyers, including stems with your beat uploads can help you retain customers and open up various revenue streams in the long-term.
We spoke with UnitedMasters’ Head of Sync, Chris McDonald, to explain how providing stems with your beat uploads can help get your music featured with top brands.
UM: First, can you explain what stems are?
CM: Stems are the individual audio tracks (instrumental and vocal) that, when combined and mixed together, create the entire piece of music. For example, the individual audio tracks of bass, drums, vocals, and piano that can be exported separately are considered stems.
UM: So, why are stems important?
CM: Sync partners, specifically those who place songs in TV shows, film, commercials, and video games, will be able to get more use out of tracks with stems. Including stems also gives artists or other producers you’re working with more creative freedom to build upon the beat you’ve made. For example, buyers can strip down your beat to focus on certain layers like bass and drums or vocals, which in turn provides more options to adjust your beat to meet their needs. Additionally, providing stems gives audio engineers greater flexibility and control during the mixing process.
In theory, stems help those who buy your beat get more out of it and help you earn more by charging a premium for that added value.
UM: But won’t uploading stems give away the secret sauce of what goes into making a specific sound or beat?
CM: You’re not giving away the secret sauce by uploading stems. Rather, you’re providing opportunities to add to your beat. For example, you may have a collaborator who wants to add a sound to your beat or an artist may have an idea for a beat change in the middle of the song. Both instances would require the stem files.
UM: Ok, so what are the benefits of uploading my stems with UnitedMasters?
CM: UnitedMasters offers producers the option to upload stems with every beat. To do this, simply upload a .ZIP file containing your stems in addition to your .WAV when publishing a beat. We'll automatically update your license agreement to include the usage of your stems.
In addition to making beats more attractive to artists, stems help you strengthen the possibility of your track getting picked for a sync opportunity. By providing them, you’re making your music more accessible to our brand partners like NBA, ESPN, Beats, Bose, The North Face, NBA TopShot, American Eagle, and Twitch.
Visit our Exclusives page to see what brand opportunities are available today and submit your beats for consideration - and don’t forget to upload your stems.
