Releasing a Song Made on a Leased Beat

You leased a beat, wrote over it, finished the song and now want it on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. Whether you may depends almost entirely on the licence you were given, and on what you mean by release. Putting a song in the stores, monetising a video, registering the recording for Content ID, performing it live and licensing it to a film are different uses. A lease can allow some of them and rule out others.

This guide explains what a lease gives you, the terms to check before you upload, how a track made on a leased beat goes through the WBBT Release Wizard, why Content ID is usually off the table and how to upgrade to an exclusive licence if you need one. It also has a section for producers on what a beat licence should say. It is practical guidance, not legal advice, and your own licence is the final word.

What a lease gives you and what it does not

A lease is a licence. The producer lets you use their instrumental in a new song, on stated terms, and normally keeps ownership of the beat. It is not a sale, whatever the marketplace page calls it. Two rules of UK law show why the wording matters. Under section 90 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, a transfer of copyright is effective only if it is in writing and signed by the person giving it up. Under section 92, an exclusive licence must be in writing signed by the owner. A chat message that says the beat is yours is therefore a weak foundation for a release.

A non-exclusive lease means the producer may license the same beat to other artists, so other songs can appear on it. An exclusive licence means the producer agrees not to license it to anyone else for the scope you have agreed. Even then, the producer usually remains the owner of the beat unless a document says it has been assigned.

Your finished song joins two creative contributions: the beat and what you wrote and performed over it. Who counts as a writer, and in what proportion, is something the licence or a separate agreement has to say. The Music Copyright Explained guide from the UK Intellectual Property Office and CMU puts the general rule plainly: people who create something together own it together, so they should agree the split and write it down.

The terms to check before you upload

Term	What to ask	Why it matters
Commercial release	Does the licence allow release on streaming and download services?	Some leases cover only demos, mixtapes or free release.
Caps	How many streams, sales or video views before you must upgrade?	Passing a cap can put you in breach of the licence.
Content ID and monetisation	May the recording be registered or monetised on video platforms?	YouTube limits Content ID to exclusive rights.
Credit	What wording, and where?	A missing credit is a breach and a missed introduction.
Ownership and splits	Who owns the beat, the new recording and the song, and what does the producer earn?	It decides who is a writer, and what a split sheet should say.
Territory and term	Worldwide or limited? Fixed term or renewing?	A licence that ends has to be renewed or the release taken down.
Other uses	Live shows, video, radio, sync, remixes?	Each can be restricted separately.
Upgrade	What does exclusivity cost, and how is it granted?	You need the route before you need the rights.

If a term is missing, treat it as unanswered and not as allowed. Ask the producer to confirm the point in writing before you upload, because a store, a collaborator or a society may ask you to show it later.

How WBBT treats a track made on a leased beat

The Release Wizard has no field called leased beat, so you describe the track with the questions it does have. This is how we would answer them.

• Content Ownership. The beat is material that someone else made and licensed to you, so choose Contains Samples (License Required). The wizard then asks for clearance documents in the Legal Documents box, and the release cannot be submitted without them. Upload the lease as a PDF, JPG or PNG, and the invoice or receipt too if you have one. If your licence is unusual and you are unsure which option fits, write to support before you submit.
• Composition. Original Composition applies if the song is your own writing on the producer's beat. Cover Song applies only if you are recording somebody else's finished song.
• Credits. Every track needs a Producer, so enter the beat maker. If the beat is their composition and the agreement makes them a writer, add them as a Composer with their full first and last name, and enter the share that the agreement gives them.
• Territories. Select only the territories your licence covers. A beat licensed for one region should not be published worldwide.
• Content ID. Leave YouTube Content ID unticked unless the licence is exclusive and allows registration.

In the final review you confirm that you hold all the rights required for distribution. A lease that covers your use is a sound basis for that statement. A lease that does not is not, and the review exists partly to catch the difference. If the producer is owed a share of recording income, set up the split before the release so that the share is applied to future accounting, as the guide to royalty splits and payouts explains. The metadata rules for credits and copyright lines are in Release Metadata and Artwork Requirements.

Why Content ID is usually unavailable

YouTube's page Qualify for Content ID says that copyright owners must have the exclusive rights to the material that is evaluated, and it lists licensed music or video where the licence is not exclusive among the things that are not eligible. A non-exclusive beat fails that test by definition, because others can hold the same licence.

There is a practical problem as well. If several artists release songs on the same beat and more than one tries to register it, the claims can collide. WBBT reviews every Content ID request and names a beat or instrumental licensed non-exclusively as one of the reasons a request cannot be approved. Releasing the song and registering it are separate permissions, so leaving the box unticked costs the release nothing. The song is still distributed to the stores in the usual way. The Content ID guide and the service page cover the rest, and Content ID is not included in the Free plan in any case.

Upgrading to an exclusive licence

If you want Content ID, plan a larger campaign or simply want the beat to stop appearing on other songs, move to an exclusive licence before you submit. Work through it in this order.

1. Ask for the terms in writing, signed by the producer. Under section 92 an exclusive licence has to be.
2. Ask what it excludes. Earlier non-exclusive licences may still be valid, so the beat can keep appearing on songs that were licensed before yours. Ask the producer to list them or to confirm that there are none.
3. Check the scope. Exclusive for streaming and downloads is not the same as exclusive for every use, including Content ID registration and sync.
4. Decide between a licence and a buyout. An exclusive licence leaves the producer as owner. An assignment transfers ownership and, under section 90, must also be signed in writing.
5. Keep both documents. Save the original lease and the upgrade together, and update the wizard answers and the uploaded papers to match.
6. Tell support if the release is already submitted, because a Content ID decision does not automatically carry over to a release that has been changed.

If you are the producer: what a beat licence should say

A good licence protects both sides, and the buyer's release depends on how clearly you write it. It should name or state each of the following.

• The parties, the date, the beat and the files you delivered.
• The licence type and fee, and whether the licence is exclusive.
• The permitted uses: audio release on streaming and download services, video, live performance, radio and sync, each allowed or not.
• Any caps, and what happens when one is reached.
• The credit wording and where it must appear.
• Who owns the beat, who owns the new recording, and who counts as a writer with what share.
• Whether content matching and Content ID registration are allowed. For a non-exclusive licence the usual answer is no.
• The territory and the term, and the price and procedure for an upgrade.
• Your promises: that the beat is yours to license, that any sample or loop in it is cleared and that you have said if AI tools were used.
• Signatures from both parties.

Keep a list of every lease you have sold before you offer exclusivity, so that you never promise a buyer a beat that others already hold. Remember that loops and sample packs are licensed to you on their own terms. If other producers use the same sounds, you cannot give a buyer exclusive rights to them.

Common mistakes

• Treating a lease as ownership and uploading without reading the licence.
• Ticking Content ID because the option is there.
• Ignoring a stream cap until a takedown request arrives.
• Leaving out the producer credit, or entering the producer as a composer without agreeing a share.
• Relying on a chat message where the law asks for a signed document.
• Letting the licence expire while the release stays live in territories it no longer covers.

What to tell support before you submit

If anything about the licence is unusual, send this before you submit, with the lease attached. Adapt the wording to your case.

Hello, I am about to submit a single made on a leased beat. The track is [title]. The beat is [beat name] by [producer]. The licence is [non-exclusive or exclusive], dated [date], and is attached as a PDF. It allows commercial release on streaming services: [yes or no]. The cap is [number or none], the territory is [territory] and the term is [term]. It allows Content ID registration: [yes or no]. The producer is credited as Producer and as Composer with [share]. Please tell me if anything else is needed before I submit.

Seven checks before you press Distribute

1. Read the whole licence, not just the price page.
2. Confirm commercial release on streaming and download services is allowed.
3. Note every cap, territory and end date in your calendar.
4. Answer the wizard to match the paper: Contains Samples, the licence uploaded, the right territories.
5. Credit the producer exactly as the licence asks, and enter any agreed writer share.
6. Leave Content ID off unless the licence is exclusive and allows it.
7. Save a copy of the licence, the receipt and any messages with the release records.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put a song made on a leased beat on Spotify and Apple Music?

Only if the licence allows commercial release on streaming and download services, and it is worth reading it for caps, territory and term as well. If it does allow it, declare the beat as licensed material in the Release Wizard and upload the licence with the release.

Can I register the song for Content ID?

Usually not on a non-exclusive lease. YouTube limits Content ID to owners who hold exclusive rights, and it lists licensed music whose licence is not exclusive as not eligible. A WBBT request is reviewed on its own, and permission to release the song is a separate question from permission to register it.

What happens when I reach the stream cap in my licence?

Check what the licence says should happen. Often the answer is an upgrade or a takedown. Do not carry on distributing beyond the rights you hold, and contact support before the limit or the end date with the affected recordings and territories.

Do I owe the producer a share of my royalties?

Only if the licence or a separate agreement says so. If it does, agree the percentages in writing and, where your account supports splits, set them up before the release so that the share is applied to future accounting.

Is a leased beat a sample?

Legally it is a different thing, but for the Release Wizard it is licensed material that someone else made, so it is declared in the same way as a sample and the licence is uploaded as the clearance document. If you are not sure which option fits your licence, ask support before you submit.

Sources and next steps

We opened each of these sources on 25 October 2026. Laws and platform rules change, so check the current wording before you rely on a point.

• Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 (assignment and licences) and section 92 (exclusive licences), legislation.gov.uk (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Qualify for Content ID, YouTube Help (accessed 25 October 2026).
• Music Copyright Explained, commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office (accessed 25 October 2026).

Read the rights hub, Music Rights Checklist Before You Release, for the other questions a release raises, and Sync Licensing: Get Your Music Ready if you plan to pitch the track for film or advertising. The FAQ answers whether leased beats are eligible for Content ID, and the pricing page shows which plans include it. When the paperwork is in order, submit your release.