How to Upload Beats to BeatStars
BeatStars is where the beat business actually transacts. YouTube gets you discovered; BeatStars is where a listener becomes a buyer. Uploading a beat there is straightforward, but the difference between a track that sells and one that sits buried comes down to how you prepare the files, tag the beat, and set up your licensing. Here's the full process.
Step 1: Prepare your files
Sort out your audio before you touch the upload page. A complete, sellable beat usually includes:
- MP3 — the streaming preview buyers hear on your track page.
- WAV — the high-quality file delivered with most lease tiers.
- Stems (trackouts) — the individual instrument tracks zipped together, attached to your premium and exclusive licenses.
Export cleanly, name files consistently, and keep a tidy folder per beat. The stems package is the part most producers skip — and it's exactly what unlocks the higher-priced licenses.
Step 2: Tag for discovery
BeatStars has its own internal search and feeds, so your metadata is your shelf placement. Fill in everything: BPM, key, genre, mood, and the artist/type-beat tags that match the sound. Be accurate — a beat tagged at the wrong BPM or key frustrates buyers and gets returns. Consistency across your catalogue also helps the platform recommend your other beats once someone lands on one.
Step 3: Set up your licensing
This is the commercial core. BeatStars lets you offer tiered non-exclusive licenses — typically MP3, WAV, and a premium tier that includes stems — plus exclusive rights. Price them in a clear ladder so the value of each step up is obvious, and attach the right files to each tier (stems on premium and above). A coherent license setup does more for revenue than almost anything else on the page.
Step 4: Artwork and track page
Add cover art that matches your brand, double-check the title matches what you used on YouTube, and write a short description. A consistent look across your catalogue makes you read as a real producer rather than a one-off upload.
Step 5: Publish
Set the beat to free or paid, confirm your license tiers and files are attached, and publish. From there it's discoverable in BeatStars search and your followers' feeds.
The faster way: package and upload automatically
The slow part of BeatStars isn't any single step — it's doing all of them, by hand, for every beat, while also posting the same beat to YouTube. Audia handles the repetitive parts: it processes and packages your stems automatically in the format buyers expect, fills in the metadata, and uploads to BeatStars — and to YouTube — in the same one-click flow. You can read more in our guide to automating beat uploads.
Frequently asked questions
What files do I need to upload a beat to BeatStars?
At minimum an MP3 for the preview and a WAV for the lease. To sell premium and exclusive licenses you'll also want the full WAV and a zipped folder of stems (trackouts), which is what buyers expect when licensing for a session.
What are stems on BeatStars?
Stems (or trackouts) are the individual instrument tracks of your beat exported separately — drums, bass, melody and so on — usually delivered as a zipped folder of WAVs. They're attached to higher license tiers so buyers can mix the beat properly.
Should I upload beats to BeatStars and YouTube?
Most working producers do both: YouTube drives discovery and BeatStars handles the actual sale and licensing. Posting the same beat to both, with consistent metadata, is the standard workflow and can be automated so it's a single action.
Related: How to upload beats to YouTube · How to automate your beat uploads · How to make a beat visualizer for YouTube