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How to sell music online

Short answer

Sell albums and singles on Bandcamp, where fans buy downloads and can pay more than your minimum, and sell beats on BeatStars, where artists shop for licenses. Your own site works for both once fans know your name, and it keeps the email list for your next release. Clear the rights to everything you sell first.

Two ways to sell, and which is yours

A marketplace that brings listeners

Bandcamp and BeatStars bring fans and artists who came to buy. Bandcamp lets you set a minimum price and let fans pay more, and BeatStars sells your beats under lease and exclusive licenses. Both own the storefront, so your page sits next to everyone else's.

Best for

Independent artists and producers finding their first paying fans.

Your own site that keeps fans

A site on your domain sells downloads, sample packs and beat licenses on your own terms, and every buyer joins your list. Replo builds the site on your brand, and its checkout sells one-time digital downloads. Merch in sizes needs a Shopify store behind the pages.

Best for

Artists and producers whose fans already follow them.

Where to sell music and what each platform charges

Fees for selling music
BandcampNothing until you sell15% digital, 10% merch, plus 4% to 6% processingWe model 15% plus 5% processing; the digital share drops to 10% after $5,000 in sales.
BeatStars$19.99 a year (Starter); no free plan0% commission on track salesBeatStars lists no free selling plan, and all three paid plans take 0% commission.
Your own site (Replo checkout)Your Replo plan2.9% + $0.30 card processingReplo checkout runs on Stripe, and Replo's docs list no extra per-sale fee.
GumroadFree, no monthly fee10% + $0.50, plus 2.9% + $0.30 processingSales that come through Gumroad's Discover marketplace pay a flat 30% instead.

Bandcamp and BeatStars take a share of each sale in exchange for their buyers. Selling direct keeps more of each download, but only once fans come looking for you.

What you keep on a $10 digital album

Each platform's fees on one $10 sale, before shipping, taxes, monthly plans and any ads you choose to buy.

  1. BeatStars$10.00 kept, $0.00 in fees
  2. Your own site (Replo checkout)$9.41 kept, $0.59 in fees
  3. Bandcamp$8.00 kept, $2.00 in fees
  4. Gumroad$7.91 kept, $2.09 in fees

Launch checklist

  • Confirm you own both the composition and the recording, since copyright treats them as separate works.
  • Releasing a cover? Get a mechanical license for the song before you sell a single download.
  • Clear every sample with both owners, the recording and the song, or replace it with original sounds.
  • Write beat licenses that spell out lease limits, exclusive rights and who owns the master.
  • Offer MP3 for convenience plus WAV or FLAC for fans and artists who want lossless files.
  • Put an audio tag on every beat preview so a ripped preview can't be released untagged.

Build your music site

Replo builds a site on your brand with your releases, beat license tiers, tour dates and checkout for digital downloads.

The prompt Replo starts from

Build a website for my music, [artist name]. Include a homepage with my latest release and a player, a music page selling each album and single as a download, a beats page with lease and exclusive license tiers and their terms, a tour dates section, a press kit page, and an email signup for new releases.
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Frequently asked questions

How do I sell music online?
Upload your tracks to a store that sells downloads, such as Bandcamp for albums or BeatStars for beats, set a price, and send fans there from your socials and shows. Add your own site when you want to keep fans' emails and sell bundles your way.
Do I need permission to sell a cover song?
Yes. You need a mechanical license for the song. In the US, a compulsory license is available to anyone once the song has been released to the public, or you can negotiate directly with the copyright owner or their agent.
What's the difference between leasing a beat and selling it exclusively?
A lease, or non-exclusive license, lets a producer sell the same beat to many artists until it's sold exclusively. An exclusive license makes the buyer the last purchaser and, under BeatStars' contracts, lets them own the master and its proceeds.
Can fans pay more than my price on Bandcamp?
Yes. Bandcamp lets you set a minimum price and let fans pay more if they want to, and Bandcamp says fans do so about half the time. Leave that option on, especially for albums and releases your closest fans care about.

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