The legality of selling beats

[Daymo]

This is a question to the more experienced of you out there that have sold beats to recording artists.

What in terms of legality is your responsibility when selling beats?
Are you obliged as the producer to have gained the relevant sample clearance or is that the responsibility of the purchase if releasing commercially?
Do you have any contracts that you have the purchaser sign?
If so, what type of restrictions and guidelines and clauses are set out in these contracts?

Sorry if this sounds naïve but I’m new to the “selling beats for profit” game.

Cheers
Daymo

 

[Hypnotist]

That's completely up to you.

I compose most of my beats, so sample-clearing isn't usually a factor. If I do, I have a clause that says the buyer will take care of clearing samples himself.

You can draw up as many contracts as you want, depending on the buyer's interest. You can license a beat to them for a certain amount of time, then the contract voids (if they're making a demo) or you can retain all the rights to the beat and re-sell to someone else (and sell it for really cheap), or you can sell it for cheap and request a point off their album (not recommended in small-time sales), or you can have a flat-rate for exclusive rights to use, copy, resell, etc the beat as if it were theirs.

Get as creative as you wish. Make it sound attractive to them. Besides, most of the cats we're dealing with today have NO MONEY, and won't sell a DAMN THING. And even if they sell, you probably won't see a dime from it if you want royalty points off the album. It's sad, but true.