An off-the-shelf instrumental sounds like everyone else's. On Melo you commission a production made for your song: you describe the style, the tempo and your references to the beatmaker or composer of your choice, and you follow the work through to delivery.
Browse beatmaker and composer profiles, listen to their work, compare styles and listed rates, then book.
Style, tempo, mood, instruments you have in mind and two or three reference tracks: the sharper the brief, the closer the first version lands.
You receive a first version, listen to it and ask for the adjustments you need — structure, tempo, sound choices, intensity of each section.
Once approved, the instrumental is delivered in the agreed formats, ready for your vocals or for mixing.
A beat sold online is a finished product, often licensed non-exclusively to dozens of artists: it is cheap, available immediately, and already carries the signature of other records. A commissioned production starts from your intention. The tempo is set to your flow rather than the other way round, the structure follows your lyrics, parts step back when the vocal needs room and rise when it stops. You also get something no catalogue sells: a person who has listened to what you are trying to do and can rework the production after your notes. Commissioning costs more and takes longer; in exchange, the record is yours from the first element to the last.
A good brief fits in a few precise lines. Give the style and subgenre rather than a broad label, an approximate tempo — or the exact one if your lyrics are already written — and the mood in two or three adjectives. Above all add references: two or three existing tracks whose production speaks to you, saying what you like about them — the bass, the drums, the way the chorus opens up. Saying what you do not want is often just as useful. If you already have lyrics, a rough phone demo beats any description: it conveys your delivery, phrase lengths and where you breathe. Finally, state where the track is headed — commercial release, demo, competition, sync — because that changes both production decisions and licensing terms.
Settle this before booking, not after delivery. A commissioned production can be licensed exclusively or not, with or without publishing split, and those terms are agreed directly with the professional, within Melo's terms of service. If you are planning a release on streaming platforms, a registration with a collecting society or advertising use, say so in the brief and put the terms in writing in the conversation attached to the service. A clear agreement on exclusivity, credits and any revenue share prevents most disputes — and costs five minutes.
A beat sold online is a finished product, often licensed to several artists. A commissioned production is built for your song, from your own brief.
The style, the rough tempo, the mood and two or three reference tracks. The more precise your brief, the closer the first version will be to what you have in mind.
The terms are agreed with the professional and sit within Melo's terms of service. Check this with them before booking if you plan a commercial release.
Yes. You can go straight on to a remote recording session, where the sound engineer streams the instrumental while you lay down your vocals.
The rate is set and displayed by each beatmaker. It depends on their experience, the complexity of the production requested and the licensing terms — exclusivity costs more than a shared licence.
The turnaround is listed on each service, generally a few days to two weeks depending on the professional's workload and the complexity of the request. Flag any deadline in your first message.
Ask for them explicitly at brief stage. Stems — separated groups of drums, bass, harmony, melody — are essential if you want the track mixed properly rather than laying your vocal over a frozen stereo file.
Yes, the number of included revisions is listed on the service. Group your notes into one message and be concrete: naming the exact moment in the track that bothers you saves a round trip.
The catalogue brings together beatmakers and composers from very different backgrounds: rap, pop, RnB, electronic, afro, music for picture. Filter by profile and listen to their work before booking.
No. Plenty of artists commission the production first and write to it. If you already have lyrics, give the tempo and structure you want: the production will be cut for them from the first version.