Setting Up Licensing
Licensing setup connects payment and file-delivery prerequisites, maintains reusable license types, and applies per-track configuration.
This guide walks you through the setup process from start to finish.
Before You Begin
Section titled “Before You Begin”Two accounts must be connected before you can sell licenses through The Library:
- Stripe Connect — handles payment processing. You’ll receive payouts directly to your Stripe account.
- Dropbox — handles file delivery. When a buyer purchases a license, The Library generates temporary download links from your Dropbox files.
Both connections are essential. If either is missing or expired, license sales will fail.
Connecting Stripe Connect
Section titled “Connecting Stripe Connect”Stripe Connect is managed in the Connected Accounts section of your Settings page, not within the Licensing section itself. Look for the Stripe Connect card there and click Connect Account to begin onboarding.
Stripe will guide you through creating an Express account. Once complete, your account status (charges enabled, payouts enabled) appears in the same card.
Connecting Dropbox
Section titled “Connecting Dropbox”Head to Settings and locate the Dropbox integration. Click Connect Dropbox and authorize the connection. Your Dropbox account stores the master files that get delivered to buyers — typically your beat stems, WAV files, and project files.
Configuring Contact Settings
Section titled “Configuring Contact Settings”When someone wants to purchase a license, they need a way to reach you or complete the transaction. Your contact settings determine how this works.
In the Licensing section of Settings, you’ll find contact preferences:
| Method | How it works |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Buyers purchase directly through Stripe Checkout (recommended) |
| Buyers are directed to email you for purchase details | |
| URL | Buyers are directed to a custom page (your beat store, contact form, etc.) |
The Stripe option provides the smoothest buyer experience — payments and file delivery happen automatically without any manual intervention from you. We recommend this setting for most producers.
You can set a default that applies to all tracks, then override it on individual tracks as needed.
Creating License Types
Section titled “Creating License Types”License types define what you’re selling: the name, price, included files, and terms. Think of them as your product catalog.
What Defines a License Type
Section titled “What Defines a License Type”Each license type includes:
- Name — how it appears to buyers (e.g., “Non-Exclusive Lease”, “Premium Lease”, “Exclusive Rights”)
- Description — a brief summary buyers see (e.g., “Includes MP3 + WAV, up to 5,000 streams”)
- Price — the amount buyers pay (set in dollars or your preferred currency)
- Deliverables — the files included with this license (MP3, WAV, Stems, Track-outs)
- Exclusive flag — a configuration value for the license type
- License terms — optional text configured by the seller
Starting with Templates
Section titled “Starting with Templates”The Library provides templates as starting configuration data:
- Non-Exclusive Lease
- Premium Lease
- Exclusive Rights
- Sync License
You can add templates as-is, customize them, or create your own from scratch.
Setting Your Pricing
Section titled “Setting Your Pricing”When you create a license type, you set a default price. This price applies to all tracks using that license unless you override it per-track. This flexibility lets you discount older beats or charge premium prices for your most popular tracks.
Enabling Licensing on Tracks
Section titled “Enabling Licensing on Tracks”With license types defined, you’re ready to enable licensing on individual tracks.
Per-Track Settings
Section titled “Per-Track Settings”Each track has its own licensing configuration:
- Enable/disable licensing — turn sales on or off for that specific track
- Choose license types — select which of your license types apply to this track
- Override prices — charge more or less than the default for any license type
- Override contact method — use a different purchase flow than your default
The Marketing Widget
Section titled “The Marketing Widget”The marketing widget appears when you select a track. It provides quick access to licensing controls without navigating to a separate page. From the widget, you can:
- Toggle licensing on or off
- Select which license types are available
- Adjust prices for individual licenses
- Open the configured public-page preview link when a display name is available
Bulk Editing
Section titled “Bulk Editing”Need to enable licensing on multiple tracks at once? Use bulk edit mode to select several tracks and apply the same licensing configuration to all of them. This is handy when you’re launching a new batch of beats for sale.
How Buyers Purchase
Section titled “How Buyers Purchase”For a public purchase, an enabled license and valid seller Stripe/Dropbox connections create a pending checkout. A verified completion webhook transitions it to completed, sets the 30-day download expiry, and sends confirmation with tokenized delivery.
Tips for Success
Section titled “Tips for Success”- Keep your Dropbox organized — use consistent folder naming so you can quickly locate files when enabling new tracks for sale
- Review configured data — templates are starting points; confirm the name, price, deliverables, and active state before enabling a license.
- Verify prerequisites — a track cannot enable licensing without Dropbox, and checkout also requires seller Stripe.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Creating License Types — detailed guide to building your license catalog
- Pricing Your Beats — strategies for setting competitive prices
- Purchase Flow — understanding the buyer experience
- Managing Sales — tracking purchases and handling fulfillment