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PremiumBeat for music producers

PremiumBeat is Shutterstock's exclusive music library. It picks composers and buys their tracks outright. Here is how a submission works, as of October 2026.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Checked on PremiumBeat's own pages on 26 October 2026.

Type
Production music library
How to join
By applicationSend up to 5 tracks once. The team picks
Exclusive
YesExclusive buyout. All rights move to the library
AI-made music
Not statedThe music submission rules say nothing about AI

From my catalog. 111 tracks are live on PremiumBeat, and 4 are waiting for an answer.

In short. PremiumBeat is a curated library owned by Shutterstock, and every track in it is exclusive. You send up to 5 tracks once, and the PremiumBeat team writes back if it wants them. A track it takes is bought outright for an upfront fee, with no payouts from sales later. PRO members keep the writer's share of performance royalties. You get one review. If the first batch is weak, there is no second one.

How to join

You apply through PremiumBeat's submission page. Shutterstock's help page for music contributors, dated 17 February 2026, sets the rules:

  • Up to 5 tracks in the first batch.
  • MP3 files, at most 15 MB each.
  • About 2:30 to 3:00 a track.
  • For each track: the title, tempo (BPM), instruments used and composer information.
  • Review "can take up to a few months". Professionals in music production listen. PremiumBeat contacts you if a track is accepted.
  • One try. "Multiple submissions by the same artist will not be reviewed."

Shutterstock says most of its clients want "mainstream music that is up-to-date and current". It advises against slow, monotonous arrangements, and asks you to vary your sounds.

Exclusive or not

Exclusive. "We do not accept any music on a non-exclusive basis." Tracks you have placed elsewhere can go in your submission as examples of your work. Tracks that join the library must be exclusive.

PremiumBeat's buyer help says the same from the other side. Its music "has been created by our team of gifted professional musicians and composers exclusively for PremiumBeat", and it is not sold anywhere else.

You must "own and control 100% of the copyright in both the composition and master recording". Samples from libraries that allow production music use are fine. Uncleared samples and sound-alikes are not. More: Exclusive or non-exclusive.

AI-generated music

The music contributor page says nothing about AI. Shutterstock's general content policy says it "will not allow AI-generated content to be submitted by contributors for licensing on our platform". That page does not name music. Ask PremiumBeat before you send anything made with AI.

Codes, Content ID and royalties

  • Rights. The deal is "a full transfer of rights in exchange for upfront payment". PremiumBeat says it owns the copyright in all its recordings and adaptations, public domain pieces included.
  • Performance royalties. "PRO-affiliated composers will receive 100% of the writer's share of public performance royalties." Unaffiliated composers are accepted too. See Registering library music with your PRO.
  • YouTube. Buyers clear claims on a PremiumBeat track with the YouTube Monetization ID from their order. "Each YouTube Monetization ID (for single tracks) covers up to 5 videos." Subscribers can allowlist their channels instead.

How you are paid

Shutterstock, which runs the program with PremiumBeat, pays "a substantial, per track fee upfront for every track acquired". After that, "contributors will not receive any additional payout from sales". You are paid even if a track is never licensed.

What to keep in your catalog

  • Which five tracks you sent, and when. There is no second review.
  • The answer, with its date. After a buyout, you may not place that track anywhere else.
  • The title the track has on PremiumBeat. Check it against your own spelling. A typo is enough to break a royalty match.
  • Your writer registration with your society, since the writer's share stays with you.

Sources