Beat22 review 2026: plans, fees, app and licences

This Beat22 review looks at Beat22 (beat22.com) as it stood on 8 November 2026: its history, its app, its seller plans, its payouts and what buyers get. Beat22 is one of the best-known beat marketplaces in India. It suits producers who want to start free and artists who want many ways to pay.

In short

• Selling starts free: up to 10 beats on the Basic plan, at 30% commission.
• Paid plans lower the cut: Premium takes 20% and Pro takes 10%, per Beat22’s plans page.
• Buyers get licences with QR checks and a 14-day review period after each purchase.

Every Beat22 fact below comes from Beat22’s own website, web app, help centre, blog and Google Play page, opened on 8 Nov 2026. Beat22 changes prices and offers often, so check its plans page before you pay.

What is Beat22, and is it the same as illpeoplemusic?

Yes. Beat22 is the new name of illpeoplemusic.com, which many people search as Ill People Music. Beat22’s own blog says its founders launched illpeoplemusic.com in 2019 with 20 handpicked producers from across India. In February 2025, the blog announced the new name. In Punjabi, “22” is said “bai”, which means brother.

Beat22 is run by Ill People Productions Private Limited and is based in Gurgaon, Haryana, per its help centre. The founders are Ashish Sudhera (CEO) and Kanav Singh Mehra. The site calls itself “India’s biggest beats marketplace”.

On its plans page, Beat22 reports 75K+ active musicians, ₹25M paid out to producers and 10,000+ beats sold across 55+ countries. These are Beat22’s own figures, and nobody else has checked them. Airtune is different by design: producers join by invite, so its catalogue is smaller and curated.

Is there a Beat22 app?

Yes, there is a Beat22 app for Android on Google Play. Its listing describes it as a way to “Buy and license beats & sound kits for your next track”. On 8 Nov 2026 the listing showed 5K+ downloads and a last update on 12 Jul 2026. The description talks about buying and licensing; it does not mention tools for sellers.

Producers can manage their store on beat22.com, which works in a phone browser. That is where the plans page, uploads and seller settings live. If you mainly buy beats, the app is a quick way to browse and pay from your phone.

People also search for a “Beat22 APK”. Install apps only from Google Play or a link on the official site. APK files from other websites can carry malware, and they may not be the real app. Airtune also runs in your phone’s browser at airtune.in, with the same store and checkout as on a laptop.

How do you sell beats on Beat22?

To sell beats on Beat22, you sign up, verify your identity and upload beats with your own prices in rupees. Beat22’s blog (3 Nov 2025) says Aadhaar verification through DigiLocker is now mandatory for sellers’ beats to be shown, and verified studios get a “Verified” status. It says beats from unverified studios stopped showing from 1 December 2025.

You then pick a plan. The free Basic plan lets you upload up to 10 beats and takes 30% commission per sale. Premium costs ₹1,999 billed yearly and takes 20%. Pro costs ₹599 a month or ₹4,999 a year and takes 10%.

Beat22’s own documents disagree on commission. Its plans page lists 30%, 20% and 10%. Its terms (effective 1 Nov 2025) say subscription packs carry “no separate commission”, and its seller agreement says 20% without a paid pack. We go by the plans page; ask Beat22 before you pay.

Airtune plan prices include GST and come from the Airtune pricing page. Beat22 also gives sellers useful tools:

• Negotiation: buyers can make offers, and you accept, counter or reject them.
• Lead generation (Pro): emails of artists who downloaded your free MP3 or added your beat to cart.
• Beat22 Campaigns: paid promotion on the site, at 20% off on Premium and Pro.
• Kits22: a sound kit marketplace that uses credits (2,000 on Premium; 5,000 on Pro, marked “Launching Soon”).
• Beat Placement Service: a chance to have beats pitched to artists and labels.

How much does Beat22 take, and when do sellers get paid?

Beat22 takes 30%, 20% or 10% of each sale, depending on your plan, per its plans page on 8 Nov 2026. Its terms add a payment gateway fee, taken before the rest is paid to you. Airtune takes 20%, 15%, 10% or 0% by plan, and passes on the Razorpay or Stripe fee at cost.

Beat22 payouts changed in November 2025. Each order now has a 14-day buyer review period, and the seller’s money is held until it ends. If no valid issue is raised, it moves to the seller’s Beat22 wallet, and payouts go to your linked bank account.

On Airtune, each sale clears for 7 days when paid in rupees, or 14 days in US dollars. Cleared money becomes available the following Friday and is paid in rupees to your verified UPI or bank account. There is no minimum payout.

Here is one ₹999 sale on each plan, before payment fees (our maths on each store’s published rate):

Tip: Beat22 Pro at ₹4,999 a year still takes 10%. Airtune Studio Pro costs ₹2,000 more at ₹6,999 a year but takes 0%, so it costs less overall once you sell more than ₹20,000 a year (₹2,000 ÷ 10%).

Is Beat22 safe for buyers?

Beat22 looks safe for buyers who read the licence first. Its checkout lists UPI, cards, EMI, netbanking, wallets, pay later and PayPal. Since 1 November 2025, every purchase has a 14-day review period. In that time you can claim a refund for a duplicate payment, a corrupt or inaccessible file, or a proven sample or copyright problem.

Licences come as non-exclusive WAV, WAV with stems, and exclusive, and Beat22 advertises free MP3 downloads. Beat22 also has QR licence verification: its web app has a verify page for the QR code on a licence. In its licence summaries, YouTube Content ID is not allowed on WAV and WAV-with-stems licences but is allowed on exclusives.

Refunds are limited. Beat22’s refund policy (effective 1 Nov 2025) says purchases are non-refundable except on those grounds, where the law requires, or at its discretion. A valid claim gives the seller 7 days to fix it. Airtune also treats sales as final, except for genuine delivery problems reported within 14 days of delivery.

• Read the full licence text: Beat22’s licence bars buyers from registering the instrumental itself with Content ID systems or a PRO such as IPRS.
• Check a licence: learn how in our guide to verify a beat licence.
• Airtune’s licences: signed in your legal name at checkout, locked, and saved as a PDF with a QR code.
• If Airtune files are faulty: the producer has 14 days to deliver working files, or you get a 100% refund.

Beat22 pros and cons

Beat22 has real strengths, and a few things to watch.

Pros

• Free to start: up to 10 beats on Basic, with no plan fee.
• Many ways to pay: UPI, cards, EMI, wallets, pay later and PayPal.
• Seller tools: negotiation, leads, campaigns, Kits22 and placement pitches.
• Trust checks: a “Verified” status for Aadhaar-checked sellers and QR licence checks for buyers.
• Long history: running since 2019, first as illpeoplemusic.com.

Cons

• 30% commission on Basic, and no 0% plan on the plans page we read.
• Unclear commission terms: the terms and the plans page disagree on paid plans.
• Seller money is held for the 14-day review period on every order.
• Limited refunds: only on three set grounds, or at Beat22’s discretion.
• Prices shown in rupees; we found no separate US dollar pricing for buyers abroad.

Who Beat22 suits, and when Airtune fits better

Pick by where you are as a producer, and by what your buyers need.

Beat22 suits you if:

• You are getting traction and want to test a store free with up to 10 beats.
• Your buyers want EMI, wallets or PayPal at checkout.
• You want leads and campaigns and plan to sell enough for Pro to pay off.

Airtune fits better if:

• You want 0% commission. Studio Pro keeps 100% of every sale.
• You sell abroad. You set separate ₹ and $ prices per licence and are paid in rupees.
• You want strong paperwork. Licences are signed in the buyer’s legal name, locked and verifiable by QR.
• You post on YouTube. Airtune builds the video and uploads it to your own channel, on every plan.
• You make premium sound. Airtune is invite-only and puts quality over quantity.

If you are brand new and want a free start with generous uploads, also read our BeatStore.in review. For a head-to-head on fees, see Airtune vs Beat22.

Next steps

1. Compare every Indian option in the best beat marketplace in India.
2. Plan your first store with our guide to sell beats online in India.
3. Check Airtune’s plans on the Airtune pricing page against your yearly sales.
4. Buying a beat? Explore beats on Airtune and read the licence on the beat page first.