b"Lil Nas X licensed the beat for \\u201cOld Town Road\\u201d from an e-commerce platform. He originally bought a non-exclusive copy of the backing track for just $29.99 from a 19 year old Dutch record producer called YoungKio. And he\\u2019s not the first hitmaker to do so. Desiigner, Bryson Tiller and Queen Naija have all made hit songs from internet beats. These beats are big business. The arguable market leader, BeatStars, has paid its producers over $50M since its inception in 2008. The platform allows producers to market their beats to MCs and singers, boasting 340,000 active sellers and 1.5M tracks. BeatStars CEO Abe Batshon originally created the company to connect artists who may not live in the music industry hubs in L.A., N.Y., Nashville and Atlanta. His global ambitions were realized\\u2014producers on the platform come from all over the world. They release a steady stream of new music, marketing their original and sound-a-like beats to aspiring and emerging artists everywhere turning into ad music, Instagram stories and even Billboard Hot 100 hits. While BeatStars increases access to music, could this commoditization of music devalue the creative process? We speak with Abe as well as producers on the platform\\u2014songwriter Breana Marin and producer Dansonn\\u2014to understand how online beat selling is effecting the sound of pop music.\\nMusic Discussed:Lil Nas X - Old Town RoadBryson Tiller - Don\\u2019tYBN Nahmir - Rubbin off the PaintDesiigner - Panda\\u2019Queen Naija - MedicineCERTIBEATS - MojoBEATDEMONS - NohoBrytiago ft Bad Bunny - NETFLIXXXBreana Marin\\u2019s BeatStars pageDansonn\\u2019s BeatStars pageListen to \\u201cBouncing On The Band Stand\\u201d by Marian Hill\\u2019s Jeremy Loyd (Clear Eyes) and Charlie (Charlatan). You can even license it for $29.99 for your own production.\\nVote for Switched On Pop in this year's People's Choice Podcast Awards!\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"