There is an amazing amount of artists out there trying to make it in the difficult music business. Unfortunately there are very few people out there trying to help these artists reach the success they desire. (IndieBandGuru aims to help where we can 
). We recently came across another helper in this crazy music business known as The Corporatethief Beats. We caught up with him to get a little deeper into what he does and how he makes a difference. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, tell us about the name The Corporatethief Beats?
The name The Corporatethief Beats—or simply Corporatethief—came from a Michael Moore documentary about the 2008 financial crash. I went down a rabbit hole watching documentaries about white-collar crime and TV shows like American Greed. I was also obsessed with movies like Wall Street and Money Never Sleeps. In fact, I even named my first beat tape Greed I$ Good. Eventually, The Corporatethief became my YouTube channel name and later my producer alias online.
What style of music would you say you create?
I create modern hip-hop and trap beats, similar to artists like Kid Cudi, Kanye West, J. Cole, Rick Ross, and Drake. I also enjoy making pop beats because they give me more creative freedom with song structure. Trap music tends to lean more toward minimalism, while pop allows for more variation and complexity.
What draws you to bring music into the world?
Music is the one thing I’ve stuck with for a long time. Don’t get me wrong—everything isn’t perfect. I’ve said I’d quit a dozen times, but every morning, I wake up and start working on music or my music websites again. It gives me a sense of purpose, and I’d be lost without it.
What has been the biggest challenge for you?
Learning online marketing has been a long and challenging journey. While platforms like TryBuyBeats.com, BeatStars and Airbit are great, the competition is massive. That’s why I decided to focus on building my own website, The Corporatethief Beats, so I could drive and control my own traffic instead of relying solely on third-party platforms.
Which artists have had the biggest inspiration on The Corporatethief Beats?
When I first started, I was really into Danja as a producer. I loved how he structured pop songs—things like pre-hooks, pre-verses, and hook outros really excited me. But Kid Cudi had the biggest influence on me. I didn’t grow up listening to hip-hop, so Kid Cudi was my introduction to the genre. 808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West also played a huge role in shaping my sound.
How are you serving the artist community?
I run a blog where I share music marketing tips. I also create music marketing video tutorials for my email subscribers, showing them what I’ve learned and how it can help them promote their music. Additionally, I wrote an ebook called The Rap Lyricist’s Handbook, which includes songwriting tips, flow examples, production and recording advice, and music marketing tools.
Share some advice for other artists and producers trying to get noticed in the industry.
Don’t wait for a music promotion company to “put you on.” Learn how to use tools like Meta Ads, X Ads, Google Ads, email marketing, and video content to build your own audience.
Also, find ways to generate income through side hustles so you can invest in your music career like an angel investor. Be cautious of shady middlemen who use words like exposure, promo, and put you on. These so-called promoters can barely market themselves and often rely on spam and vanity metrics to deceive up-and-coming artists.
What’s next for The Corporatethief Beats?
I’ve seen more success promoting my rap instrumental beat packs to rap artists since they clearly see the value in beat bundled offers. Moving forward, I’ll continue to create and market my beats as part of packages to simplify the leasing process.I also plan to expand my other websites, like Getchorus.com, a site dedicated to rap songwriting, and HowToMakeBeatsBlog.com, which curates content about music production.
