Beat Battle: Judged by Ski Beatz

1. Make a beat by sampling 'El choclo' by The Guadalajara Brass Orchestra, a famous Argentinean tango version from the catalog of Inspired Studios (scroll down for more info on this sample).
2. Upload a video of your beat to Instagram (max 60 seconds) before the end of the day, 18th of April*(all timezones included).*
3. Tag the video with #tracklibbeatbattle.
4. Tag at least two producer friends in your post who shouldn't miss out on this Beat Battle.
5. Follow Tracklib on Instagram.

FIRST PRIZE:

• A cash prize of $1000
• One-year Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $139.90)
• Tracklib Category C Sample License (Value: $50)
• zplane's PEEL allowing for flawless frequency isolation of samples (Value: $50)
• A shout-out from none other than Ski Beatz

SECOND PRIZE:

• Six-month Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $84)
• zplane's PEEL allowing for flawless frequency isolation of samples (Value: $50)
• A shout-out from Ski Beatz

THIRD PRIZE:

• Three-month Tracklib Standard subscription (Value: $42)
• zplane's PEEL allowing for flawless frequency isolation of samples (Value: $50)
• A shout-out from Ski Beatz

Your Instagram profile needs to be public for us to be able to see your post. Only entries using#tracklibbeatbattle** with at least two friends tagged and profiles following Tracklib, will be entering the competition.

Your music is still yours. We do not own any of the entries to this competition and will not use them for any other advertising purposes. We will, however, repost your tracks to promote the competition itself.

You can use any royalty-free sounds, besides from the song to sample, 'El choclo', in your track—but nothing else that needs to be cleared.

The first prize will be awarded a full sample license to monetize their work for free. The winner will, however, still have to pay the original rightsholders their share (5, 10 or 20% depending on sample time) of any eventual revenue earned on the new song.

No purchase is necessary to participate, but the samples need to be downloaded using a personal account on Tracklib. The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable and will be added to the winners Tracklib account.

If you have any further questions about the rules of this competition - just ask. We're here to help: support@tracklib.com.

With samples of Ahmad Jamal (“Pastures”) and The Stylistics (“Hurry Up This Way Again”), North Carolina producer Ski Beatz provided Jay-Z’s debut album Reasonable Doubt with two jazz-tinged, soul-heavy productions. After rhyming and producing under the moniker of MC Will-Ski in hip-hop groups Original Flavor and The Bizzie Boyz, that major placement through a Damon Dash connect led him to produce for the likes of Camp Lo (Uptown Saturday Night among other albums, including their iconic track "Luchini AKA This Is It," sampling horns off a 1980 Dynasty song), Mos Def, Curren$y, Lil’ Kim, Smoke DZA, Talib Kweli, Homeboy Sandman, more Jay-Z (“Who You Wit II” & “Streets Is Watching”), and many others.

“El Choclo” (The Corn Cob) is one of the most famous tangos ever, originally written by Argentinian tango pioneer Ángel Villoldo. Hit play and it’s an instant aha moment: whether you recognize it as the main melody in Delinquent Habits’ hip-hop classic “Return of the Tres” or from movies like the Quentin Tarantino horror-western spin-off From Dusk Till Dawn 3. “El Choclo” is everywhere, including versions by Louis Armstrong, Julio Iglesias, Nat King Cole, Billy Vaughn, Tony Martin, and many others. The story goes that in the mid-50s when German officers wanted to honor the visit to an Argentinean dignitary, mistakingly played “El Choclo,” thinking it was Argentina’s national anthem. The version of “El Choclo” for this Beat Battle is one by The Guadalajara Brass Orchestra from the catalog of Inspired Studios.

Inspired Studios started out as a children’s record label called Peter Pan Records, which became the second-largest manufacturer of children’s records in the USA. Actually, if we take it even further, the company started out as a plastic manufacturer in 1920 for the garments and board games industries. When technology caught up with their business model, the two brothers who founded the company realized their molding presses could be adapted to photographs—the start of Peter Pan Records.

These days, Inspired Studios distributes music from New Age to Latin, from easy-listening to big band jazz, and from world music to their old roster of children's songs.