Last Updated August 5, 2026

What The Beam Is

What is The Beam? The Beam is the music chart that pays new artists. Artists drop songs, fans vote in real time, and momentum turns into cash. It’s a discovery, release, and earning system built for early-career artists who want their music to matter now.

Who is it for? New artists, in any genre, who are still building leverage. Traditional charts reward artists who have already won. The Beam spotlights artists before they’re big.

What makes it different? The industry runs on algorithms and monthly listening cycles. The Beam runs on seasons, participation, and intention. We don’t ask artists to chase virality. We create moments where fans show up and directly change the outcome.

Is The Beam a social network? No. It’s a system, not a feed. You won’t need to post endlessly or please an algorithm. Everything points at songs, seasons, and outcomes.

Getting Started

How do I join? Sign up free at thebeam.com/signup. Email and password or Google, either works.

What do I need? A modern browser on the web, or an iPhone with the App Store for iOS.

What should I do first as an artist? Complete your profile so fans recognize you when it counts. Pick one song you believe in right now. Enter the current Chart Season. Then invite the people who already believe in you.

Chart Seasons

What are Chart Seasons? Limited-time competitions where new music competes for attention, momentum, and cash. Artists across six genres compete for $10,000 every season. Streaming charts measure what people already listened to. Beam Charts measure what fans are doing right now.

Why seasons? When everything is always available, nothing feels important. Seasons create urgency. Fans have a reason to show up now, and that’s how new artists get discovered early.

What do the charts measure? Fan participation. Momentum around new music. Intentional support, not passive listening.

Voting and Discovery

How does voting work? Fans vote in real time and momentum decides who ranks highest. Votes count when you’re logged in, there’s a daily cap, and Superfan votes carry extra weight.

How does discovery work? Fans choose songs and show up during big moments. A small group of early believers can outperform a massive passive audience. That’s by design.

Beam Challenges

What are Beam Challenges? Brand-funded competitions with transparent rules and guaranteed payouts. Brands want to work with emerging artists. The Beam makes that possible without exploitation.

What do artists get? Real earnings, brand exposure, and clear outcomes. Read the brief, submit your best work, and rally your fans behind the entry.

Superfans

What is a Superfan? Someone who backs an artist on purpose. Not a like, not a stream. Direct financial support at the moments that matter.

Does it cost anything to be a fan? No. Joining The Beam as a fan is free. Vote on the charts, listen, post music you like.

How much can Superfans give? Any amount. Most support comes in at $10, $25, $50, or $100.

What do Superfans actually get? Membership access. Pay in to an artist and you unlock their gated posts: early releases, tour dates, meet-and-greet invites, behind-the-scenes news. You can reply directly to their posts, not just read them. You’re buying a seat closer to the artist, and a real record that you supported them from here.

Members-Only Content

What is gated content? Posts only an artist’s paying Superfans can see. Two types: Early Release and Updates. Both live in the Members section of the artist’s profile.

What is Early Release? Artists can publish a track to Superfans before anyone else hears it. It sits under the Early Release tab, and only paying members can hit play. Your most loyal fans become your first listeners.

How do artists post gated content? Tap the “+” icon, select Create Member Post, and choose the type. Early Release for tracks, Update for announcements: tour dates, meet-and-greets, who’s opening for you. Publish and it lands in your Members section, gated behind membership.

What are Update posts for? Not every announcement is a song. Updates are your backstage channel, for the fans who’ve already shown up for you financially. That exclusivity is what makes membership worth it.

Season Goals

What is a season goal? A public earnings target on your profile. Fans see a live progress bar, your Superfan count, and can pay you directly. No middleman, no waiting on a label.

How do I set one? Tap “Edit goal” next to the earnings tracker on your profile. Quick picks are $500, $1K, $5K, or $10K, or drag to a custom number. Once set, your profile shows “$X raised of $Y” in real time.

Refer & Earn

How do referrals work? You earn $1 for every fan who joins The Beam through your link. Tap the Refer & Earn card on your profile, grab your link, and share it anywhere: socials, group chats, your bio, a QR code at a show. When a fan signs up through it, the dollar lands in your balance automatically.

Why it matters: Your existing audience on other platforms becomes direct income. You get paid the moment someone you invited joins, not months later through streams.

Payouts

How do artists get paid? Through PayPal. You need an email associated with a PayPal account, and that’s it. Superfan earnings reconcile monthly and pay out within 3 to 5 business days.

What does The Beam take? 30% of Superfan support. 7% of Chart Season winnings. 7% of Sponsored Challenge earnings. The rest is yours.

Your Account

How do I update my profile or account? Account info lives in Account Settings. Profile info lives in the Profile Editor.

How do I reset my password? Account Settings if you’re logged in. “Trouble signing in” on the login page if you’re not.

How do I delete my account? Permanently, from Account Settings.

Security and Support

Is my data safe? Yes. Everything is encrypted in transit and at rest, two-factor authentication protects your login, and we comply with breach-notification laws. Our privacy policy has the details.

How often does The Beam update? About every two weeks. We announce updates, maintenance, and roadmap news on the blog.

How do I get help? Email [email protected] or use the in-platform reporting tools. Security concerns go to [email protected].

What is your privacy policy? View The Beam’s Privacy Policy.

How can I report a security concern? You can report security concerns to [email protected] or send a message through our Contact Page.

How can I contact customer support? Write to us at [email protected].