2020-Present

MOVE THE CROWD

Leading up to our annual battle, we decided to try out a new concept where producers would have to impress the audience in order to secure the win.  The Top 32 Producers would no longer have their fates decided by guest judges. Instead, they would be at the mercy of the crowd to determine the best producer, with the use of a decibel meter to monitor the reaction of the crowd. Hence, the name “MOVE THE CROWD” edition.

Hundreds upon hundreds of producers registered from around the globe for a chance to compete. A total of 256 producers were pre-selected to participate in the battle, which were then screened down to the Top 32 Producers who would come to Toronto to compete live on March 21, 2020. The Top 256 Pre-Screening Guest Judges included Mellenius (Tone Mason), Y-Not (SoundSmith), 2Rude (Rudimental), Gigz, Tona, and Sean ‘Bluu’ Watson. The sole prize was $5,000 cash.

THE PANDEMIC

After months of planning, a week before the MOVE THE CROWD battle was to take place, the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down. Having been postponed three times (November 21, 2020, March 27, 2021 and August 27, 2022) due to issues around lingering travel restrictions, the battle was ultimately cancelled.

BEAT ECONOMY

As a result of the COVID lockdown, we were forced to reinvent ourselves in the virtual world, as a result BEAT ECONOMY was created as a way for producers to earn money during the lockdown. Producers put up their own cash to enter the battle in order to win a much bigger pot of cash if they win. Put up $25 to win $200. Put up $50 to win $500. Put up $100 to win $1,000. The battles are judged by the viewers to determine the winner on a weekly basis.

Guest judges, Mellenius (Tone Mason), Y-Not (SoundSmith), and 2Rude (Rudimental) are on deck only for the $1,000 battles. In addition to winning the cash prizes, endless collaborations continued to take place between producers, as they discovered the value of having multiple creative minds in the process. Battles are all streamed live on Twitch or YouTube and hosted by KLFTN.

MOVING FORWARD

The legacy of Battle of the Beat Makers continues to grow and spread even in the midst of a pandemic, as producers far and wide, who once battled on stage, are still signing deals with majors, sneaker deals, global publishing deals, becoming executives, while still selling Diamond Records, Multi-Platinum and Platinum Records, Gold Records, Grammy nominations and wins.