What's Your Beat
The
Compassion Fund
Each month, Richard selects one person from recent commissions and refunds them in full. No application. No announcement. Just a song that quietly becomes a gift.
"Some stories just stay with you. When that happens, giving the money back feels like the only right thing to do."
When Richard started What's Your Beat, every song was free. It came from a real place — grief, loss, the belief that music shouldn't carry a price tag when someone is hurting. But 40 songs a month with almost no financial return wasn't sustainable, and it wasn't fair to the work either. So the model changed.
Commissions now start at $49. That covers the time, the tools, and the creative effort that goes into making something that actually feels right. It's a fair price for something that takes real work to do well.
But the original impulse — that some people should simply receive music as a gift — didn't go away. It just got smaller and more deliberate. That's the Compassion Fund.
Richard Selects Someone Each Month
After completing commissions each month, Richard looks back at the stories he received and picks one person whose situation moved him. There's no formula — just a judgment call about who could use the gift most.
That Person Gets a Full Refund
The refund goes out quietly. No public announcement, no explanation required. The person receives their money back and keeps their song. They may not know why — and that's intentional.
It Happens Every Month, Regardless
This isn't conditional on anything. Richard funds it himself, every month, because he thinks it matters. It's simply part of how he runs things — not a program, just a habit.
It's a small thing, honestly. One person. One refund. But it's the part of this that still feels closest to why Richard started it in the first place — the idea that every once in a while, someone should just get the music.
Ready to Commission
Your Song?
Share your story with Richard. Every commission is read with the same care, regardless of the tier.
✦ Commission Your SongStarter from $49 · Tribute $99 · Legacy $199
