Human-Led Composition · Story-First Production · Studio Quality
Turning Your Greatest Memories
Into a Lasting Musical Legacy
Richard Nelson transforms your story — grief, love, celebration, faith — into an original custom song crafted with real emotional depth. Because some moments deserve more than a generic track.
Born from Loss.
Built for the Stories Words Can't Hold.
"In every commission, there is a reminder that you are not alone."
In the wake of immense loss, Richard found himself searching for meaning, comfort, and connection. Music became the bridge between heartbreak and hope. In honor of his late wife and their story, he built What's Your Beat — a place dedicated to turning the moments that define people into music that outlasts them.
What began as a personal mission has become something larger: a creative practice built on the belief that your story deserves more than a template.
With over 150 commissions completed and 2,500+ streams on Spotify and counting, What's Your Beat is proof that music rooted in real emotion resonates — far beyond what any algorithm can replicate.
Original Songs for
Life's Most Meaningful Moments
Each commission begins with your story. Richard's hand-curated sound process shapes it into something that resonates long after the song ends.
Personalized Memorial Tributes
Honor Their MemoryTransform grief into a musical tribute that celebrates a life, honors shared love, and creates a lasting keepsake for those left behind. A personalized memorial song that says what your heart cannot.
Ideal for: memorial services, eulogy accompaniment, anniversary tributes, or simply a private way to stay close.
Love Songs & Proposals
Express the InexpressibleWords fail. Music doesn't. Commission a personalized love song that captures the depth of your bond — for a proposal, an anniversary, or simply to say what you've never quite been able to say.
Ideal for: proposals, anniversaries, weddings, Valentine's Day, or any moment that deserves to be remembered.
Celebration Commissions
Make Them Feel Truly SeenEvery milestone deserves recognition that goes beyond a card. A bespoke celebration song captures what makes someone irreplaceable and turns their moment into something unforgettable.
Ideal for: milestone birthdays, graduations, retirements, new chapters, and the people who deserve to feel seen.
Faith Journey Songs
Your Journey in SoundA song that honors your beliefs, your values, and the quiet moments of spiritual significance that words alone can't hold. Music that resonates at the level where faith lives.
Ideal for: baptisms, confirmations, spiritual milestones, devotional gifts, or personal anthems of faith.
Transformation Anthems
Your Strength in SongCommission a song that honors your journey through change — illness, recovery, reinvention, or any transition that deserves its own soundtrack. Story-first production that meets you where you are.
Ideal for: sobriety milestones, illness recovery, career pivots, divorce, or any hard-won personal evolution.
Family Legacy Songs
Bonds That Last ForeverCelebrate the unique beauty of your family's story, heritage, and bonds. A commissioned family song becomes a treasured heirloom — something passed down, not just played once.
Ideal for: family reunions, heritage tributes, sibling bonds, parent gifts, and the stories that hold a family together.
Feel Every Note. Every Word. Every Emotion.
Music reaches what words cannot. Richard's human-led composition process exists for exactly this — the moments that are too large for language.
From Your Story
to a Studio-Quality Song
Three steps. No musical knowledge required. Just your story, and Richard's craft.
Share Your Story
Tell Richard the memories, emotions, and people you want to honor. You don't write lyrics — you speak from the heart. The story-first production process does the rest.
Richard Composes
Richard provides human-centric creative direction throughout — shaping your story into melody, lyric, and arrangement using modern songcraft and hand-curated sound design.
Unlock Your Commission
Your private access code arrives by email. Use it to unlock your song on Richard's secure delivery page — yours to keep, download, and share however feels right.
What Separates a Commission
from a Generated Track
Any AI can produce a song. Only Richard can produce yours.
Richard Shapes Every Song
Richard works closely with AI music tools to find the sound that fits your story — but the lyrics, the emotional direction, and the creative choices come from a real conversation between Richard and what you shared.
Real Creative DirectionStory-First Production
No templates. No pre-sets. Every commission begins with your story — and every musical decision flows from what that story needs to feel true.
Made for You, Not for EveryoneHand-Curated Sound
From gentle piano ballads to full-band anthems, Richard curates the sonic palette that best serves your moment — not the sound that was easiest to generate.
Modern SongcraftYour Story, Protected
Every commission is handled with discretion and care. Your story belongs to you. You decide how your song is used, shared, or kept private — always.
Built on TrustGlobal Streaming Submission
Want your song on Spotify, Apple Music, or TikTok? Richard handles the distribution — your commissioned song can reach the world, or just the people who matter most.
Available Add-OnThe Compassion Fund
Each month, Richard quietly selects one person from recent commissions and refunds them in full — no application, no announcement. Just a surprise gift to someone whose story moved him.
Because It MattersOriginal songs crafted from real stories — each one unique, each one personal.
Real songs out in the world — played, replayed, and shared by the people they were made for.
No copy-paste tracks. No reused lyrics. Every commission is its own original piece of music.
Music Brings Us Together
Your commissioned song becomes part of something larger — music made from real stories, for real people, with real staying power.
Behind Every Song: Care, Craft, and Compassion
What's Your Beat is more than a service — it's a deeply personal practice shaped by real loss and real love. Every commission is read with care, held with respect, and approached as the meaningful creative act it is.
Technology supports the work. But the work itself is always human-led.
- Thoughtful storytelling that captures your unique emotional journey
- Hand-curated sound tailored to your preferred style, tempo, and mood
- Judgment-free creative space for any story — no matter how heavy or light
More Than a Song.
A Soundtrack to Your Story.
Every story is different. Every commission reflects that. From intimate piano ballads to full-band anthems, Richard shapes the sound around how you feel, what you've lived through, and what your story needs to say.
Custom Tone & Mood
Gentle, uplifting, powerful, or reflective — the emotional tone you describe becomes the compass for every creative decision in the commission.
Vocal Style & Arrangement
From intimate storytelling vocals to soulful anthems, your commission is delivered with a voice and arrangement that matches the weight of your moment.
Streaming Submission Add-On
Secure global distribution to Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok. Your commissioned song can exist in the world — or stay entirely private. Your choice.
A Real Commission. A Real Story.
Listen to how Richard's story-first production transforms grief into something lasting.
Weaver of Tales
"Weaver of Tales" honors a grandfather who shunned cameras but lives on through his stories. A personalized memorial tribute that honors grief, healing, and the enduring power of memory — exactly the kind of story-first production What's Your Beat was built for.
What Makes It WorkNotice how specific memories weave into universal emotions. The melody holds both the weight of loss and the warmth of remembrance — because Richard shaped every lyric and arrangement decision around what this particular story needed to feel true.
Everything You Need to Know
Before You Commission
Commissions start at $49 (Starter), $99 (Tribute — most popular), and $199 (Legacy — the deepest level of creative work Richard offers). The Tribute and Legacy tiers both include revision rounds. Streaming Submission to Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok is included with the Legacy tier, and available as an add-on for Starter and Tribute. A 24-Hour Emergency Priority slot is also available as an add-on — just one is offered per day, so it's worth grabbing early if your timeline is tight.
Each month, Richard quietly selects one person from recent commissions and refunds them in full — no application, no criteria to meet. It's just something Richard does on his own because he believes some stories deserve music regardless of the price. You won't know in advance. It's simply a surprise.
Standard commissions are ready within 7 days. The Legacy tier ($199) comes with priority 48-hour delivery built in. If you need something even faster — for a memorial service, a proposal, or something happening this week — the 24-Hour Emergency Priority add-on is available, though only one slot is offered per day.
Both, honestly. Richard works closely with AI music tools to find the sound and lyrics that fit your story — but the creative direction, the emotional interpretation of what you shared, and the decisions about what the song actually says all come from Richard. Think of it as Richard using AI the same way a filmmaker uses a camera: the tool matters, but so does who's behind it and why.
Yes. Global Streaming Submission to Spotify, Apple Music, and TikTok is included with the Legacy tier ($199), and available as an add-on for Starter and Tribute commissions. Richard handles the whole process. Your song can reach the world — or stay entirely private. That's always your call.
Revision rounds are included with Tribute and Legacy commissions. And if a name or word gets mispronounced in the song, Richard fixes that for free on every tier — no questions asked. Because AI tools are part of the process, exact sonic recreations aren't always possible, but the emotional core of what you commissioned is always honored.
Commission the Song
Your Story Deserves
Whether you're grieving, celebrating, healing, or simply wanting someone to feel deeply seen — your story deserves more than a template. Richard creates original songs from $49, with the kind of real attention your moment deserves.
Tribute ($99) includes revision rounds. Legacy ($199) includes revision rounds + streaming submission. Mispronunciation fixes are always free.
