Battle
rules

1. Who can battle

1. 1.1You need an active RocBattle producer account with a verified email address.
2. 1.2One person, one account. Extra accounts used to vote for yourself, farm credits or battle yourself are removed.
3. 1.3Accounts linked to each other (same device or network) can't battle each other or vote in each other's battles.
4. 1.4Cash prizes are only paid to RocBattle Verified producers (blue check).

2. Entering a battle

1. 2.1Battles start from the pool. Pick Open (any style) or a genre, choose a beat, and you're matched with a random producer. Nobody picks their opponent.
2. 2.2If someone is already waiting for the same kind of battle, you're matched right away. If not, your battle waits in the pool, where any producer can take it.
3. 2.3Matching skips linked accounts and favors producers you haven't faced in the last 30 days.
4. 2.4Every battle costs both producers 5 credits. You earn 1 credit for every counted vote you cast, and everyone is reset to 5 credits on the 1st of the month. Credits have no cash value.
5. 2.5A battle with no opponent after 3 days is removed and your credits come back.
6. 2.6Up to 20 battles are live at once so every battle gets votes. Extra matched battles wait "up next".

3. Battle limits

1. 3.12 battles going at once (waiting, up next or live).
2. 3.22 new battles a day, started or taken from the pool.
3. 3.320 battles a month.
4. 3.4The day resets at midnight Eastern time and the month resets on the 1st, Eastern time.
5. 3.5The limits are the same for every producer and every membership tier, so records and rankings are always built on the same number of battles.
6. 3.6Cash battles don't count toward these limits and cost no credits.

4. Your beat

1. 4.1Only battle with beats you made or have the rights to, with cleared samples. Stolen or copied beats are disqualified.
2. 4.2Beats only. No full songs, sung lyrics or rap verses over your beat. Vocal stabs, chops and choruses are fine; they're part of production. Officially enforced from November 1, 2026: battles that break this rule are disqualified.
3. 4.3No AI beats in battles. Beats made or assisted with AI (Suno, Udio and similar tools) can be uploaded, shared and sold when labeled honestly, but they can't battle. Beats are checked for AI when you upload them and can be checked again at any time, including battles already played.
4. 4.4Genre battles are same-genre only: your beat must be the battle's genre.
5. 4.5A beat that battled can't battle again for 30 days. Re-uploading the same beat doesn't reset the 30 days.
6. 4.6A beat that matches another producer's earlier upload is blocked from battles until staff review it.
7. 4.7A beat in a battle can't be deleted until the battle is over. Make sure it plays cleanly; a battle where a beat won't play can be cancelled and refunded.

5. Voting

1. 5.1You need a verified email address to vote. One vote per account per battle, and you can't vote in your own battle.
2. 5.2Listen first: you have to play each beat for at least 10 seconds before your vote is accepted.
3. 5.3Score both producers on Mix, Arrangement and Creativity (the MAC), 1 to 10 each, for a total out of 30.
4. 5.4No ties. Your higher total is your pick, so one producer has to score higher than the other.
5. 5.5Scores of 1, 2 or 3 show a warning before your vote goes in, and low scores are reviewed by staff.
6. 5.6Votes are final once submitted. Who you voted for is never shown publicly.
7. 5.7Votes from a device or network linked to a producer or another voter, or cast through a VPN, can be held or not counted. Held votes don't earn credits.
8. 5.8See How to Vote for what to listen for.

6. How the winner is decided

1. 6.1The producer more voters picked wins. Points never decide a battle; they only break an exactly even vote.
2. 6.2There are no draws. Every battle has a winner.
3. 6.3Staff votes are weighted. Staff can vote in any battle, including regular battles. When they do, all staff votes together count for 30% of the result and all members' votes for 70%. That's why a producer with more member votes can still lose a close battle. (In cash battles staff count for 60%; see section 7.)
4. 6.4Staff votes are required in tournament, championship and cash battles, and in any battle staff mark as staff-voted. Those battles need at least 3 staff votes to close.
5. 6.5No battle ends with fewer than 3 votes. Voting stays open until the battle has them.
6. 6.6RocBattle staff review each battle and close it to post the result. They aren't closed automatically.
7. 6.7Mercy rule: when a producer falls behind by 5 or more votes, staff can close the battle early.
8. 6.8The arena always keeps at least 5 battles open to vote on, so a battle can stay open a little longer while new ones come in.

7. Cash battles

1. 7.1Staff cash battles are put together by RocBattle staff, who choose the two beats and put up the prize.
2. 7.2Member cash battles are unlocked by producers who buy the same amount of Ad Points. The winner receives 90% of the combined amount.
3. 7.3In every cash battle, staff votes count for 60% of the result and members' votes for 40%. A cash battle needs at least 3 staff votes and only staff can close it.
4. 7.4Prizes are paid only to RocBattle Verified producers, after staff approve the result.
5. 7.5All the rules on this page apply to cash battles too, including beats only and no AI.

8. Tournaments

1. 8.1Tournaments aren't on a fixed schedule. RocBattle staff host them from time to time and announce each one, with its own date, format and prize, in the Beat Lounge and on Upcoming.
2. 8.2Brackets are 8, 16, 32 or 64 producers, depending on how many producers qualify.
3. 8.3Leaderboard tournaments: the top producers on the Leaderboards get in. Staff may use one month of rankings, or an average over 2 or 3 months, and say which before qualifying starts.
4. 8.4Same-sample tournaments: staff provide a sample for each round. Once all the participants are in, everyone receives the same sample to download and has 2 days to make a beat with it. Then the beats battle.
5. 8.5Buy-in tournaments: staff set the buy-in amount and the tournament fills with as many producers as join. Half of all the buy-ins goes to the tournament winner.
6. 8.6Every tournament has staff votes, and each one can add its own official rules. All the rules on this page still apply, including beats only and no AI.
7. 8.7Tournament prizes are paid only to RocBattle Verified producers.

9. Fair voting

1. 9.1No buying, trading or coordinating votes, and no bringing in friends to max out one side or tank a producer.
2. 9.2Hate and boost votes: a vote that scores a producer 4 or more points below or above what every other voter heard is flagged for review.
3. 9.3Before a battle closes, staff review red flags such as brand-new accounts, linked accounts, unusual activity and straight-1s ballots.
4. 9.4Staff can decide a vote doesn't count. The number of votes that didn't count is shown under every battle's results.
5. 9.5Voters who vote consistently and fairly earn the gold star. See Honest Voters.
6. 9.6Members can see how everyone votes on the Voting Report.

10. Reports, disqualifications & penalties

1. 10.1See something wrong? Use Report this battle on the battle page and pick a reason: "Sound problem (won't play, cuts out, distorted)", "A beat isn't theirs (stolen or copied)", "Breaks the AI rule", "Full song or rap vocals on the beat", "Wrong genre for this battle", "Vote cheating", "Offensive content", or something else.
2. 10.2Staff review every report. A battle that breaks the rules can be disqualified, and the other producer gets the win.
3. 10.3A battle that can't continue (for example, a beat that won't play) can be cancelled, with credits refunded to both producers.
4. 10.4Staff can revisit finished battles at any time. Results can be reversed, and records and ratings are corrected when they are.
5. 10.5Breaking these rules can lead to lost votes, lost wins, lost ratings, the gold star or blue check being removed, a suspension or a ban.

11. Results, ratings & rankings

1. 11.1Everyone starts at a 1,000 rating. Wins raise it, losses lower it, and beating a stronger producer counts for more.
2. 11.2Your rating and battles played place you in a division and on the Leaderboards.
3. 11.3Both producers are notified with the result when a battle closes.

These rules can change as RocBattle grows; changes are announced in the Beat Lounge. Also see How It Works and the Terms & Conditions.