Music and Sampling

[Mr. Maul]

[size=1][color=DimGray]For those of you who don't know what sampling is, here's what Wikipedia had to say about it:[/color][/size]

[quote name='Wikipedia.org]In music, [b]sampling[/b] is the act of taking a portion of one sound recording, the [b]sample[/b'], and reusing it as an instrument or element of a new recording...[/quote][size=1][color=DimGray]
A prime example of this would be "[url="http://h1.ripway.com/jimmyspeed/RappersDelightPreview.mp3"]Rapper's Delight[/url]" by The Sugarhill Gang, in which they sampled the main riffs from Chic's "[url="http://h1.ripway.com/jimmyspeed/GoodTimesPreview.mp3"]Good Times[/url]." (Click on the song titles for a brief sound clip)[/color][/size]
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Sampling can be perfectly legal if the one doing the sampling [b]clears[/b] their samples ([b]clearing [/b]a sample is the act of getting permission from the original artist of the sample to use the sample. Clearing is done in order to avoid any copyright infringements and lawsuits which might occur), however a lot of artists who do sample never bother to clear any of their samples.

Now, my questions that I pose to you:

Do you believe that sampling is wrong? Why or why not? Is wrong to use a sample that hasn't been cleared? Does sampling hurt the sampled artists/the music industry? What are your opinions on sampling in general?

[/color][/size][size=1][color=DimGray]Personally, I believe that sampling is perfectly okay, due to the fact that I produce my own music on my computer and other equipment. Therefore, sampling is my livelihood. I believe that if at all possible, one must clear all of his or her samples before releasing them on an album. However, for small time artists like myself who aren't making money off of their samples, not clearing them is a-ok. Also, if the sample is obscure enough, I don't think it is necessary to clear it.

Sampling isn't hurting the music industry, the music industry is hurting the music industry.

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[John]

People getting mad over unauthorized sampling of their music is preposterous, and unless the music is directly ridiculing the sample, as happens sometimes, then there's no way in hell that it could possibly hurt their career. It's far more likely, in fact, that the people who like the sample will seek it out and give that artist [i]more[/i] success. You should try to clear it, certainly, but only as an act of courtesy.

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=arial][size=1]I listen to a lot of bands that do a different kind of sampling, where they'll take quotes from movies and insert them into their songs. [u][url="http://www.myspace.com/killwhitneydead"]Killwhitneydead[/url][/u], a popular but local band of my city, is built upon using samples from horror or sick comedy movies in their songs. From what I know, they clear their samples they use in their cd's, but I doubt they clear the additional ones that they use on stage.

Sampling movie quotes usually does two things in music.

1. Adds a boost to whatever message your song is trying to convey through a relative sample.

2. Puts out a favorite movie of the band as a recommendation. Personally, I make it a point to track down and watch every movie KWD samples from, most are pretty cool.


So yeah, obviously, I have no problem with it. *votes*[/size][/font]

[Shinmaru]

I don't have any problems with sampling either. When used well, sampling can lead to some unique, incredible music. The Beastie Boys album [i]Paul's Boutique[/i], for example, is full of clever, innovative sampling, and it's an amazing album from top to bottom.

I think that sampling should be considered fair use, but it's a tough issue. Much of sampling involves using those samples in different musical contexts that give them completely new meanings, so to me that satisfies the first determination for fair use (and you don't necessarily have to satisfy all determinations for something to be considered fair use). As for sampling's effect on the market... has anyone really gauged that using statistics and whatnot that could actually [i]prove[/i] that sampling has a negative sales effect for the original artist? The third determination for fair use is tricky too ("...the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole..."). I think it's absurd to be strict about very short samples, but I'm not as sure about sampling, say, the chorus of a song, which is obviously the most recognizable part of a song to anyone who's heard it.

Again, I lean more toward sampling being fair use, but it's a lot to think about lol.

[Box Hoy]

[size=1]Sampling is relatively new to me, but I have no problem with it. I really didn't understand what sampling was until I saw this thread so thank you Mr. Maul.

The industrial band, Crossbreed has a few good samples. I'm not sure where they obtain their samples from but there's songs like Pure Energy with samples that they've remixed up.

Slipknot has a sampler/sythesizer "Craig" but they don't use him much anymore. I think Eyeless is the most obvious song of their where samples are used.

Other than that I don't know any bands that openly use samples.

But back to the topic at hand, I think it's fine if you are smart about not going overboard with samples.[/size]

[John]

[quote name='Shinmaru']I think it's absurd to be strict about very short samples, but I'm not as sure about sampling, say, the chorus of a song, which is obviously the most recognizable part of a song to anyone who's heard it.[/quote] Even if they take the chorus, who cares? I don't yet see how this can affect the artist in any negative way.

[Mr. Maul]

[size=1][color=DimGray]You're right about Paul's Boutique, [b]Shinmaru[/b], and "Fair Use," in my opinion, is extremely tricky.[/color][/size]

[quote name='John']People getting mad over unauthorized sampling of their music is preposterous, and unless the music is directly ridiculing the sample, as happens sometimes, then there's no way in hell that it could possibly hurt their career.[/quote][size=1][color=DimGray]If anything, it strengthens their career. Sampling their work exsposes their music to a whole new audience of different genres. Audiences that wouldn't ordinarily hear their work.
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[font=Arial][size=1] [quote=RiflesAtRecess][/size][/font][font=arial][size=1] Sampling movie quotes usually does two things in music.

1. Adds a boost to whatever message your song is trying to convey through a relative sample.

2. Puts out a favorite movie of the band as a recommendation. Personally, I make it a point to track down and watch every movie KWD samples from, most are pretty cool.
[/quote][font=Verdana][color=DimGray]It doesn't even have to be movie lines. Sampling anything usually boosts the message, if not adds to the "atmosphere" of the song. And similar to recommending movies with quotes, artists who sample other songs give you a deeper insight into their own musical preferences. Artists usually sample from songs that they themselves enjoy listening to.[/color][/font][/size][/font][font=Verdana][size=1][color=DimGray]
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[/color][/size][/font] [size=1][color=DimGray][font=Verdana][b]Box Hoy[/b], many, many artists sample these days. You just have to do a little research. You'd be surprised by some of the musicians who use samples. It's very interesting.

[b]The Prodigy[/b] (see signature) would not exist if it weren't for sampling. Liam Howlett (frontman of The Prodigy) uses so many obscure samples so creatively. It's amazing. I've spent the past couple of years researching pretty much every single song he's done, finding out samples, locating his sample sources, and trying to recreate his samples myself. He truly is a prodigy.
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