Did it ever happen to you that you have listed to a song, and you are curious where they took that sample from?
Or maybe you weren't sure, but it sounds familiar! Which means you must've heard it before. But when? And where?
Before we continue.. What is 'Sampling' in music production?
A modern way of reusing musical ideas is using a sample - taking a short segment of sound from an existing recorded track (like a drum beat or a guitar riff, etc.) and using it creatively in a brand new song.
Sampling frequently has also a process of modifications added such as re-pitching, speeding up, slowing down, and/or looping. In the 1980s, hip hop musicians built their music on sampling from funk and soul records, and it became a significant influence on electronic dance music and pop until today. One of the most exciting aspects of hip-hop music (and many other types of popular music) is that it often samples and integrates other pieces of existing recorded music. This can be both a gift and a curse to artists whose work is sampled, but in many cases, it has resulted in some innovative pieces of music.
FUN FACT: Marley Marl was a record producer who significantly impacted the hip-hop industry. Almost by accident, he figured out how to sample drums from existing records, a technique that had become the standard in the 80s and 90s hip-hop.
And is there a fast way to find the origin of a Sample?
WhoSampled is a free database where anyone can search and listen to every sample ever used in popular music. In other words, this website allows us to explore the DNA of the music we listen to.
The website feature operates similar to the music discovery app Shazam but with its own crowdsourced database, that has been built over a decade.
By tapping on the song's name, it reveals a list of tracks that sampled, covered, and remixed that song, and when it was all released.
So you can always explore the history and the ancestry of your favorite tracks, learning and giving you a much clearer picture about it.
If sampling is so popular, is it allowed to sample any artists' music without permission?
No. You can not just sample artist's music without asking for permission.
Sampling from any media source ( Even a short snippet) without permission from its variable owners is not legal.
And acutely, these restrictions always existed during the golden age of sampling, of course.
There is plenty to be inspired by from the generation of musicians and producers who championed sampling as an art form, and it's recommended to learn about it through various resources. For as long as music has existed, some of it has been built on the reuse of musical ideas. But if you want to avoid some potentially serious legal issues down the road, it's essential to know just what sampling is and how you can legally use it in your music.
Conclusion
If you are interested in using samples in your track, it's best to do your research about its legal beforehand to ensure that no legal issues arise. All artists and creators should be familiar with the copyright laws and how they pertain to sampling. But most of all - it is essential to respect the work of others a learn carefully about what is allowed.
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