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Exclusive analysis of and insight to music sampling, copyright law, and more from The Art of Sampling.
The Sample Clearance “Tax” and the Primary Beneficiaries of the Sample Clearance System
The following is an excerpt from 'The Art of Sampling: The Sampling Tradition of Hip Hop/Rap Music and Copyright Law, 3rd Edition' by Amir Said.
When the music industry first took notice of sampling, their burning question had to…
On “Genius” and the Notion That Art Happens Without Work
Both Michelangelo and Mozart are recognized today as geniuses, just as they were recognized as geniuses in their own the time. One parallel among these two geniuses is how self-aware they were about the “work” that went into the “mastery”…
How Black Music Saved the Music Industry; and How the Music Industry’s Culture of Robbery…
“𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 ‘𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬,’ 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 ‘𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬’” (Variety)
If you’ve ever worked in any industry, then you did business in the *music industry*, you know it’s one of the worst…
Sample Flips: Three Times Dope – “Funky Dividends” (Prod. By Chuck Nice and Lawrence…
Three Times Dope was a hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who had a run in the late '80s. The group included rapper EST, producer Chuck Nice, and DJ Woody Wood. They were apart of The Hilltop Hustlers, an infamous crew from…
MusicStudy: Talking Heads – “Once In A Lifetime;” Rhythms In Motion
When I first heard the Talking Heads classic “Once In A Lifetime” (1981), I immediately knew that it would have a profound effect on me musically (and culturally). Although at that time I’d only had some minimal familiarity with African…
The Function of Fair Use: An Excerpt from the Book The Art of Sampling, 3rd Edition
The following is an excerpt from my forthcoming book The Art of Sampling, 3rd Edition.
Copyright law recognizes that creative borrowing is always at work and unavoidable, and that it thrives necessarily on the widespread use of on…
Beat Breakdown: Prodigy – “Keep It Thoro” (Prod. By Alchemist)
When certain names in beatmaking get tossed around with praise, it’s not always easy to pinpoint exactly what all of the acclaim is about. But then, there are some names where it’s not hard to tell. For me, some names are heavy weight…
Sample-Based Beatmaking As Learned Through Soul Music
Sample-based beatmakers (producers) draw inspiration from a variety of music forms and sources. So it should probably go without saying that each of those sources has both a direct and indirect influence on the way in which a beatmaker…
Sample Flips: Inspectah Deck Ft. La The Darkman “Lovin You” (Prod. By True Master)
Inspectah Deck released his debut album, Uncontrolled Substance, in 1999. The album was originally supposed to be released in 1995, but two floods at RZA's home studio postponed the album indefinitely. RZA lost upwards of 500 beats…
Sample Flips: Diamond D – “The Hiatus” (Prod. By Diamond D)
Diamond D is a producer and a rapper from The Bronx, New York who came up in the '90s. He is one of the original members of the hip hop collective D.I.T.C. The collective featured Lord Finesse, O.C., Big L, Fat Joe, Buckwild, Showbiz and…