How to Sample Music LEGALLY | A Guide to Clearing Samples Ready for Release

So you want to sample someone else's music in your track? You need to do things by the book.

There are a few important steps to follow when it comes to how to clear a sample for use in your own music. So in this vid, we'll explain how to sample music legally before you can release it to Spotify, Apple Music and other major platforms.

Let us know in the comments if you have questions - or your own tips for licensing samples and getting approval.

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How to clear a sample for a song or beat ►

More Unsigned advice ►

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Skip ahead in the video ►
00:00​​​​ - Intro to sampling music
02:27 - Copyright licence for permission to use master recording
03:01 - Apply for clearance well in advance
03:57 - Collect info about the song you're sampling
05:10 - Identify the master recording rights holder
05:46 - Identify the publishing rights holder
06:36 - Contact rights owners & negotiate
08:46 - Final thoughts

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[roncarlson]

I didn’t know about the ‘interpolation’ thingy. Thanks for putting this together!

[NFLDRAFT]

This is too much work. I’m just gonna pray and hope they don’t catch me. Wish me luck!

[TimothyDark]

I came here because I wanted to try and clear an interpretation, but this is so much work. I’m just going to remix it 😂 But this was a great breakdown! Thank you! Liked and subbed!

[Madrush]

This is great but have a small question:
*Upload documentation proving I own the copyright to the audio* does this mean i have to upload the invoice of the sample pack(s)?

[tzodearf]

I just sampled Primce's When You Were mine (for recreational purposes of course). After pitching it down 2 semitones and figuring out the most logical chord progression., I heard shades of Twist and Shout. So, Who's Zoomin' Who?

[nathanielkey]

Thank you for this, been waiting for a Professional synopsis on this!!! Ice, ice baby...!)

[hiview]

Thanks. What is the process for using part of spoken word from Youtube from either famous, or non-famous people?

[joshualane]

Acting like Vanilla Ice was a one-hit wonder because he didn’t clear his samples is wild. Not only did he have more than one hit song, he has recorded multiple albums, had a movie deal, appeared in Ninja Turtles, dates Madonna, and a whole other career in reality show and television hosting. Hew may not have made great use of his opportunities in the wake of To The Extreme, but releasing Ice Ice Baby cleared or uncleared absolutely was the correct decision.

[ExquisiteNoiseRecords]

I'm kind of wondering about the flipside: how long you have to wait before recordings enter the public domain. How do you find that out? We have a lot of artists sampling 75 year old classical or big band music, etc. We're worried about having "rights" holders say, "...yeah, that's correct, we own the copyright, pay us, sure, sure..." when we don't actually have to.

[amblerproductions]

all my tracks on ditto are never sampled i have a different issue I get this error message [ One or more tracks on your release finish or cut off abruptly. This can result in your release being rejected by some digital] but all my tracks that got accepted before all end the same with no instant cut offs and haven't been able to release music this year because of this issue

[DFlexXxMusic]

What about if you sample someone’s music but drops in on YouTube as a remix? Making no money from it, they can’t sue right?

[nii]

Do you think you could further explain the rollover fee/give an example and/or do you have any references where I can find this information

[جَنَىٰ-نو]

Thanks for the useful information but i have a problem
It is that i don't have enough cash to pay for the rights
I see that there is a good number of artists that don't have permission for the rights but they get away with it can you explain how please

[sxelady]

So what if the sample can't be found? Or the source doesn't exist anymore?

[CityRecGtTV]

What about using apps... Groovepad. Bandlab etc.. That offer royalty free sounds kits.. They say you can use your created beat but, am i still able to distribute it with right credits?

[wouter]

Thanks, this was really helpful!!

Just a question, would this work the same for remixes or non monetized projects?

[lovellsrecords]

Once he pronounced Bowie's last name wrong I tuned

[jamesdecent]

Who wrote the article on your website that this video is linked to? I'd like to quit some material an statistics from it and want to give proper credit and citation.

[Patrick-ryan-collins]

Yeah, we all remember vanilla ice though

[daegancornelius]

What about the beastie boys, they didn't clear the samples for Paul's