This tip is not about when/how to sample, it is about when NOT to sample:

Copyright!

Luckily I do not talk from my experience, but it is a known fact that if you grab a illegal sample from someone else's record, use it in your own song and get caught - you are heading towards big time troubes and powerty!

Generally, using samples from another peoples record are jobs for rich and famous, easy 5 second loop from someone Has Been may cost you full 100% of royalties. It is not also uncommon (especially if one of your songs includes more than one sample) that combined demands of lawyers are more than 100% out of royalties.

To keep you out of trouble, generally:

* If you plan to publish your song, sample only legal stuff. If you doupt that your sample is not legal, you are better off if you do not use it.

* If you REALLY cannot replace that sample with anything else, either contact the record company for sample clearance, or process it until it cannot be recognized anymore.

* DO NOT believe that you can get away with it, just because the artist is living in australia and the record was done in 60's.

* While buying sample CD's read the fine print, check what limitations CD manufacturer possibly has for usage.

* For God's sake, do not sample Prodigy's Voodoo People!

* Remember, that downloading / Burning commercial sample CD's is also illegal.

* If you plan to have a sample clearance discussion, get yourself a lawyer. It will save you big bucks if person negotiating for you is a professional.

* Do not sample main loop or melody from a hit song, if you can also use similar sound from less famous artist, in less significant part in his song. Comes much cheaper.

* Remember to make a list about samples you use in a song. Saves you from plenty of trouble afterwards, if someone asks "Did you get that sound from my song?"

* Remember that also Radioprogrammes, TV, Movies, melodies, lyrics, educational material and so on are illegal to sample. Look for that small (c) somewhere.

* And last but definately not least: Make sure your own songs legal stuff (copyright, you being member of local Musician Union/Committee) is allright, it will gain you big bucks if someone samples YOU!

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With Best Regards:

Mikko Sundman aka Spintonik
http://www.mp3.com/spintonik

Buckskin says:

Check the Copyrights!

most everything out there in this world has a copyright on it. The last thing you want is to finally have a hit song and end up paying someone else just because you "borrowed" a little thing from them.