December 1, 2008

Is Sampling Dead?

Is Sampling Dead?

How greenbacks and red tape are tearing the heart out of hip-hop.

The death of sampling in hip-hop has been predicted at fairly regular intervals since its inception some 30 years ago. In this special report for SPIN, the topic is approached more as a question than a proclamation. The responses from producers, emcees, record label managers, publishers, and sample clearance agents lend credence to the question—providing proof that the artform is becoming increasingly prohibitive due to rising costs and artists’ exposure to potential litigation. — Matthew Newton

Read the full article here.

8 Responses

  1. Great read. The whole music publishing game seems a little sketchy to me. But I would hardly say sampling is dead. Maybe in the mainstream it is. I was hoping this article would talk about how people sample from youtube or download sample packages off the internet.

  2. I like to use samples in such a way that they’re virtually impossible to distinguish from the original source. This approach covers your bases and fosters creativity. In my opinion someone who just loops the meat of a former top 40 hit is asking for trouble. Borrowing an 8 second violin sound from a 10 minute Bach recording made in 1965, and then using it creativly and embedded with similarly obsure sounds is safe.

  3. Hey if you can listen to a piece of my work and tell me where I sampled it from all the power to you… (almost everything I do is a sample, with a couple of live instruments on top)

    just because someone says it’s not right to do something.
    Does that make it not right?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen_break

  4. I think sampling will always be a part of hip hop music…however I don’t believe it ain’t hip hop music if there’s no sampling at all