Sampling

Royalties and creative credits should go to the SAMPLER SAMPLER

VISHAL SHENOY

writer

Your favorite songs likely contain music samples. You may not even notice it. The practice of music sampling has been popular among producers and artists since the rise of digital music production in the early 2000s, especially prevalent as a foundation of the hip hop and R&B genres. So, what exactly is sampling? Sampling is the process by which a record producer uses a component of an already released song in the creation of a brand new recording. Samples can include almost any auditory component of a record. Guitar riffs. Drums. Vocals. These components, commonly altered in pitch and length, are implemented in some of the highest-performing

modern songs. Artists should be able to sample songs and still expect a majority of royalties and creative recognition for their product. Even if acoustic components are reused, samples are almost always altered through a musician’s unique interpretation to create an easily distinguishable record. This is done through elevating the unique qualities of a sample.

Hip hop artist Lil Uzi Vert sampled the instrumental of indie pop group Oh Wonder’s “Landslide” in his hit song “The Way Life Goes.” Uzi builds upon the sample through a deeply layered production with snare drums and hi-hats, along with a lyrical sample sung by Oh Wonder. He still deserves a majority of creative proceeds for his original vocals and variation on the “Landslide” instrumental because “The Way Life Goes” proves to be overwhelmingly distinct to Uzi’s signature eccentric-punk style.

Aside from instrumental sampling, interpolation is a unique form of sampling which reuses the lyrical melody of an existing song. In his song “Greatest,” rapper Eminem mimics the melody of a lyric from rapper Playboi Carti’s “wokeuplikethis*.” Carti is credited as a writer on the song and there fore re -

ceives a minority of the royalties from song streams. It is wrong to regard Carti as a contributor to the song’s artistry because he serves solely as an inspiration to Eminem. Artists are influenced by the world surrounding them; accordingly, music samples should be viewed as a form of sharing this personal experience with fans instead of a cheap imitation.

Music samples should be celebrated as a way of sharing an interpretation of the musical world instead of being criticized as mimicking the creativity of another musician. Appropriately, artists who sample should continue to receive a majority of song royalties and creative ownership

PROFITING THROUGH MUSIC SAMPLING PROFITING THROUGH MUSIC SAMPLING

A debate on whether the sampler or the original creator should receive a majority of royalties and creative credits

Royalties and creative credits should go to the ORIGINAL CREATOR ORIGINAL CREATOR

TARUNA ANIL

What do the songs “Luxurious” by Gwen Stefani, “Big Poppa” by the Notorious B.I.G. and “One of Those Days” by Whitney Houston have in common? They all sample or interpolate the same song, “Between the Sheets” by The Isley Brothers. Dozens of artists, like 2Pac, Drake (twice!) and Chance the Rapper have used this sample. Most popular songs today have used samples or interpolations — “Champagne Poetry” by Drake, “Break It Off” by PinkPantheress and “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat, to name a few. But with the rise in sampling, more concerns arise, highlighting the thin line between plagiarism and inspiration. If a song is entirely based around another song’s composition or recording, the original artist should not only be credited but given most of the roy-

PROFITING THROUGH MUSIC SAMPLING PROFITING THROUGH MUSIC SAMPLING “ KISS ME MORE INTERPOLATES A MELODY USED IN OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN’S ICONIC alties. For example, “Kiss Me More” interpolates a melody used in Olivia Newton-John’s iconic song, “Physical.” BeSONG, PHYSICAL. cause it is not an original composition and the interpolation is used in the chorus, Olivia Newton-John should be receiving a cut. A debate on whether the sampler or the original creator should receive a majority of royalties and creative credits The same goes for covers, like Daniel Caesar’s “Streetcar” (a rendition of Kanye West’s “Street Lights”). Even though Caesar’s soulful take was starkly different from West’s distorted and synthfilled production, the song’s lyrics are West’s copyrighted work, and he should be receiving most of the profit made. A common argument against this practice is that samples are a form of creative expression. Creative interpretation is valid; however, it is more than possible to incorporate a sample that does not overpower the music. One instance where this occurs is in Tyler, the Creator’s “A BOY IS A GUN*.” He uses a vocal snippet from “Bound” by Ponderosa Twins Plus

”One. Yet, TARUNA ANIL the track’s production is diverse, original, and can stand alone without the vocal snippet-this is a case where the artist should get most of the money. Sampling is an essential part of music today; many hit songs would not exist without samples, and new ideas do not come without inspiration. But giving credit where credit is due is crucial to keep the legacy of the original songs alive and to preserve integrity in the industry OPINIONS | 11