FEATURE:
The Sample Generation
PHOTO CREDIT: Sound On/Pexels
Is Creativity Suffering Because of the Legalities and Costs of Using Other People’s Music?
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THAT may be a big question…
IN THIS PHOTO: Public Enemy
and one that seems quite dramatic! A few weeks back, I did mention sampling and a website, Tracklib, that offers free-to-use songs and sounds. There is quite an arsenal in there but, when you consider the extent of music and everything that has come before, so many songs are either not included or would be expensive to use. As a random example, I have been listening to Kylie Minogue’s 1994 song, Confide in Me. I wrote a feature about it but, in the course of doing so, it occurred there are elements of that song which would be perfect for sampling. The breathy and sexy vocals in the chorus, together with the strings would provide a great injection and mix in a song. Maybe a Hip-Hop track. I am thinking ahead to the fiftieth anniversary of Hip-Hop later this year. Once was the time when samples were heavy in the genre. Together with social and political rage, that was the oxygen and motivation for so many artists. It was frequently paired with eclectic samples that brought a richness and depth to the compositions. I think that personal openness and something less political has come into Hip-Hop. The scene has shifted generally, so there may not be as much call for samples. I am not sure why I am so hooked on the subject but, as Hip-Hop is in my mind, I do feel there needs to be a shift in music clearance.
It is not only Hip-Hop that uses samples. Pop has also utilises samples through the years. As I have said many times before, sampling allows people to discover artists and songs that might be new to. Whether it is a Jazz artist from the 1950s or a slightly obscure act from the 1970s, it is such a rewarding experience. I have heard classic Hip-Hop albums and discovered other artists through the use of samples in songs. Not to say there is stagnation in music but, when you consider what samples can offer an album, it seems a shame things are still so rigid. Sites such as Tracklib are great, as there is a library there you can choose from. Whilst a lot of sounds are available there, there are thousands of songs that are either not included or would involve a very high price. I will drop this subject after this feature, but I wanted to raise the question. Are sampling laws and restrictions damaging creativity? It is definitely limiting genres like Hip-Hop. Artists do still sample, but you tend to find there are fewer (samples) on albums. Maybe a few will be sprinkled through various albums, but it is quite rare. There are a lot of modern artists and songs that would fit nicely into other songs. It is a frustrating situation that seems to be forever impossible to resolve. There are ways and procedures when it comes to getting clearance.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pexels
Why get so worked up about a subject not many other people are covering?! Well, for one, so many classic albums have used samples. It was a big reason why we remember and cherish them. It seems like a different climate now to what it was back in the 1980s and 1990s. Maybe there were fears artists would profit from others and there was no sense of accountability. I think it is not the case now. With social media and the fact that artists do not really make a huge amount anyway, I am not sure what the issues are. You are not taking away money from artists or stealing their work. If the samples are credited, then I have never really understood why money comes into it so much. I can appreciate estates and artists feel aggrieved if artists make a load from songs that uses their samples. Unless you are a massive act like Taylor Swift or Paul McCartney, how much money are you making from album sales?! It does seem very tough and unfair. I do feel like there needs to be some progression when it comes to this. I think it could revitalise Hip-Hop in terms of the way sampled music appeared on classic albums. Other genres could benefit and, as I said, it would be a way of introducing different artists to people who might not know about them. From Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), to The Avalanches Since I Left You (2000), there have been some masterpieces where samples have definitely driven the album – and, in the case of the latter, it was entirely sampled music. For the final time (for a while at least), I wanted to highlight an injustice. For future generation, for artists, and even for artists being sampled, the laws and restrictions need to…
BE reviewed.