Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Any y’all like Madlib?
Or any number of other producers that do (longer loop) unprocessed looping of samples? Course you do.
So, forgive my ignorance but how does that work. I mean how does he clear samples? My understanding is that it takes serious money to cover any popular song sample up to the point that very few can afford to do it. And my understanding is that you have to be pretty well know for the lawsuits to start coming. Fair enough, not worried about that.
But what about more obscure samples? (“...That’s more for me and the peeps I’m down with, we’re into that way out other shit”). Don’t people want money for that too? I am new to music making and I don’t ever expect to make money off it, but I think about the habits I might want to be cultivating or not cultivating.
Any advice?
Comments
Don't make money in the process and you should be fine so long as you are changing or adding something to the sample.
Getting the mechanical license would be cheaper if you wanted to officially release the music.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_license
I always thought about the amount of money it takes to leverage a lawsuit against a relatively unknown sample bandit. Those more obscure sources you are sampling most likely won’t have the funds to sue you. Plus they have to know about your thievery, which is probably also in a relatively obscure track, unless you are well-known. Also, they aren’t going to get anything back for suing you if you haven’t made a bunch of money off your track with the pilfered sample. Just maybe screw with you and block your track from being released, if even that.
But Madlib isn’t exactly flying below the radar, right? I have no idea what kind of hoops he has to jump through, or that he even bothers. Maybe only people like Pharrell have to really worry about getting sued.
I would just give credit and release stuff for free. If I was going to go the money/career/musician/producer route, then I would definitely be talking to a lawyer for advice.
And I played a lot of Madlibs as a kid.
A lot of it has to do with who owns the copyright. Some are willing to take relatively small fees for you to freely use. There's some sources you can work directly with you just go venmo ey and it's all cleared some artist or labels will only let some one use there music for large sums and if they like the direction there taking it in.
If your into sampling like that look up the avalanches they are up with j dilla for the kings of sampling . But there's a reason they have only released 2 albums in 15 years. Though everyone is sure they have prolly made another full length or two .
It's funny how these things work out sometimes. When I first heard Wild Thoughts, it sounded like they were trying to avoid paying for the sample. The electric guitar cover of the Santana's riff sounds like garbage to me.
To my surprise, Santana and Wyclef signed off on it. But I'm glad they're getting paid.
https://revolt.tv/stories/2017/08/02/drink-champs-wyclef-loves-royalties-hes-dj-khaleds-wild-thoughts-06005be0e4
Yeah. I really like the Quasimoto album he produced, "The Unseen". But Quasi sounds annoying IMO.
Madlib is dope!
For those who don't know Madlib:
and his excellent alternating production/ mixing series 'Medecine Show'
the Bluenote Jazz label opened up their entire vault to madlib out of respect for his craft.
thanks CracklePot!
Wow nice. That’s almost better than getting paid!
Yeah Because in addition to his skill, his knowledge of musical history and respect for the artist he has sampled as well as others has garnered him a different kind of relationship with allot of artist and labels although he's had sample issues in the past for sure.... dj shadow is another samplist that his in the same vein, the people he samples respect him just as much as he respects them and it has opened up many doors that would have remained closed to most other samplist regardless of how much they paid or not and just like madLib he is beyond knowledgeable about music history and musical art.
Big fan. My guess is he leaves that shit to his record company to sort
Yeah, ok. Sounds complicated and yet also something to not sweat.
I get that this is what record companies are for. Stones Throw is the kind of label that clearly isn’t about money, so probably many artists would be happy having their legacy continue with artists on such a label. Not everyone is Led Zep.
Obviously starting at the bottom there’s no point making big workflow decisions based on clearing samples. Seems like a “cross that bridge when you come to it” thing. (If you ever do).
Yeah I know that about Blue Note, Also i figured there were cases where you could simply ask an artist if they minded you sampling. They might just say yes, I like your music. And that’s that, free.
Thanks, fam. Lovin the forum.
most "indie" producers don't clear their samples, Madlib being Madlib he is known to use obscure records. which mostly don't get cleared.
P.S. Madlib is a Genius
That’s ASCAP’s job. As long as you keep your dues up, they handle legal representation.
Good point. I wonder if anyone on the forum ever had to deal with ASCAP for using uncleared samples? What was the experience like? How much money was involved? Lawsuit or takedown notice? How much sampling did you do to get sued or whatever happened?
I would be curious to know. I have never been contacted by them, nor do I know anyone personally who has, but would like to know more about it.
Madlib is an alien, and a huge inspiration. I love Quasimoto. And Madvillany is arguably the best underground hiphop record ever. As for his sampling, he is a popular artist but not mainstream popular. I think he takes a lot of risks and I bet he settles a lot with people instead of going to court.
Madlib top notch and stones throw super cool....
Just saying
Real answer: ask a lawyer.
My answer: just do you. If someone gets pissed about your sample, congratulations! You made it.
I think that was just for the one record ("Shades of Blue"), no? http://www.bluenote.com/artists/madlib
I remember they did the same thing with US3 back in the 90s. When that happened (and they had that huge hit sampling Herbie Hancock), I was sure that "This is the future." Big record labels would sign creative hip hop acts and tell the beat makers they could sample anything they wanted from their catalog. Everybody wins. Never seemed to catch on.
shadows got it good, his wife spots samples for a living
I've hung out with Madlib a fair amount of times over years. Always a source of inspiration and a wine connoisseur. One time he shared a bunch of Dilla stories which was great. He also said that he didn't want people digging through his unreleased stuff after he's gone and left instructions to just "burn it all". He's been doing his own label for while and has put out a bunch of great projects. As far as sampling goes, Madlib and Egon have cleared samples and re-issued a fair amount of stuff, proudly putting money in the pockets of the creators...not just middlemen. Also worth noting Yasiin (Mos Def) just announced that Madlib is producing the next Black Star album...solely I think.
@coolout nice post
I was listening to Blockheads latest album yesterday and it’s pretty amazing, especially considering it’s at least 80% samples.
Anyway to lend more knowledge to the discusssion, he said in a interview about the album for vice:
“My way of stepping around the legal aspect is to simply keep a low profile. Don't license it. Sure, that's a shitload of money I could be making but it's not worth jeopardizing my sound for. The reality of it is that my music doesn't make enough money to really attract the attention of people looking to sue. On top of that, I tend to go for pretty obscure sources. There have been a few times I got caught and it was dealt with very amicably and didn't result in my having to pay anyone out or mortgage my house. Maybe I've just been lucky? Who knows. I'm knocking on wood right now just in case.”
So, again, well respected producer, well known in the inde game, basically saying he doesn’t worry about it. So the average joe probably needn’t.
Huge influence.
Tap this, then tab over to “Recent”.
https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ringofthenibblefunk/?hl=en