EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

Hi Fernstudio,
 Yes, I remember reading about the Bittersweet
Symphony case as well as Biz Markie, 2 Live Crew,
NWA, and others. I am aware that if you ask
permission, you often share a cowriting credit
with the author(s) of the song you sampled. Some
artists won't allow sampling of their work no
matter how much they could make in royalties
since they disapprove of rap or dance music or
just the concept of appropriation of an original
composition. But are you saying that Sinead
O'Connor had to clear her use of James Brown's
"Funky Drummer" (a 1 bar drum break)?

 What of all the hundreds of top 40 tunes over
the last 15 or so years that have drum breaks,
horn hits, scratched accapella raps, etc? Do they
all go through the sample clearance process
before releasing their song?

 Does every snare or kick drum I sample from a
record need to be cleared? What if the drum sound
is altered into a totally new sound that doesn't
resemble the original? That's what I mean about
being confused about the current status of the
law. I can't imagine a jury or FBI agent would
come to my studio and make me undo all of the
processing to reveal the source of my new sound.

 I have heard some of those replayed loops on
radio spots. Some are very weak, but some have
nailed the original right down to the Neumann
mics, Neve consoles, EMT plate reverbs, and
soulful performances. Pretty crafty. It would be
an excellent exersize for musicians and engineers
to try to recreate the sounds of yore just to
learn to listen critically and really know what
the gear does. I bet you can learn a lot. Which
issue of Sound On Sound had that article?



Peace,

        j

Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness
that created them - Albert Einstein