Keys To Clearing A Sample
- Identify who owns/controls the Master Recording (Usually a performer or label)
- Identify who owns/controls the Publishing (Usually a publisher or the songwriter/producer)
- Try to clear the sample before you announce a major label deal.
- Try to clear the sample before you release the song.
Should I clear samples?
If you decide to use samples without clearance, you might be in the clear in certain situations. Under U.S. copyright law, you do not have to obtain sample clearance if your sample is so altered that it does not infringe on the original, or your use is a fair one.
Should I worry about clearing samples?
' If you sample something, you incorporate someone else's music in your music, you need to do the right thing and you need to clear it. There's no way around that. " Even if you do decide to risk it and release the song, a demand can be made to clear a sample at any time, she stresses.
