Just like any other aspect of life, music is full of collaborations and reusing old material. It’s unrealistic to expect artists to continuously create tracks and projects one hundred percent independently, with no influence from previous artists or creations. Taking a look at how others in their positions once worked, and their big hits, can provide inspiration in a rut or help give them insight on how to design a project. Musicians face a difficult predicament in that they- and their audience- want them to be independently creating. They want to hear only what they make, to listen to what they and only they have to say in their songs. Outside additions are not always met with acceptance or with awe. 

But that’s not fair. Or realistic. Music is a conglomeration of those who came before, and the words and sounds they left behind. Creating music is not just about what you can come up with, but also about how you can reuse what is no longer being utilized. How creative are you able to get with a small part of a chorus from a song recorded over ten years ago? Is it cheating? Or is it just a further representation of how imaginative their minds are? 

How can artists use samples to completely change their sound, but also the music industry as a whole?

Samples are a significant facet of the music industry. Musicians like Kanye West, currently known as Ye, are infamous for taking small snippets from songs made years ago, songs that are forgotten about now, and changing them entirely into a different sound. Recycling something that was expired to fit the current wave of music and what’s popular. Breathing life into something that hasn’t seen the sun in ages. Such a thing is part of their jobs: to create something no one has ever heard of before. And it’s even more impressive when the audience can’t quite tell that the artist used a sample. Does it count still if the musician has changed the original clip so much that it’s unrecognizable to the naked ear?

They provide a sense of foundation in an ever-changing industry, one with extreme turnover and fast-growing trends. Being able to lean on and apply songs that are known and successful can help an artist learn and grow, using the pioneers of the genre as guidance. 

And yet, the subject of samples and how artists use music samples is met with controversy. Artists are labelled as inauthentic and cheats, using something that was already made and not having to do any mental work themselves to create something new. They are seen as thieves, taking someone’s work and not crediting them, such as the baseline in Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” which was eerily similar to “Under Pressure,” by Queen and David Bowie. It’s a slippery slope to tread on, and many walk the line very finely. 

Lack of Permission? Or Free Territory?

One of the focal points in the arguments made against artists using samples was the crediting and authorization of said work from the original artist. 

A sample in music is when an artist takes a section of an old song that has already been recorded and released, changes it, and uses it in their song. There are no parameters when it comes to which particular aspect of the song they use- the vocal lines, the beat, the chorus, the melody- it’s technically all free game. And they can alter it however they want to- slow it down, speed it up, loop it, chop it. Whatever they see fit. It appears most often in hip-hop and rap music, something that goes back to the birth of the genre itself; DJs and musicians used to take classic songs, like James Brown, and start rapping over the lyrics. This technique is still widely used today.

That’s the primary issue that comes up. How can artists use samples in a way that’s not disingenuous? 

Kanye West, arguably the most notorious and accomplished artists when it comes so sampling, has faced multiple lawsuits and disagreements from artists he’s sampled, such as Nina Simone or Alice Merton, saying they didn’t grant the artist permission to use their work. While including a sample in one’s work isn’t technically illegal, doing so incorrectly could lead to copyright infringement lawsuits. 

Using samples calls into question the originality of the artist and how much creative talent they truly have. Those who heavily use and rely on samples from other songs could be perceived as inauthentic and unreliable; how can they be trusted if they are unable to come up with a song fully on their own? It would be fair to wonder if the artist is really as good as we think they are, if they just know how to use a track and remix it. 

There’s a difference between using a sample in your own song and taking an older song and cutting or mixing it. And it’s often in these scenarios that artists get caught up and overuse the song or track they’re sampling. 

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

However, there are a multitude of advantages that using samples provides in the music industry. The music catalog is vast and goes back decades. There are songs made years ago that have been forgotten about, despite their clear potential and talent. Producers from different eras that were ahead of their times, singers with melodies that could bring joy to a whole room. It’s not fair to leave them behind. 

Musicians have the power to balance their new and current ideas with something that has been out since the 1900’s. Such a choice invites those who came before to sit and listen with us, and to see what has come of the industry. Sampling can refine the quality of the audio as well, tweaking it and improving its sound, which in turn helps a wider audience of people be able to listen to it. Adding samples to a song can also bridge a gap between genres, creating a blend of new sounds and bringing the music scene to a new level. 

It’s an inter-generational embrace. A show-off of creativity- when done right- and paying respects and acknowledging that we are not the trailblazers. And those who are should get their shining moment still.