Sampling (music)
In the 1940s, French composer Pierre Schaeffer developed musique concrète. He recorded sounds from human bodies, locomotives, and kitchen utensils onto tape. Schaeffer spliced these recordings together to create sound collages. The method involved tape loops that played a single sound indefinitely. He created the Phonogene instrument to play these loops at twelve different pitches via a keyboard. Composers like Pierre Henry and John Cage experimented with this technique. In the UK, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop brought the style to mainstream audiences in the early 1960s. They used it for Doctor Who soundtracks. Jamaican dub reggae producers King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry began using reggae rhythms to produce riddim tracks in the 1960s. Holger Czukay of the German band Can spliced tape recordings into his music before digital sampling existed.
The Guardian described the Chamberlin as the first sampler developed by Harry Chamberlin in the 1940s. It used a keyboard to trigger eight seconds of sound on tape decks. Similar technology became popular in the 1960s with the Mellotron. English engineer Peter Zinovieff developed the EMS Musys in 1969 as the first digital sampler. Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel coined the term sample for their Fairlight CMI synthesizer launched in 1979. Vogel recorded one second of piano from a radio broadcast to imitate the instrument. The Fairlight allowed control over pitch but could only record a few seconds of sound. Early competitors included the E-mu Emulator and Akai S950. Drum machines like the Oberheim DMX incorporated samples of drum kits instead of generating sounds from circuits. In 1988, Akai released the MPC sampler which let users assign samples to pads. Users sampled longer passages of music rather than just individual notes. Today most samples are edited using Pro Tools or Ableton Live software.
Sampling is a foundation of hip-hop which emerged when producers in the 1980s began sampling funk and soul records. They focused particularly on drum breaks. The Guardian journalist David McNamee likened its importance to that of the guitar in rock. In August 2022 half of the singles in the UK Top 10 used samples. Trevor Horn became the key architect in incorporating sampling into pop music in the 1980s using the Fairlight. Other users included Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. The Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra constructed Technodelic in 1981 mostly from samples. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by David Byrne and Brian Eno made samples the lead vocal. Big Audio Dynamite pioneered sampling in rock with their 1985 album This Is Big Audio Dynamite. DJ Shadow created Endtroducing in 1996 entirely from samples on an MPC60. The seven-second Amen break from 1969 became popular with British jungle producers in the early 1990s.
In 1989 the Turtles sued De La Soul for using an unlicensed sample on 3 Feet High and Rising. Mark Volman told the Los Angeles Times that sampling was just a longer term for theft. The case settled out of court but set a legal precedent. In 1991 Gilbert O'Sullivan sued Biz Markie over the song Alone Again Naturally. The court ruled that unlicensed sampling infringed copyright regardless of length. Warner Bros had to recall the album until the song was removed. Dan Charnas criticized the ruling as difficult to apply conventional laws to sampling culture. Nelson George called it the most damaging example of anti-hip-hop vindictiveness. In 2005 Bridgeport Music Inc v Dimension Films established that all samples required a license. Judge Roger Vinson wrote Get a license or do not sample. However the Ninth Circuit ruled in VMG Salsoul v Ciccone in 2016 that Madonna did not need a license for a short horn sample in Vogue. The European Court of Justice decided in 2019 that modified unrecognizable samples could be used without authorization.
Richard Lewis Spencer never received royalties for the Amen break because the statute of limitations passed before he learned of its use. Clyde Stubblefield also received no royalties for his drum break from Funky Drummer. DJ Shadow described the difficulty of arranging compensation when two artists both demand more than 50 percent. He advocated for clearing samples on a musicological basis by identifying how much composition is included. Fact reported early hip-hop sampling was governed by unspoken rules forbidding recent records or non-vinyl sources. These rules relaxed as younger producers took over. In 2017 DJ Shadow felt music had never been worth less yet sampling was more risky. Kanye West has been sued several times over his use of samples. Now-Again Records cleared songs for West and Pusha T in hours to simplify processes. The Smithsonian cited Change the Beat as the most sampled track in 2014. WhoSampled noted James Brown appears in more than 3000 tracks. Loleatta Holloway remains the most sampled female singer according to The Independent.
Common questions
When did Pierre Schaeffer develop musique concrète?
Pierre Schaeffer developed musique concrète in the 1940s. He recorded sounds from human bodies, locomotives, and kitchen utensils onto tape to create sound collages.
What year was the Fairlight CMI synthesizer launched by Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel?
Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel launched the Fairlight CMI synthesizer in 1979. The instrument allowed control over pitch but could only record a few seconds of sound.
Which legal case established that all samples require a license in 2005?
Bridgeport Music Inc v Dimension Films established that all samples required a license in 2005. Judge Roger Vinson wrote Get a license or do not sample during this ruling.
Who is the most sampled female singer according to The Independent?
Loleatta Holloway remains the most sampled female singer according to The Independent. James Brown appears in more than 3000 tracks while Change the Beat was cited as the most sampled track in 2014 by the Smithsonian.
When did Jamaican dub reggae producers begin using reggae rhythms for riddim tracks?
Jamaican dub reggae producers King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry began using reggae rhythms to produce riddim tracks in the 1960s. This technique involved splicing tape recordings into music before digital sampling existed.