FEATURE:
High in the Mix
IN THIS PHOTO: Kadhja Bonet has been sampled by Kendrick Lamar (Die Hard samples Bonet’s Remember the Rain) via the TrackLib platform/PHOTO CREDIT: Nathaniel Wood for Loud and Quiet
Tracklib’s Growth, and the Importance of Sampling in Music
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THERE was some news recently…
PHOTO CREDIT: Florencia Viadana/Unsplash
that excited me and made me think about sampling in music. In decades past, sampling was a much bigger deal. I associate it with classic Hip-Hop and the most inventive albums from that genre. A lot of the songs sampled were not cleared, so there were big legal issues. I have written about this before but, often, artists would either use a sample without permission, or there would be legal battles – where the artist or label would be sued. It has mean that, in years since, artists have sampled less and less. I don’t think it is possible to replicate the sort of kaleidoscopic albums we got in the past from the likes of De La Soul, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy or any number of groundbreaking and timeless albums. It has made its way into modern classics, but there is always that huge cost of clearing a song. It is a shame that there is not wider access to songs. I think it would revitalise and inspire genres like Pop ad Hip-Hop. As it stands, there is a platform that catalogues pre-approved songs for sampling. News broke recently that Tracklib are building and growing. Music Week report how Tracklib give options to artists and D.J.s when it comes to sampling without legal troubles or high costs:
“Tracklib has made key appointments to build on its growth in the past year.
The platform has a catalogue of pre-cleared music for sampling, which is available for artists, producers and creators to discover, license and use in their work.
According to the announcement, over the past year Tracklib has seen a “significant increase” in the number of music creators curious about sampling as an element in their creative process. Sampling has become a component in nearly 20% of hit songs on the US Hot 100 chart.
Targeting further growth opportunities, Tracklib has recruited new talent to be part of their expanding team.
IN THIS PHOTO: Mary J. Blige is an artist who has used a sample from Tracklib/PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Mollenkof for Los Angeles Times
Andreas Liffgarden has joined the Tracklib board as an advisor. Liffgarden is the founder of Soundtrack Your Brand and former global head of telecom business development at Spotify.
Michael Cassidy has been appointed chief product and technology officer. Cassidy is a former chief innovation officer at Fuga and was a consultant on strategy and technology for Downtown Music Holdings.
“Curiosity and innovation drive me,” said Andreas Liffgarden. “Through my past work, I realised the opportunity in building a platform that could support the music industry in scaling and monetising the B2B music space.”
Michael Cassidy said there are opportunities for building and monetising new verticals.
“Tracklib, with its impressive brand, producer network and YouTube following, is the perfect starting point for how original recordings can be used in music,” he said.
“We are delighted that Tracklib has been able to attract Andreas and Michael at a time when we are accelerating [in] many areas,” says Per Aspemar, CEO of Tracklib. “Producers and artists turn to Tracklib for discovery and innovation – this will only grow stronger over the next year and beyond.”
Trackib’s catalogue consists of 100,000 original recordings from over 400 record labels and publishers around the world. It includes music ranging from Isaac Hayes and Mozart to jazz artist Bob James. Samples from Tracklib have been used by artists including Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Nas, Phantogram, Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled and Brockhampton”.
Not that there is going to be a revival and return to the glory days where sampling ruled and was such a pivotal part of huge albums. I do think sampling not only enhances albums and provides new layers. What it also does is introduces people to artists from the past that they may have not otherwise discovered and heard. I have found new loves and fascination by hearing some big albums. The song itself hits me but, as the samples come out, that sends me searching for the artists who created those sounds! It is a great way of uniting listeners with a whole world of music. It is such a pity sampling has diminished and is not as widespread as it used to be. The fact that major artists such as Kendrick Lamar have used Tracklib shows that it is such an important platform! Rather than promote the platform too much, it has given me a chance to think about music more widely. Does this news mean that sampling will become more prevalent? If the Pop market is taking advantage of a library of music to sample, I do wonder whether other genres will follow suit. Not that Hip-Hop and Rap are weak, but I don’t think there is the same innovation and memorability that we associated with the genres. That may be something to do with the quality of artists from the past, but I feel sampling was a big part of the success and legacy of so many artists and albums. By opening doors and allowing access to pre-approved sounds and music, it does give that opportunity to fresh possibilities! As this article from December highlights, 2022 was quite a big year when it came to sampling:
“Sampling, which involves taking a segment of a recording and reusing it in a song, is becoming more common in music that appears on the Billboard Hot 100, according to a report recently released by Tracklib. Tracklib is a Swedish music service that lets music producers clear samples for legal use, according to their website. They released an annual report titled The State of Sampling, which looks at music sampling trends in the Billboard Hot 100 list, says the report.
1 in 5 songs contains samples
17% of Billboard's hits contained samples this year, whereas last year, 14% of Billboard hits contained samples, says the report. According to the report, there has been a 31% increase in sample use compared to the three previous years.
The most sampled decade is the 2000s, says the report. The report attributes this to a younger generation of producers who are starting to gain popularity.
The most sampled genre is R&B, according to the report. Last year, R&B was behind Hip Hop as the most sampled genre.
First sample-based world cup song
2022 also marked the first year that an official World Cup song was sample-based, says the report. The World Is Yours to Take by Lil Baby samples Everybody Wants to Rule the World by the pop band Tears for Fears.
However, the 2010 World Cup anthem Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira and Freshly Ground contains an interpolation of Zamina Mina (Zangalewa) by Golden Sounds. An interpolation is when a portion of a song is used in another song, but instead of directly using the original recording, the portion is re-recorded.
Other hits that also used samples in 2022 include Wait for You by Future, which samples Higher (Live) by Tems. Die Hard by Kendrick Lamar samples Remember the Rain by Kadhja Bonet. Doja by Central Cee also samples Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve and Gwen Stefani.
A true art form
"The ever-changing music industry gets more fascinating by the day, and so does the world of sampling. For the last three years, sampling has increasingly become more popular," says the Tracklib report. "Ever since changing the face of genres like hip-hop and house music, the impact of sampling is present in many genres," the report says.
"Sampling has definitely played a very important part in the evolution of music and given birth to many new genres through the years," says Pär Almqvist, co-founder & CCO of Tracklib.
"Taking elements of an existing recording and crafting it into something new is a beautiful art form that needs to be highlighted and celebrated," Almqvist tells News24. "Some believe that sampling is exclusive to hip-hop and used to be much more common in the past. But our report shows that almost a fifth of today's hits contains samples, so it's beyond doubt alive and kicking," Almqvist says.
"...There are definitely some people that still don't take sample-based producers seriously, thinking they are not 'real' musicians and should 'learn how to play an instrument'," Almqvist adds. "Sampling is a true art form, and to claim that musical geniuses such as J. Dilla, Madlib or Daft Punk are not real musicians is nonsensical”.
I am glad that there is this growth in sampling. Once a real foundation for innovation and music discovery, it has been very hard for artists to sample too much, due to legal ramifications and unrealistic clearance costs. Thanks to platforms like Tracklib, there is this access and option that is leading to some awesome mixes. It means that young listeners might hear a song by Kendrick Lamar and then find Kadhja Bonet because of the sample. That then opens up branches to other music and genres. It is this mind and sense-opening thing! Sampling, quite obviously, is so important and…
SUCH a vital source of inspiration.