Sample rights
What is the legal or acceptable limit that you can sample a song or a small part of a vocal/acapella? Like is a maximum 3-5 second vocal rip ok even without getting permission from the original singer etc.?
I know the general rule of thumb is to ask the original, but that is sometimes a tough process so I’m just wondering.
if its the main part of a memorable song then i guess itd b a problem. i sample but i never aim to sell so i consider myself in the clear :S
It’s illegal to sample any part of a song, regardless of how long it is.
unless its under cc?
Sample to your hearts content!!! You’ll learn a lot from the experience, and unless you ever release a record with a sample on it, no-one’s gonna come after you.
Seriously - what’s the worst that can happen?
think you missed the words “without getting clearence for commercial release” off the end there
my thoughts exactly.
lol sounds like nephew works for UMG 
You can sample as much as you want as long as you don’t try to sell it.
He was simply asking the legality of sampling and if there’s a certain length you can get away with. Obviously if you get clearance to use it then there would be no worries about said length.
Just sample as much as you can without the sampled part being recognizable for outsiders.. if you use a complete acapella then you might want to reconsider… but if it’s just a kick and a snare nobody will ever know
Bah, gone are the days when you can make a nice bit of money on a limited 1000 press run of a white label bootlegs. I used to work in a record shop 10+ years ago and rip off bootlegs would sell so quickly, if you only pressed a short run you always stay under the radar.
@supracg - Using samples from popular songs is a great way to get quick and easy exposure, any work your pleased with stick it up on soundcloud for a free download.
Look at girl talk. All he die is sample and he’s never been sued
I sample and won’t worry about it until I get a summons to appear in court to pay royalties. 