licensing of samples

[aramism]

ok i'm recording a band for an 8 song ep they wanna do. its like light rock. whatever, point is they have a song about the virginia tech mass shootings. they want to sample in clips from news reporters talking about the shootings. like cnn, nbc, cbs, etc. etc. etc.


i found a bunch of clips and stuff off you tube i can work on and throw in.


my question is what is the legality of using say... a newsanchors voice in a song.



also for reference of what i mean check out "sacrificed sons" by dream theater. i wanna make it basically just like that....

 

[AudioPhile777]

I believe you can't use the clips you want without licensing... then again, i've never done anything like that... so...

at the end of every broadcast on the bottom of the screen you always see a copyright for the show and the content therein...

hope that helps.

 

[aramism]

yea i figured... does anyone know how i would go about getting or buying the rights?

im guessing call the actual news agency

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

How about redoing the news clips along the lines of actual news footage? Get someone with a convincing voice to read out the news and make it sound like an actual broadcast. I've heard a similiar method being used by some bands when they wanted to do that, and the results are pretty convincing. Licensing could get pretty damn costly.

 

[-Gavin-]

But first ask yourself...


"is my band big enough to actually have news corporations notice that i stole it?"

 

[-Gavin-]

But first ask yourself...


"is my band big enough to actually have news corporations notice that i stole it?"

 

[aramism]

How about redoing the news clips along the lines of actual news footage? Get someone with a convincing voice to read out the news and make it sound like an actual broadcast. I've heard a similiar method being used by some bands when they wanted to do that, and the results are pretty convincing. Licensing could get pretty damn costly.

yeah that was the first thing i thought but at the same token nothing sounds as convincing. i suggested it to them they are really game on using the actual footage... but i understand it will be tough. i will call like cnn or something anyway just to find out exactly, and run it by them.



gavin, i thought the same thing, but at the end of the day why take a chance. they are going to put out a self funded EP, and tour, and try to get signed, they are very poppy and emoish and they want to get some exposure... i don't want it to come back to them, tyou see what happens when a 19 year old college kids downloads an illegal .mp3 it's not worth it. i'll either end up using a couple of girls at like local colleges who are communication majors to read off headlines, and just sample like sirens and stuff to make it sound real, but it would be a lot easier and realistic if i just went to you tube, typed in "virginia tech massacre" and just took the news clips

 

[metalkingdom]

But first ask yourself...


"is my band big enough to actually have news corporations notice that i stole it?"

EXACTLY!!! Lol.

But regardless, you can use those kind of samples no problem. For every huge news story, there are hundreds of reporters saying the exact same thing. There's no way to tell who's who as long as you leave out the reporter's name and the station's call sign.

I seriously doubt if Dave Mustaine got permission from Bush I for "Read my lips...No new taxes!" That might've been before the "sample wars" though.

 

[wishtheend]

I believe you are able to play clips as you would cite another source. It may require that in the artwork notes that you source what stations the clips came from. You would want to get the local station call name, as well as the parent corporation.

I think if you re-recorded the clips, using just random people for the voices - it would be a bit more legal. Plus, it would give you some cool option to possible effect or automate them. This way you aren't ripping the actual media, but more or less quoting it. That should keep you in the clear.

 

[Torniojaws]

Regarding samples, I've always thought you can use samples as much as you please as long as you edit it enough for it to not be confused with the original? Say, pitch shifting, a few effects like chorus or such.

 

[aramism]

true.


but like i said i'm just gonna have the guys in the band do the legwork since they are bugging me like crazy to use some cnn headlines and abc news headlines or rather commentary...


it actually syncs with the song tempo somehow which is neat. but i will tell them to call cnn and abc and ask them the policy so they hear it themselves. and then i can finally convince them to just get someone with a nice voice and record them with a broadcast mic and play around with it.


thanks for the inpuit though much appreciated

 

[HeadCrusher]

^When doing so make sure you get someone who knows how to read news stuff! It's really a big difference between pros and wannabes!!

 

[AudioPhile777]

But first ask yourself...


"is my band big enough to actually have news corporations notice that i stole it?"

+1

and, yeah, as long as you change it at least 30%, it becomes your intellectual property... according to creative commons...

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

yea i figured... does anyone know how i would go about getting or buying the rights?

im guessing call the actual news agency

You could just try and be really nice and tell them what your doing. Maybe they will give permission for free.

 

[demeyed]

i'd suggest going to the station for permission- if they grant it they might even give you a good copy of what you want that'll sound better than the youtube one,
it does happen that people let people do stuff for free- iron maiden the prisoner for example used the sample from the show and they got permission to use it for free when they asked.

 

[metalkingdom]

I think that you should not worry about it. Nobody's gonna care unless you go platinum.