Did labels really employ people to do this ?

SLurg

I've read a couple of time over the years that some record companies hired people to listen to every rap release to check for uncleared samples. It seems strange to me, I understand why they would do that and I'm sure a couple of years ago it would have make sense economically to pay someone to do this. But while I've worked in record companies, I've never met anyone who had this type of job, I've never read any interview of these mysterious workers or have been confirmed that they existed. Is there anyone on this board who has ever been offered a job like this, or knows someone who did this ? What label did that ? Or is it just a myth ?

kala

they have software that scans myspace that can find copywritten material

Flomotion

There was definitely a period of high label paranoia when sample-based music was taking over the mainstream, but never heard of full-time sample spotters. People paid to listen to specific releases and identify sources, yes, but full time professional samples spotters, no.

Companies like Shazam have developed algorhythm based software which can automatically and accurately identify songs. Rights collection agencies use it for monitoring online and broadcast content to check for playout mechanical dues. Radio stations in particular are now using it to monitor shows, since DJs have a bad habit of not sticking to playlists. Not sure if it can split out samples from a song though.

DocMcCoy

I've read a couple of time over the years that some record companies hired people to listen to every rap release to check for uncleared samples.

It seems strange to me, I understand why they would do that and I'm sure a couple of years ago it would have make sense economically to pay someone to do this. But while I've worked in record companies, I've never met anyone who had this type of job, I've never read any interview of these mysterious workers or have been confirmed that they existed.

Is there anyone on this board who has ever been offered a job like this, or knows someone who did this ? What label did that ? Or is it just a myth ?

On the apocryphal side, I heard (from a reliable source) that Harry Weinger at Universal NYC used to have a couple of guys in his office whose job was to monitor James Brown sample uses, possibly at the request of James Brown himself. I don't know quite how true this was, nor if they still bother with it. Either way, it only really makes sense to do this when you know that (a large part of) your catalogue is plundered extensively for samples. Which leads me on to an example that I know to be 100% fact.

Bridgeport Music, which controls the publishing on virtually all the Clinton stuff and lots more besides, definitely employed someone who checked for uncleared samples. I know because a friend of mine used to work there, and I once visited their office when I was in New York. One of his colleagues - a former member of Slave, oddly enough - used to have a little studio set up in the office - computers, sampler, sampling keyboard, all the bells and whistles - and they would check as many new releases as they could, particularly those on major labels. If they heard anything they thought might be theirs and didn't know about, this guy would sample a bit of the offending track and analyse the soundwaves against the corresponding part from the song they controlled. I know they did this with the Green Eyed Remix of "Most Beautifullest Thing In This World", where they suspected the drums to have come off "You're Getting A Little Too Smart" - which they publish - while the record company was insisting they were from the Gladys Knight version of "Who is She (And What Is She To You)" (which they don't publish), and besides, how are you going to claim publishing on a drum break. To which the answer is, go ask Aaron Fuchs about that...

bass_fever

Is there anyone on this board who has ever been offered a job like this, or knows someone who did this ? What label did that ? Or is it just a myth ?

No, but I think I would be pretty good at this job...

jinx74

Is there anyone on this board who has ever been offered a job like this, or knows someone who did this ? What label did that ? Or is it just a myth ?

i was asked to do this by emi, priority, jive, and elektra (mostly cause i knew folks at those labels who knew i was a record collector). i dont know how many people were asked or if folks actually agreed to do it. i feel like someone said sony had hired a few guys to run through their stuff but i dont know if that was real or not. the problems really got big when folks listed samples online. it was websites like thebreaks that had labels calling me to run checks.

DocMcCoy

Is there anyone on this board who has ever been offered a job like this, or knows someone who did this ? What label did that ? Or is it just a myth ?

i was asked to do this by emi, priority, jive, and elektra (mostly cause i knew folks at those labels who knew i was a record collector). i dont know how many people were asked or if folks actually agreed to do it. i feel like someone said sony had hired a few guys to run through their stuff but i dont know if that was real or not. the problems really got big when folks listed samples online. it was websites like thebreaks that had labels calling me to run checks.

I know for a fact that DJ Shadow's publisher was not at all comfortable with the breadth of his entry in thebreaks back when it was still known as the Sample FAQ.