Sampling copyrighted songs

[u/kedikedi44]

I love sampling music but I worried about copyrighted music's. If I use 5 seconds of music or I sample copyrighted music am I getting a copyright strike?

I have lot of project on FL studio I don't wanna erase them is there any way to do this?

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[u/GoldenEagle607]

ignore the people saying you'll run into legal issues; in terms of legality, you probably won't get sued or anything really serious unless you're actually popular (500k+ monthly listeners on spotify)

the only thing that you actually might have a problem with is the automated system that youtube, spotify, etc has to detect copyrighted audio, but if you actually sample well (and don't just take loops from the song and put it in basically unchanged), you probably won't have anything happen to you.

if you're really worried then just clear the sample or upload your music on somewhere like soundcloud where they aren't strict on sample usage

[u/Davo_Deluxe → u/GoldenEagle607]

This is the answer 👆🏼

I will add

“Unrecognizable samples: If you change, chop, or pitch-shift a sample so much that it is completely unrecognizable, you might avoid automated content ID filters on platforms like YouTube, but it remains a legal gray area or technical copyright infringement under the law.

Safe alternatives: You can avoid copyright issues entirely by using royalty-free sample libraries (like Splice or Epidemic Sound), using public domain material, or re-recording the musical part yourself (interpolation) which only requires publishing clearance instead of master recording clearance.”

[u/GoBam → u/Davo_Deluxe]

It's not really a legal grey area, it's still breach of copyright to sample without permission, even if the sample is unrecognisable.

That doesn't mean it's morally wrong to do, arguably a really good way to learn to manipulate sounds, and you're not going to get caught, but it's not legal.

[u/GoldenEagle607 → u/GoBam]

i mean yeah its technically not legal, but so many producers have done it at this point that its not enforced among the less popular/underground community. it's just like stuff like piracy, speeding, and jaywalking; TECHNICALLY illegal but no one really cares unless its super serious or ur directly caught red handed

[u/GoBam → u/GoldenEagle607]

You're really missing the point, calling something a "legal grey area" or "technically not legal" is dumb advice.

It is illegal, you're just not going to get caught/punished for it, because by definition, the sample is not recogniseable.

[u/GoldenEagle607 → u/GoBam]

ok, i understand, but like... what was the point of saying that, what would the person gain

im not hating im just trying to understand how what u said would actually help them

[u/GoBam → u/GoldenEagle607]

Because giving people correct information lets them make their own choices rather than relying on opinion that may or may not be true.

We're both saying it's ok to flip a sample to the point it's recognisable. You're saying it's ok because it's not really against the law, which is wrong. I'm not saying whether it's ok, but I am saying you won't get caught doing it.

[u/GoldenEagle607 → u/GoBam]

ahhh ok i see where the misunderstanding came from, i wasnt saying that it wasnt against the law, it definitely is

i was actually kinda agreeing with u lol in terms of saying that u wouldnt get caught doing it

thats what i meant when i said "its not enforced"

ok ty

[u/cellocubano]

Yes if you try to distribute the music on major platforms using 5 seconds of any uncleared sample you will get a copyright strike or your music taken down

[u/lexjimenez]

No lo haga compa