No real help in what I am going to write - but concerning using samples in songs.....DesireInspires wrote:To me, I think the reference cues and the listing clashed.
The listing stated that samples of other songs should NOT be used. But as a fan of a lot of 90’s hip hop, many songs contained samples and interpolations from other songs.
Here is info on the track “I Wish” by Skee-Lo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wish_(Skee-Lo_song)
Here is info on the track “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_ ... Rock_song)
Furthermore, the Theme Song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Ait” was produced by Quincy Jones. The music from the theme song was also used in between scenes. So it is likely that there were a group of session musicians who did all of the music for that show. It was all original music that was done by a group of composers under the direction of a legendary producer. It isn’t likely that one composer would be able to create a suitable theme song for the upcoming show in the listing. Overall, I feel that this listing was set up to fail. Other opinions may vary.
The accuracy of the listing causes problems for composers, and probably the end user as well. It would probably have been best to either let composers submit songs with samples or to just license a 90’s song. Many of these older artists will not be expecting the same money as a Beatles song.
It sucks to be rejected. But being more selective about the listings helps a lot. I always listen to the reference cues and compare the wording in the listings to see if things make sense. If they don’t, I do not submit to those listings.
Nothing to feel bad about. Learn and improve.
Sure - don't sample other tunes because its a mess sorting out the ownership and payment.
However - when I was interning at a music house in NYC some years ago, for rap / hip hop of the era the composers would often write a tune - with the intention of sampling their own piece, and inserting it in another production that they were writing. They would time stretch, pitch change, and lo-fi process it in a variety of ways to help give the effect of having a sample layer against their own programming for the beat etc. They would write the original tune in a tempo and key that would give them the right vibe after it was mangled to fit into their new production. Having access to a bunch of session singers who could drop in a few words helped out too.
Something to consider.