TAXI.com

Back in 2005 I legally purchased a CD containing Russian ethnic vocal samples (in .wav format, to be used in a sampler), for use in creating original songs. Since I've started actively trying to market the songs to music libraries and the like, I wanted to double-check that the samples can be used commercially. It looks like the company that made the sample CD has gone out of business. Am I safe to use these samples??

You need to check the licensing agreement that came with the samples. At the very least there should have been a pdf file included with the samples that outlined the licensing agreement. Nobody can tell you for sure whether or not you can legally use the samples as every company has a different policy. Unless of course, somebody has bought samples from the same company and knows what their specific licensing agreement is. Other than that you are kind of on your own unfortunately -Steve

Thanks for the idea of checking for info on the CD itself! I had been endlessly searching for the CD case.Here is what the license says:The contents of this library is licensed, not sold, to you for use in music, multimedia and film productions. You may use these sounds in a commercial or non-commercial recording without any additional licensing fees. Only the purchaser of this CD is authorized to use the sounds. You cannot give, trade, lend, rent, copy, reissue, redistribute or resell these sounds. This license is granted for single use only.By reading this, it sounds like I'm OK, right? I could write to the company and ask, except that their email and website are both long gone. Seems unlikely that an out of business company from Russia would try to sue anyone.

Jun 27, 2009, 12:17pm, tower888 wrote:Thanks for the idea of checking for info on the CD itself! I had been endlessly searching for the CD case.Here is what the license says:The contents of this library is licensed, not sold, to you for use in music, multimedia and film productions. You may use these sounds in a commercial or non-commercial recording without any additional licensing fees. Only the purchaser of this CD is authorized to use the sounds. You cannot give, trade, lend, rent, copy, reissue, redistribute or resell these sounds. This license is granted for single use only.By reading this, it sounds like I'm OK, right? I could write to the company and ask, except that their email and website are both long gone. Seems unlikely that an out of business company from Russia would try to sue anyone. Yeah, that reads like you are in the clear. This sounds like the licensing agreement that the vast majority of sample libraries/loop libraries come with. But there are a few out there that have different stipulations and rules that you have to watch out for.-Steve

Thanks for the advice, Steve!-TODD