Music Ally Focus How do you clear the samples for De La Soul's "3 Feet High & Rising"? (and for Drake, Wu Tang Clan, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and more?) Deborah Mannis-Gardner explains it all.
Music Ally Focus Ep. 97: “It was sampling that revitalised – and continues the life of – a lot of music that we would never have otherwise heard… it deserves a lot more credit than it gets”
Sampling has been the backbone of a number of modern music styles, from house to hip hop. Deborah Mannis-Gardner of DMG Clearances has just helped pull off something that many thought may never happen: getting the many samples on De La Soul’s groundbreaking albums cleared so that they can finally appear on streaming services. She's also cleared samples for Wu Tang Clan, Drake, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Eminem, and the groundbreaking musical Hamilton. We ask her how she gets the right people to say "yes" to letting other artists use bits of their songs.
After De La Soul's master recordings were acquired by Reservoir, Deborah was brought in to clear every sample on their classic albums. She explains to us what the hurdles are when you approach an artist with a sample clearance request; how she sleeps with her phone in case one of her high-profile clients decides to check if they can sample something at a late hour in the studio; and how she doesn't see the desire for artists to use samples going away any time soon.
DMG Clearances dmgclearances.com
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
The shortest song in the Hot 100
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