Culture in Action
So, there's this song by Run-D.M.C. called Peter Piper, which is a great tune. It features a kalimba(?) sample from Bob James' Take Me to the Mardi Gras, which is actually a song by Paul Simon. Fun enough, but then Missy Elliott samples it in her hit, Work It. I'm almost positive that it's a sample from RunDMC and not from Bob James, because there's extra bass beat involved.
Okay, let's add this. In the Bob James tune, there's a snippet of radio coming across that clearly was found sound, but that he most likely doesn't own the copyright to. RunDMC's sample includes this, and so does Missy's. So Missy's snippet is a sample of a sample of a sample.
So, who does she pay royalties to?
Anyway, that's what culture is, and that's how it progresses: building on the old to create something new.
Peter
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A comment:
I'm sure some bean-counter type could say who she should be paying royalties to, but even if there is an answer, it does point to the ridiculousness of it. In any event, I love to see your tracings of these things!
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