What is borrowed?
An identifiable hook, substantial musical passage, lyric, vocal phrase or sound-recording fragment can lead to different rights questions.
CLEARANCE BUDGETS
How much does sample clearance cost?
There is no universal price for clearing a sample. A useful budget separates the cost of doing the work from the price each rights holder may negotiate.
A realistic clearance budget has different parts
1. Research and administration. Identifying the source recording, master controller, writer shares and publishers, then organising correspondence and supporting evidence. A clearance agent may charge for that work whether or not permission is granted.
2. Master recording permission. If you have taken audio from an existing recording, the recording controller may request an upfront fee, a share of income or both. Permission is discretionary.
3. Composition permission. The writers and publishers control the composition. A negotiated deal may involve an advance, an ongoing share of the new work or other restrictions.
4. Documentation and later uses. Some agreements cover only a defined release, edit, territory or term. A later advertisement, remix or sync placement may require checking the agreed rights again.
What changes the quote?
How is it used?
A background texture and the main hook are not the same negotiation. Context and prominence matter.
Who controls it?
Several writers, publishers or recordings can mean several separate consent processes.
What release is planned?
Distribution, marketing spend, projected uses, territory and deadline help define the request.
Why we do not publish a made-up price list
A quote without knowing the original recording, its ownership, where it appears in the new track and the intended release would be misleading. No clearance company can promise that a rights holder will accept a particular amount or agree at all.
Already negotiating? Keep proposed administration fees separate from rights-holder compensation, and ask whether an unsuccessful clearance still incurs research costs.
Prepare a quote-ready request
- Identify the original song and the exact recording or version
- Note the timestamp and how much audio or composition was used
- Confirm whether it is a direct sample, replay or uncertain
- Give the planned release date, territory and distribution plan
- Explain what you already know about the owner and any earlier discussions
You do not have to know every answer. AMM can begin with incomplete source information.
Send the source and planned release. AMM can help organise the permission search and the rights-holder conversation. No fee or clearance is promised until agreed with the relevant parties.
Start a request ↗