Sampling: Art form or just blatant theft?

Michael Phillips8 said:here is the guy who samples clips from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsBfj6khrG4 🙏

If it looks good and sounds good... then it’s good. Period.

^^ I really dig

urbannomad30 said:I’ve been listening to some Zoviet, but I honestly had no clue about these weird media formats 😳, Paul Barrett17, you got any photos to help me wrap my head around it?

http://www.the-edge.ws/zoviet/

Everything you need to know about them is right here... though if I recall correctly, the site hasn't been updated in a minute, so some links might be dead. Regardless, the examples of ceramics, asphalt, and stuff 🙂 are all there. Enjoy.

As for the whole culture of sampling and how they influenced everything by mixing found sounds into music, check out this killer NBC documentary 'The Wrecking Crew'. It covers the pioneers (well, some of the first ones) of sampling and the Motown studio, an institution that was way ahead of its time with sound.

Also, I just remembered this wild story that ties directly back to the thread title—"the art of sampling or blatant theft."

Not sure how many of you actually know the story from back in the early '90s involving that American ready-made band Negativland. Specifically, the massive scandal that dragged U2 and Island Records right into the middle of the mess.

Before that whole messy U2 situation kicked off, Negativland spent an entire decade churning out bizarre, subversive audio collages. Their goal was actually pretty noble: they wanted to tackle media freedom and free speech by hacking together archival clips—everything from old music and movie snippets to radio spots and TV commercials. The real magic of Negativland’s work is how they take these seemingly harmless samples and throw them into a much heavier context. They’re basically calling out how stagnant society has become, blindly swallowing whatever is served to them just because of sheer brand loyalty.

It’s a wild mix. On one hand, you’ve got this hilarious, witty, and super clever vibe. But on the other, there's this dark undertone about people going head-to-head with the law. In Negativland's case, it’s all about them pushing the limits when it comes to the art of sampling or blatant theft.

Negativland decided to mess with the whole idea of U2 being this massive, ultra-liberal rock icon promoting total media freedom and free speech. Right when U2 announced their big comeback with *Achtung Baby*, this weird record popped up. The cover is basically just "U2" printed everywhere in huge letters, with the actual artist—Negativland—hidden in tiny print underneath. In the middle, there’s this medium-sized picture of a U2 spy plane, which was Negativland's direct way of pointing out that the band actually took their name from the aircraft.

That record features two insane takes on U2's hit "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." In the first version, they basically hijack almost a full minute of the original U2 creation. Then, in their signature Negativland style, they overlay this wild, high-energy parody of the lyrics: "I have climbed the highest mountains, and I have run through the fields only to be with you, yes you—the fat one, that's right—you're the fat one and I want to be with you..." 🙂)

It all gets mashed up with those specific samples Negativland stumbled upon—like those random, crude snippets of the famous American announcer Kasey Casem saying, "these guys are from England and who gives a shit?!"

Another version included in this release isn't quite as controversial, but it’s definitely just as intense. It’s basically a "karaoke" cut where Negativland goes even harder on Casem's crude outbursts of rage—you know, all that stuff like, "Play the goddam' record, this is bullshit, nobody cares...!"

Look, all this stuff about sampling culture shouldn't even be a big deal. But here we are. It’s only been a few weeks since that weird "new record" from U2 hit the shelves, and Island Records—the massive label backing them—decided to go scorched earth. They basically blindsided Negativland and their label, SST Records, with a nearly 200-page lawsuit claiming every possible copyright violation under the sun. What's wild is that the U2 guys themselves seem to be behind it, with R.E.M. acting as the middlemen. This is hilarious considering they just launched this whole big campaign about media freedom and protecting individual liberties. So now they’re orchestrating a hit job on some tiny, obscure band that wasn't exactly making millions off their experiments. Is Negativland actually innocent victims here, or just reckless experimenters poking at untouchable icons? Either way, U2 is definitely one of those untouchables, sitting right there in the middle of music, politics, and corporate power.

They clearly learned the hard way just how destructive a power play can be. Island Records went totally overboard with their legal move. Their lawsuit actually included a clause demanding that anyone who bought the Negativland parody release had to return every single copy so they could be destroyed—which, let’s face it, was basically targeting the record stores that originally agreed to stock this weird release. "U2" was pulled instantly, banned from all radio stations, and even DJs playing it risked being prosecuted under that ruthless lawsuit aimed at the band itself.

The fallout? It pretty much wiped out both Negativland and SST Records, who stood zero chance against Island. As for U2, they rarely said much about this bizarre mess, sticking to the usual script that they had no clue a lawsuit was even happening. But there are hints they weren't telling the whole truth. It looks like they knew exactly what was going down and might have even given the green light to strike back that cruelly, just because someone played around with their symbolism and poked fun at the massive media hype surrounding U2 (just look at that concert scene where Bono dresses up as the devil to call politicians live on stage in front of a cheering crowd...).

But it wasn't over yet. After losing the legal war and having their lives wrecked, Negativland got a shot at payback. They were secretly called to participate in a radio segment featuring The Edge, right around the time his album "Achtung Baby" was making huge headlines. The Edge had absolutely no idea he was being interviewed by the very members of Negativland. At first, the questions were totally standard, until the conversation drifted toward freedom of speech, expression, and the (mis)use of the media. The Edge started into the band's usual litany about being absolute champions of media freedom, but things turned incredibly awkward when the two Negativland members finally revealed who they were and thanked him for "tolerating" media freedoms in light of the release that cost them everything.

Mark Hosler, one of the main spokespeople for Negativland, mentioned during one of his frequent lectures on communication freedoms that while Negativland didn't get a "hit" out of the U2 situation, they definitely got a "hit-lawsuit."

I brought up M/A/R/R/S before, the group behind that massive hit "Pump Up the Volume" which was built entirely on samples. That track blew up right as stricter copyright laws were being passed in the UK, so M/A/R/R/S—specifically the Colourbox members Martyn and Steven Young—felt the legal hammer fall too. Because the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman were the ones pushing hardest for blood, the Young brothers were never allowed to perform or release anything under the "Colourbox" name again. Ironically, though, M/A/R/R/S survived as a project and kept feeding record stores that one tiny, miraculous sample-heavy hit that still gets people on the dance floor today.

Honestly, a really informative post. Nice work.

"Originality? Forget about it. It's a myth. Just grab whatever hits you right or sparks something in your head and run with it. Dig through everything—old movies, stuff coming out now, songs, novels, art, snapshots, poetry, even those weird dreams you have. Look at buildings, bridges, street signs, the way light hits the water, or just some random chat on a sidewalk. Only snatch the stuff that actually guts you. If you play it that way, your work—your little act of theft—becomes real. Being authentic is the only thing that matters because being 'original' doesn't exist. And honestly, don't even try to hide the fact that you're stealing. Own it. Celebrate it if you want. Just keep in mind what Jean-Luc Godard used to say: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to."
— Jim Jarmusch