Uploaded July 2019 | Updated September 2026, 50 minutes ago
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
You Really Got Me? Technical and auditory methods for the identification of audio samples in copyright disputes
Joe Bennett - Berklee College of Music (USA)
Email: jbennett@berklee.edu
/// ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s it has been common for some artists, particularly in hip-hop and rap, to sample existing recordings, and the music industry has adapted over time to the challenges that the practice presents. Copyright case law and judicial verdicts have arguably lagged behind the pace of evolving sampling technologies, but in recent years a fragile balance has been reached, resulting in now commonplace business practices whereby samples are ‘cleared’ by those who wish to use them, and attendant royalty or payment deals are struck with the owners of the original sound recording.
However, unauthorized sampling still occurs at times, and in the case of such disputes the potential plaintiff/injured party will wish to demonstrate reliably that the allegedly infringing work does in fact contain a part of the earlier sound recording. ‘Forensic musicologists’ are commissioned to detect the sample, with a view to informing legal professionals of the extent/likelihood of copying. However, there is, as yet, no agreed standard for such detection, nor does a 100% reliable ‘demixing’ technology exist that enables samples to be easily isolated from a stereo mix. Recent software developments (e.g. improved time-stretching algorithms such as Ableton’s ‘Warping’ feature) have made the technical process more challenging, because the sample’s waveform can easily be manipulated by the samplist, while still retaining its character.
This paper presents some of the available human and technical methods of sample detection, using real-world examples from sampling copyright disputes, and proposes technical and analytical methods for improving the reliability of the process.
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
You Really Got Me? Technical and auditory methods for the identification of audio samples in copyright disputes
Joe Bennett - Berklee College of Music (USA)
Email: jbennett@berklee.edu
/// ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s it has been common for some artists, particularly in hip-hop and rap, to sample existing recordings, and the music industry has adapted over time to the challenges that the practice presents. Copyright case law and judicial verdicts have arguably lagged behind the pace of evolving sampling technologies, but in recent years a fragile balance has been reached, resulting in now commonplace business practices whereby samples are ‘cleared’ by those who wish to use them, and attendant royalty or payment deals are struck with the owners of the original sound recording.
However, unauthorized sampling still occurs at times, and in the case of such disputes the potential plaintiff/injured party will wish to demonstrate reliably that the allegedly infringing work does in fact contain a part of the earlier sound recording. ‘Forensic musicologists’ are commissioned to detect the sample, with a view to informing legal professionals of the extent/likelihood of copying. However, there is, as yet, no agreed standard for such detection, nor does a 100% reliable ‘demixing’ technology exist that enables samples to be easily isolated from a stereo mix. Recent software developments (e.g. improved time-stretching algorithms such as Ableton’s ‘Warping’ feature) have made the technical process more challenging, because the sample’s waveform can easily be manipulated by the samplist, while still retaining its character.
This paper presents some of the available human and technical methods of sample detection, using real-world examples from sampling copyright disputes, and proposes technical and analytical methods for improving the reliability of the process.
