· By The Vocal Market
TL;DR Anything composed before 1930 is generally public domain in the US (as of 2026, works from 1930 just entered the public domain). This includes most traditional folk, blues, classical, and gospel standards. You can cover, remix, and release these without a mechanical license. Heads up: public domain covers record arrangements of existing commercial recordings, not the composition itself. Most cover songs require a mechanical license (around $15 + per-stream royalties). Public domain songs don't. That means zero licensing paperwork, zero ongoing royalty splits to the original writer, and full ownership of your arrangement. For DJs, producers, and remix artists,...
· By Bas Lefeber
Sampling is foundational to music production. Hip-hop was literally built on it. House music lives on sampled vocal hooks. Pop producers sample melodies and textures from every era. But sampling someone else's recording without permission is copyright infringement. It doesn't matter if it's 2 seconds or 20. It doesn't matter if you pitched it, chopped it, or buried it in the mix. If you release it commercially without clearance, you're taking a legal risk. Here's every legal option available in 2026, from cheapest to most expensive. Option 1: Use Royalty-Free Samples (Easiest) The simplest path. Royalty-free samples come with a...