Tell us what you sampled. We find who owns the recording and the song, send the clearance requests, chase the replies, and email you at every step. You approve every quote.
Six steps, from “who owns this?” to a signed license. Tap any step, or let it play.
Clearance stalls when you only chase one side. Use the original audio and you need both. Replay or re-sing the part and you only need the publishing.
The recording itself. Usually owned by a label or a catalog buyer. Needed when you use the original audio.
The song underneath: melody and lyrics, owned by the songwriters and their publishers. Needed for samples and interpolations.
If the record is in a pre-cleared catalog, use the catalog. If it isn't, you need a yes from both owners: hire a clearance agency, or send the request to Clear the Wax: we find both owners, do the outreach and email you at every step, and you approve every quote.
Based on how each option generally works. Check any provider's current plans and terms before you rely on them. General information, not legal advice.
What to expect when we clear a sample for you.
There's no rate card for samples. Owners ask for an upfront fee, a share of your song's publishing, or both, and it scales with how recognizable the sample is. You tell us the most you'd pay, and we only bring you quotes under it. Our own upfront fee shows up the moment you send your request.
Speed is the whole point. Both requests go out as soon as you give the go-ahead, and we follow up on a schedule so nothing sits. Owners we already work with tend to answer sooner. Their reply time is the one thing nobody controls, so send your request before the track is finished.
You need two answers: who owns the master recording, and who publishes the composition. Try the song in the demo above to see both from our records, or send us a clearance request and we find them for you. Without it, start with the original release credits, then check the ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR repertoires and The MLC database for the publishers.
If you use the original recording, yes, both. If you replay or re-sing the part yourself (an interpolation), you only need the publishing.
Don't count on it. In Bridgeport v. Dimension Films (2005), the 6th Circuit held that copying any part of a sound recording can infringe. The 9th Circuit disagreed in VMG Salsoul v. Ciccone (2016), so the law depends on where a case is heard. Labels and distributors expect clearance either way.
There's no rate card. Owners usually ask for an upfront fee, a share of the new song's publishing, or both, depending on how recognizable the sample is and the size of the release. The owners set the price.
A sample uses the original audio. An interpolation re-records the melody or lyrics. Samples need master and publishing clearance; interpolations need publishing only.
You can, but distributors and platforms can pull the track, owners gain leverage once it's out, and you can be sued for infringement. Clearing before release is safer and usually cheaper.
Yes. Send us the request: the song you sampled, how you used it and your release plans. We find both owners, send the clearance requests, follow up, and email you at every step. You approve every quote, and you pay the rights holders directly.
If the record you want is in Tracklib's catalog, their pre-cleared route is usually the fastest. If it isn't, you have to clear it directly with the master owner and the publishers, yourself or through a clearance agency.
Not always. Agencies bring relationships and negotiate for you, which helps on big releases and hard-to-reach owners. If you're willing to send the requests and follow up yourself, you can clear directly once you know who owns both sides.