Resources · Licensing basics
How Much Does It Cost to Clear a Sample?
There is no price list. Here is what actually drives the number — and why estimates vary so wildly.
This is general information, not legal advice. Clearance decisions are fact-specific — confirm anything important with the rights holders or a qualified attorney.
Unlike a cover (a fixed statutory rate), a sample is freely negotiated — there is no compulsory license and no official price. What you pay is whatever the two rights holders agree to.
What a deal usually contains
- An upfront advance on each side (master and publishing) — anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small indie source to five or six figures for a famous one.
- A share of your publishing on the new song — commonly anywhere from ~10% to 50%+ depending on how central the sample is.
- Sometimes a "most favored nations" clause, tying one rights holder’s terms to the best terms anyone else on the track gets.
What moves the price
- How much you use, and how recognizable it is.
- How famous and how well-administered the source is.
- Your commercial scale — a bedroom release and a major-label single are not quoted the same.
For contrast, recording a straight cover is cheap and predictable — the mechanical rate is set by law. Sampling is the opposite: bespoke, and occasionally unaffordable by design.
See it on real pages
Sources
- Nolo — Sampling and the Law ↗ · checked Jul 2026
- Copyright Royalty Board — statutory mechanical rate (the cover contrast) ↗ · checked Jul 2026
- U.S. Copyright Office — Circular 73A ↗ · checked Jul 2026