Song Clearance Sheet
Pick Up the Pieces
108BPM
F minKey
4:00Length
How Sample-able
8/ 10
Good Odds
Cleared 60+ times · owners welcome sampling
Listen while you read
Official upload · Rhino / Atlantic Recording Corporation
Verified source
Get the Audio
Streaming isn't enough to sample from — you need an actual file
Apple Music
Purchasable track
Amazon Music
MP3 download
Bandcamp
Only covers/remixes found — not the original
Discogs
Original vinyl / CD — for a proper needle-drop rip
Collector's Copies
Original pressings, rare editions, and audiophile reissues
Discogs Marketplace
811 listings · $1–$224 depending on pressing
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Half-speed audiophile remaster · Notable pressing
RareVinyl.com
Promo pressings, international editions
eBay
Active auctions and Buy It Now listings
Quick Facts
Released1974
AlbumAWB
GenreFunk, R&B, soul
LabelAtlantic Records
ProducerArif Mardin
Recorded atCriteria Studios, Miami
Writer(s)All 6 band members
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask2 — the label (Warner owns the recording) and the songwriters (6 people share the song; they all need to say yes)
Has it been cleared before?Yes — 60+ times since 1975, by Gang Starr, Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh and more
Do they allow sampling?Yes — the owners are on record welcoming sampling requests (source: Nolo)
What does it cost?Nobody's shared numbers yet — songs like this usually take a cut of your song's earnings instead of an upfront fee
Page completeness5 confirmed · 2 reported · 2 unknown
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
You Got It
Same album (AWB, 1974) · added late in production
Nothing You Can Do
Same album (AWB, 1974) · added late in production
Pick Up the Pieces One By One — The J.B.'s
Answer record, 1974 · reuses the bassline from James Brown's "Hot Pants Road"
Cut the Cake
AWB's next top-10 hit, 1975 (US #10)
Let's Go Round Again
Later AWB hit, mentioned alongside this one
Who Owns It
The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The recording (the actual audio)Warner Music Group
The song itself (the writing)AWB Music Ltd.
Who handles the song todayNot confirmed yet
The writersAll 6 band members
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
They welcome sampling
Legal site Nolo points to AWB's owners as a go-to example of rights holders who actively want people to sample their music.
Nolo · read it →
Cleared many times
Sampled on major releases for four decades straight — Gang Starr (twice), Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh, Chris Rock & ODB. If they were hard to deal with, that list wouldn't exist.
Stereogum · read it →
Born from sampling culture
The band calls the song their James Brown tribute — and James Brown's own band answered it with a record of their own in 1975.
Songfacts · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
Is it public domain?No
Cheaper shortcutReplay it yourself
Sample History
60+
Times sampled
20+
Covers
1975
First flip
Big names who used itGang Starr · Public Enemy · Doug E. Fresh · Chris Rock & ODB
How to Clear It — 2 Steps
1. Ask the labelWarner Music Group
2. Ask the songwritersFind them via Songview (free lookup)
What they'll chargeNot confirmed yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse old funk that's free to use →