1. What is WhoSampled.com?

2. What is sampling?

3. What is a remix?

4. What is a cover song?

5. What are your submission rules?

6. How does the submission process work?

7. Can I submit an artist's details?

8. Can I become a moderator?

9. What is your copyright policy and how can I notify you of copyright infringement?

10. Is the site free to use?

11. What is a "replayed sample"?

12. How do I activate the iTunes links?

13. Why can't I find a certain track on iTunes?

14. I sometimes see Amazon mp3 widgets on sample pages, what are they?

15. How can I advertise on WhoSampled?

16. Can my organisation partner up with WhoSampled?

1. What is WhoSampled.com?

See the About Us page.

2. What is sampling?

Check out our brief introduction to sampling.

3. What is a remix?

Check out our description of remixes.

4. What is a cover song?

Check out our description of cover songs.

5. What are your submission rules?

• First of all, check that the sample, remix or cover song doesn't already exist in the database.
• Make sure that you submit a genuine, verified sample, remix or cover that you are 100% sure about.
• Make your submission as accurate and complete as possible, including artwork, video embed codes and all release information.
• Please only submit commercially released tracks. Tracks from "semi-official" mixtapes of well-known artists are fine too. Do not submit unreleased or unconfirmed material, demos or leaked tracks.
• Direct samples: only submit samples that are clearly identifiable and long enough to be positively verified. Please do not submit single drum hits.
  • Entry type: if the sample was directly lifted from the original recording, select "Direct Sample". If the sample was replayed or re-sung, select "Replayed Sample (Interpolation)".
  • Part sampled: indicate the element that is sampled or replayed (Drum Loop, Bassline, Hook / Riff, Vocals or "Other" for anything else such as sound effects). If more than one element is sampled (for example, the drums and the bassline), select "Whole Track".
• Replayed samples: Only submit replayed samples (interpolations) of long, distinctive and clearly identifiable hooks, melody lines and vocals, where the reference is obvious and intentional. Do not submit replayed drum loops as there are just too many examples of those to list and it's impossible to know the true original source of a rhythm.
• Remixes: when a remix was released under the original artist name and (typically) track name, with the addition of remix info (i.e. "Real Hip Hop (Pete Rock Remix)" by Das EFX), it's a remix. If not, it might need to be listed as a sample. When adding a remix, please always aim to add the remixer's name on the submission form so that it will be listed on the remixer's profile. Alternative versions that add no musical value, such as radio edits, extended edits, instrumentals and accapellas, are currently not allowed to be submitted as remixes. Live versions of the same track by the same artist are currently not allowed either.
• Covers: only submit covers of some artistic value. What we mean by that is that we are not interested in cover songs produced solely to replicate the original track in order to avoid paying publishing fees.
• Make sure that your naming and spelling of artists and tracks is correct. The submission form autocompletes for existing artist names, so if your artist already exists on the site, use the autocomplete entry suggested.
• When entering collaborations and featured artists, you need to enter each artist separately on the form. Click on the little green arrow next to the "Artist Name" field and it will expand more text boxes where you can enter collaborating artists (will show as "Artist1 and Artist2") and/or featuring artists (will show as "Artist1 feat. Artist2").
• When submitting a link to external media such as a YouTube video, enter a link to content that was made available under license from the copyright holder, such as the label. Be respectful of copyright at all times.
• Videos: our supported video sources are YouTube/VEVO, Spotify, SoundCloud, DailyMotion and Bandcamp. You are not allowed to submit a video/audio embed code from any other source.
• Images: upload the track's single release artwork if available, and if not, upload the containing album's artwork if available.
• When entering label names, do not use the "Records" suffix (e.g. enter "Universal" and not "Universal Records").

6. How does the submission process work?

After filling in the submission form according to our rules, your sample or cover will be entered into a queue to be approved by our moderators. Once it is approved, it will go live on the site and you will be notified by e-mail. You will also be notified by e-mail if your submission gets rejected for some reason.

7. Can I submit an artist's details?

Yes, you can upload an image and enter Wikipedia and Discogs links for an artist if they do not exist already. If this option is available for an artist, it is displayed as a link on the artist's page. Please upload an image for artists that clearly show the face (or in the case of a group, all group members' faces). Make sure the image is of good quality and no borders or watermarks are shown. The minimum resolution is 100x100 pixels and the maximum file size is 1Mb. Please make sure the image you are uploading is copyright-free or satisfies the legal test for fair use. To learn more about copyright, click here.

8. Can I become a moderator?

Yes, we are looking for more volunteers to become moderators on the site. We prefer to select moderators out of our active member base, and therefore it's always a good idea to make several accurate submissions before asking to become one. Please contact us if you're interested.

9. What is your copyright policy?

See the Copyright / DMCA page.

10. Is the site free to use?

Yes, the site is 100% free to use.

11. What is a "replayed sample"?

A replayed sample, as opposed to a direct sample, is when the sampling track does not use a portion of the actual source recording, but reproduces it in some way (this is also often called "interpolation"). In many cases a replayed sample reproduces the exact melody line of another track using a different instrument.

12. How do I activate the iTunes links?

When clicking on the iTunes image, your browser will attempt to open a small link file that should launch the iTunes application, pointing to the right content. If the link doesn't open automatically, set your browser to open this type of file using iTunes.

13. Why can't I find a certain track on iTunes?

We aim to provide a link to each artist's catalogue on iTunes so that you can easily purchase a track listed on the site. However, because the availability of certain tracks varies between territories, a track might not be available in your country.

14. I sometimes see Amazon mp3 widgets on sample pages, what are they?

Sometimes a full-length audio or video source for a track cannot be located. In such cases, we provide an Amazon mp3 widget instead. These widgets play a high quality 30-second clip and allow you to conveniently purchase the track directly from Amazon. We only use those widgets when there is no full-length alternative and when the sample can be clearly heard in Amazon's 30-second clip.

15. How Can I Advertise on WhoSampled?

We offer a range of attractive advertising and sponsorship opportunities on the site. If you are interested, please contact us to discuss this further.

16. Can my organisation partner up with WhoSampled?

Yes, we would love to partner up with other relevant websites, companies and organisations. Please contact us describing the nature of the partnership you have in mind and we would love to take it further.