Play by the rules so you won’t have to suffer the re-percussions 🥁

You might have used a sample from a free pack. This may have been one that was given away as part of an offer by a company that usually sells sample packs, or one that was made by an amateur and given away.

If the free sample pack came from a company that normally sells audio, if you have received a download receipt with it, please send this over to moderation@routenote.com as proof of purchase along with:

• link
• an unedited audio file of the original sample you used
• your username
• the UPC of the release

If you got the sample from an amateur, either on their own website, blog, or perhaps somewhere like Reddit, please send a:

• link to the download if it’s still available
• an unedited audio file of the original sample you used
• any other information you can
• your username
• the UPC of the release

Sometimes, makers of sample packs upload audio in them that they themselves don’t have the rights to; e.g., someone’s chopped up some James Brown samples and put them in a pack. In these cases, unfortunately, as the pack’s maker didn’t own the audio originally this would not be something that would pass through moderation. Please note! This is quite common with free sample packs so be aware!

Sadly, it does also sometimes happen with paid sample packs… not to worry, we’ve got just the solution for you! Samples from a service like RouteNote Create* (more information below) which are completely original, can avoid a lot of hassle. Nobody wants to find out an important sample in their release is actually from a copyrighted source after they’ve finished all the work of making the track!

If you’re using sample packs in your music, please ensure to do your best to work out which ones have been sampled from existing records. These are unlikely to have the appropriate copyright agreements in place, and you should avoid them for commercial releases, like those distributed through RouteNote. Free, amateur made sample packs containing professional sounding samples are particularly likely to be in this category, so please ensure to be careful!

*Our new subscription sample service, RouteNote Create, allows you to access individual samples or full packs which are guaranteed to be completely original. Subscriptions start at only $2.99 a month! Samples from also make it easy to clear moderation, as each purchase comes with a unique licence ID. If you pop that through to us at moderation@routenote.com along with your username and the UPC of the release, then we’ll be able to clear it for use.

Check out the full RouteNote Style Guide here!

If you have any further queries, feel free to get in touch with us!

See more:
Can I use samples in my track with RouteNote?
Can I sample content from YouTube?
What is an exclusive sample?