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Music

Travis Scott Doesn't Get Half of His Potential Royalties from "Antidote"

Always clear your samples, friends.

Richard Ashcroft of the Verve learned the hard way that sampling is no joke back in 1997. As "Bitter Sweet Symphony" climbed the charts, the Rolling Stones promptly claimed ownership of the song for its sample of their own "The Last Time." Never mind that the Verve had sampled an orchestral cover of the song; from that point onward, 100 percent of the huge hit's income went to Mick fucking Jagger and Keith goddamn Richards.

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Travis Scott seems to have found himself in a similar predicament with his own smash "Antidote." As revealed in a BeatStars interview with the song's exceptionally talented co-producer Eestbound , the beat's sample of Lee Fields & the Expressions' "All I Need" wasn't properly cleared when Scott abruptly dropped "Antidote" on SoundCloud back in 2015. Because of this, representatives for Lee Fields demanded 50 percent of the royalties from "Antidote," which Eestbound describes as a "generous offer" compared to a possible 75-25 split (in favour of Fields) that was also apparently on the table. When compared to the industry standard of a sample's composer(s) receiving between 10 to 15 percent of royalties, it's rough, but it's what happens when one doesn't heed the cautionary tales laid out before them. You can watch the full interview below.

Phil is a Noisey staff writer. He's on Twitter.