Sample Breakdown is a simple, visual, oddly addictive way to show how a
song was made: the original record, the flip, the moment it clicks.
Part nostalgia, part guessing game, fully built to be shared. I wanted
to show, as simply as possible, how many of your favorite songs are
built on samples of old records. And, of course, a not-so-subtle plug
for Tracklib - the only way for most producers to legally release music
like that themselves.
It took off beyond our wildest expectations, and far beyond the
producers we made it for. Turns out everyone loves finding out their
favorite song has a secret history. The format racked up over 300M
views in Tracklib’s own channels, and most likely more than half a
billion once you count the reposts. Entire accounts existed just to
repost our videos. Then came the copycat channels making their own
versions.
It’s been reposted and celebrated by Wu-Tang Clan, Timbaland, Will
Smith, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, and Disclosure, and led to collaborations
with Fred again.., Jamie xx, Ninja Tune, XL, and Spinnin’ Records.
For hip-hop’s 50th, we crowned a sample for every year in a
30-minute special, and the social cuts alone neared 100 million views.
All of it organic. All of it in our own channels. Not a single dollar of
paid media was ever spent on the format. As far as we can tell, that
makes Sample Breakdown one of the most successful organic formats a
brand has ever run.
