Karaoke Forums

I've stayed out of the legit vs. pirate threads and posts, mostly because whatever can be said on the subject has already been said.... over and over and over and..... you know.

However I'm looking for another video monitor stand, and thought I'd check our local resources. So, I typed "karaoke" into our local (south-west Ontario, Canada) Kijiji buy & sell, and the very first listing is http://www.portwebsites.com

The guy has no problem advertising and even gives out his telephone number. According to the area code, he (or she) is located in Washington State.

These things are popping up all over the place, and I have personal knowledge of at least two users in this general area.

The next ad was for Shure Super 55 knock-offs for $39.... in various colours no less, while my real Super 55 cost nearly ten times that much!

Pretty damn difficult trying to stay legit and earn a decent fee with all this crap going on...

Just a quick rant from a frustrated old fart.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Shure Super 55 knock-offs for $39 ? ?

Dude! Stay away from KJBILL.COM... they are B-B-B-Bad.

you're right Earl, it is tough to be the good guy in this business. especially with KJ Bill still going abut his business.
unfortunately he has no fear, nor reason to fear.
the mics on the other hand, report to Shure and they do go after them and shut them down. Sennheiser is the same way, they go after these pirates.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

I refuse to use the 399 page PDF file he has posted (listed by artist)
on moral grounds..

I shouldn't have said Super 55 "knock-offs"... Perhaps the word "look-alike" is more fitting. Nowhere do they claim them to be Shure.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Yeah those are authentic as Pyle is a brand - albeit a crappy brand, but still a legit brand.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

They look pretty good even as a cheap stage prop. worth to rip out the voice coil capsule and replace with a SM57

Who do you get in trouble with selling something that was not legal in the first place? Local law enforcement doesn't care, FBI doesn't care. There's nobody that will prosecute him so where's the risk?

The only risk is out of the probably 10,000+ people doing this, the FBI/law enforcement seems to make an example of about 1-2 a year and ruin their life to the tune of a few years in jail and millions in fines, which they just bankrupt and never pay.

That's about your only risk. Even that, just don't be the guy making millions on prominent sites and you'll never even be on the radar in the first place.

Speaking of, wanna buy a karaoke hard drive? I gots one reeeeeeeal cheap.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Dude, this knock off is on Amazon for $21.99
(It's still crapola)

Wasn't there a case against the original KJ BILL a few years ago?

I recall he got stung by the FBI, got jail time, and had a judgement against him for something like $650,000.

Anyone recall this?

there was a case, but not KJ Bill
it was Bill Bene, former Dodgers pitcher got nailed for not paying taxes on the income. they didn't get him for piracy though.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Another big case was from 9 or 10 years ago, Steven Freeman, and his assistant Tracy Brock from Burnsville, MN got busted by Minnesota Cyber Crime Unit and the FBI for selling thousands of hard drives (name of town, appropriately enough, “burnsville” ).

https://www.justice.gov/archive/crimina ... anPlea.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/archive/crimina ... onvict.htm

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!