Karaoke Forums

Pardon my intervention, but why the need for all this? (Maybe this thread should belong in the Legalities Forum a Forum I rarely venture to - I tend to stay here in Karaoke Discussions).
My opinion - while everyone who has posted to this thread raises a valid point, we're all here to have fun right? Karaoke was invented for people to enjoy and not take too seriously, it isn't something that should be argued about so fiercely!

Slightly OT.. I agree with the posts about Zoom Entertainments, once described to me as the Rolls Royce of karaoke. Ever so often when I search for a song it'll throw up the usual suspects Sunfly and Zoom. 9 times out of 10 ZM surpasses SF in quality often by a significant margin. But if I search on Custom Burn it will bring up SF, ZM and Sing To The World. On more than a few occasions STTW has been tops, and that's saying something given Zoom's quality of music.

Now exactly how Zoom measure up against Sound Choice I don't know, as for the music I want either one of t'other manufacturer makes it. Music quality seems about the same to me, maybe SC just has the edge, but I find ZM's graphics slightly easier to read, especially with upbeat songs with fast moving swipes.

I am trying to get away from SC, so songs that I like to sing, I am looking to other mfrs. EVERYTHING I have found from Zoom has been superior to SC. That has NOTHING to do with how I feel about SC or their business model, and EVERYTHING to do with the music and sound quality that Zoom is producing. Their version of Stairway To Heaven, for example, is the BEST version I have ever heard, and I have sung the SC version for YEARS.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

NO... It is NOT the core of THIS Topic thread... PERIOD!!! However, it IS the CORE of YOUR debate. This topic thread is/was about trolling pirates. YOU brought up that maybe it was an investigator.

Then, rather than speculating, show me where the PROOF is that it HAS OCCURRED.

The topic of the thread was about trolling pirates it is true. The host posting the thread thought the person he was talking to was a pirate. I just suggested that maybe it wasn't a pirate, it could be a manu investigator as well, both are speculation cue. Neither one of us is sure exactly who or what the person was or is. It is strange to me that it is excepted that he was a pirate, he could just as well be an investigator, or the King of Siam for all anyone knows. It is what they call in science an unproved theory, just as plausible at the other unproved theory that started this thread. Both could be right both could be wrong, two people with two different takes on what went down. What I find interesting is why would a pirate offer to let a legitimate host copy his hard drive increasing his library and end up being even more competition to the pirate at no cost? Wouldn't it be more in keeping with the image of the pirate to come back and try to get the gig away from the legit host? Touting his 100,000 plus illegal songs and under cutting the legal host's price, rather than try to help him out for free.

You keep talking about entrapment tactics cue. When investigator goes out and investigates he is trying to collect information about the person who is being investigated. Not just how he is conducting his business, but also the background and character of the person being investigated. He might talk to people who know the suspect, asking questions is what an investigator does, the answers he gets to questions helps to determine if the suspect is or might be guilty of a crime. It is not entrapment if you ask a suspect would he be interested in an hard drive? It is entrapment if you come back with an illegal hard drive and try to sell it to the suspect, then try to arrest him for buying illegal product from you. That is assuming you are in fact the law. The manus are not the law they act in the place of the regular law. They are not seeking criminal charges where the burden of proof is much higher, but rather civil recovery of damages where the bar of proof is set lower.

I share a similar view - I don't discriminate with brands per se, it's nearly all about the music. Or in the case of Sunfly, SBI, Abraxa, Mr Entertaibner and Legends - where much of the music is identical - I'll pick whichever brand whose graphics I like the best (SBI and Mr. E get the lion's share in this field). I will still go to Sound Choice if I think their music and/or graphics quality is better than the rest, or if I'm making a custom CDG I'll use Karaoke Channel since there's no more Clark Music.

The only brand I actively seek to patronise over the rest would be Sing To The World. Much of that is down to the excellent service I've had from them, so I like to support companies who treat their customers so royally. Aside from this, as I said in a previous post, it just so happens that there are many STTW tracks that are in my opinion even better than any others, even Zoom and Sound Choice/Karaoke Channel.

Unfortunately, (in my area anyway) it's brand power that seems to win over music quality. Most KJs are of the opinion "This'll do, it's only karaoke anyhow". Sunfly is the most recognisable karaoke brand over here by a long shot, so invariably the vast majority of KJs just subscribe to them for new releases (even nowadays SF let a howler slip out on occasion). There are a few KJs whose song inventory is almost 100% Sunfly (unfortunately there are no manufacturer codes so it's pot luck every time you turn in a song request). The KJ whose gig I attend the most splits most of his new material between Zoom and Mr. Entertainer, a fair compromise I think - Zoom is better quality but for singers who prefer Sunfly, Mr. E's music is the same but the graphics are easier to follow.

Sunfly is good with the less complicated stuff. They did a KILLER version of God Is Dead from Black Sabbath, for example.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I have a singer who writes Sound Choice in on her slip when she requests songs. Nothing weird about that to me. I usually prefer Sound Choice myself when I sing .and all things being equal usually try to use the sSound Choice version on most songs if I'm hosting.

Theres a pirate down the street from me who seems to have Sound Choice for almost every song you can think of... People get spoiled at his shows from all that. Thank God he likes to get drunk while he works and runs an unfair rotation or my show would be in trouble.

I actualy got my 8125 years ago as a gift. I have the Zoom (among others) Eagles versions as well and still prefer the SC versions.

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

That is only because you are biased toward SC. You LOVE SC. You live for them.



Disclaimer: Please realize I am messing with you.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

If I lived for them, I would have absolutely no other brands - which I do (even songs from other brands that I COULD have on SC and don't), so that statement in itself is VERY inaccurate - Love, strong words,more like feel that 'most' of the songs they produced are better than most version/manus - absolutely. I said I have other Eagles versions (Zoom, Legends, Backstage, even a laserdisc that was very short lived) - and for the Eagles songs that SC DID make, I personally feel they are unmatched by the other brands I own. For the Eagles songs they did not make, Zoom would be the next best thing.

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

You are absolutely way too serious about this stuff. That is how you know you are getting old.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I'm fortunate that my local pirates drink to excess and run unfair rotations too. They also don't know how to update their systems and like cigarette breaks which are taken regardless of their customers wants or needs. If they ever took pride in what they did and competed on something other than price, my nights off would be a lot more fun.

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'A genius is one who can do anything except make a living'. Joey Adams.

Personally I think too much time is spent worrying about the competition both legal and illegal. The thing to do is focus on your own karaoke service and not be concerned with what the other guy is doing. As long as you keep your place filled and making money, the venue owner should not have a problem. If however you are not pulling your weight then that is the time to start worrying.

Joe C has said the same thing on numerous occasions and I echo both of you. I have been to way more lousy host's shows than I have been good ones. In my area most hosts take zero pride in their personal appearance, rig setup, or their skill set. Not very difficult to beat if you give it a little effort, in spite of their 100K+ song selection.

I agree with this as well. As vocal as I am in these forums and our local community (Some local Facebook Groups and our local karaoke magazine), I still focus on my show more than anything else. I don't talk about piracy at my show unless someone asks about it. I have never put down a specific host or karaoke show.

I receive comments on the sound, the lights, the broad music selection, and my ability to buy and use songs when a singer requests. I don't get any comments on my appearance because I dress to my crowd. But I do get told I smell good quite often.

-Chris

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-Chris

Getting old or too serious because I like to provide quality selections? Nah, been that way since I started when I was 22. Hated Music Maestro from the start, along with other brands from the days - nothing has changed throughout the years except I don't buy stuff anymore just willy nilly, it has to meet a basic standard.

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

No, getting old or too serious because you don't ever laugh or chuckle or anything. This is an internet forum, I am busting your chops and you are just plodding along like business as usual.

I have a standards too. I hand pick my songs one at a time. I am not worried about expense, I am worried about quality. Yes, I started with cheaper stuff so I would have something for people to sing, but since then I download the songs that are requested, and little by little Zoom is coming out with those songs, and in my opinion, their quality is surpassing much of SC's. I have songs from SBI and SF that are better quality than SC ever put out. SF put out God Is Dead from Sabbath. It is just as good, if not better than SC's version of War Pigs. SBI put out Burn from Deep Purple. SC never even thought about that song. SC is being left in the dust by the U.K. If things keep going the way they are now, ALL STAR will be blowing SC away. The newer stuff from them is actually pretty good. I can't comment on DTE because they don't have sound bites yet, (Dig, dig, Gretchen). I am now rambling.

STOP TAKING THIS STUFF SO DAMN SERIOUSLY!!!!

BTW, Lonnie, aren't you like 50 something?? You ARE getting old.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

It is true that he MAY have been something other than a Pirate, I'll probably never know. He simply stated he was also a KJ and my library was inferior to his but for free he would give me his hard drive. Yes, red flags everywhere! We provide a quality show, with quality components, know how to use them all and make it fun. We do not need 100,000 songs to be successful (although I would love to have that many if I were a millionaire)

I still say Troll

I'm glad that you are least open to the idea that he may have been something other than a Pirate. I guess we will never know for sure, he didn't come back did he? I'm still wondering why he offered to help you for no money?