Karaoke Forums

Wow, I have read through this whole thread and I think I can see both sides of these opinions. I am lucky in that I have a brother that has his own karaoke show so I have any song of his available to me if I want to learn it. I also have my own collection of 30 or so discs, mostly because I like doing somewhat obscure 80's and 90's songs.

For a couple of reasons I am definitely in the prefer to do the version I am used to camp. For one, it is no fun to do a bad version of a song, and this is where opinions vary, as all of you know just because a song is from one of the better makers of CDG's is no guarantee that it is a decent version of said song. I have performed " Stuck in the middle with you " at a show in San Antonio and it was an awful version of this song. It wasn't that I couldn't sing it, it just wasn't any fun singing to that rendition. Same was true of a version of " Save a prayer " I tried once, Sunfly version that I have is near dead on.

Secondly, it is true that not all songs are the same, Al Green's " Let stay together " has 2 completely different endings on 2 different versions and it can really throw you off if you aren't expecting it. Just as you appeared a bit arrogant in defending yourself, so can we people that sometimes go the extra step in preparing ourselves to perform songs. I clap for every single person that sings at my brothers show regardless of talent, IT IS just karaoke, but that doesn't mean some of us can't take it bit more seriously and try to do our best up there and yet still be nice to other karaokiers.

I am sure you run a fine show, and I for one would probably just ask you what song version it was and if I didn't like that version would just pick another song, simple solution, but that's just me!

Tell you what, I'll take a chill pill, hand a few out, you take one and if you don't want to come back so be it. Just my .02 cents...........Rudy

well Dennis, you post your  opinion, and don't like it when people disagree with that opinion? I thought you said you were done with this arguement?

If your position were TRULY solid, then a debate on it wouldn't shake any foundation... I think it's the exact opposite, though. You thought you could be pretty solid and true to your beliefs, and find nobody agreeing with you. At best you can say some of us agree to disagree with you.

I never once said I was the end all - be all of anything. YOU are the one coming in with a solidly stated opinion, and a "don't like it, don't play" attitude!

So take your five years of karaoke hosting experience and take a hike if you want to. Most of us keep an open mind, and LISTEN to what the rest of us have to say. Listening isn't compromising, but if you DO keep an open mind, you MAY learn something.

I'm happy for your continued success. You may have found the niche that works for you, and in your area.

"The real ARROGANT and mean people are those of you that think you feel empowered to hide behind your keyboard and attack me."

Dennis;
I dont hide behind any keyboard or anyithing else. What I say I stand behind. So again if you have any questions or comments for ME then feel free to PM, Email, IM, post or give me a phone call.  Additionally I dont ATTACK ANYONE. What I do is relay the IMPRESSION that YOU CREATE IN YOUR OWN POSTS.

Like I said before--if you have questions about the concepts--feel free to call me, IM, PM or EMAIL me.

Kurt "Swingcat" Johnson
Swingcatpdx@yahoo.com
503-775-5263

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Dennis - I've read many a debate on KS and thought when this one started it was fine. You'll always get devil's advocate when posting. That is part of posting. Everyone has their own oppinions. If you are confident in what works for you, you shouldn't feel threatened like Knightshow said. We all tend to feel attacked when someone doesn't agree, I've been there. I didn't feel like you were being ganged up on here although it may have felt that way. That is why I posted pros and cons. Everyone runs their show differently and having so many KJs on this site with loads of experience you will get people who are very strong in their oppinions because they have been doing it so long successfully. You take out of it what works for you and leave the rest behind.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

No stop, don't go.... ......we love you Dennis(the menace).....If it wasn't for all of you, I'd have to argue with my wife......and she has a veto power that can bring me to my knees........a right hook, also.......peace up, my karaoke brother...

I have been to now over 90 karaoke clubs, and have never seen a host who won't play my burns. I have seen a fair number that don't play any CDGs at all.

If I brought in original disks, I would have to have a hundred of them. Not reasonable to do at all. Certainly not to expose to theft in bars. If the burned ones get stolen, no big deal (not that any ever have).

Also I can burn my key change on, which makes things easier. Everyone says they do key changes, but most every time I rely on the host one time or another I get hung up steps too high. (I can always hit the notes, but it doesn't sound near as good.)

I even had one host this last trip who wouldn't play CDGs and wouldn't do key changes either. He claimed that key changers don't sound good. When you make claims like that, then select StarDisk tracks as your preferred version, I don't want to hear about things not sounding good.


Why not? It should be no trouble. A simple (SC) or (DK) takes no space to speak of.


So say you. I think some of all of those are crappy. A lot of Sound Choice tracks have nice guitar leads but the rest of the track including background vocals suck. For instance, which "Carried Away" do you have? If it is the Sound Choice and not the Chartbuster, you have a sucky track when a good one is available. And I couldn't know.

Certainly you can get away with running your show however you want to. In fact, it has become clear to me that most shows are not really catering to me. They are catering to the casual singer who drinks prodigiously. That is fine -- as I get to be a better singer the little things don't bother me as much. I can sing to most any version, and can even survive without key changes most times. I still sound good enough for people to come up to me after the show and shake my hand or buy me a drink, all of which is happening often now.

I have a few points to make:

1.  It is understandable why some KJs refuse to play burns.  There are obvious legal issues, although I doubt seriously that a KJ would get busted for playing a customer's CDR.  Also, when you consider how piracy is destroying the karaoke industry and let's face it, the vast majority of the burns you see at the typical karaoke show are not even an archive copy of an original, I can't blame them at all.  Most of the ones I've seen are outright pirated stuff (I've talked to many of these people who bring in CDRs).  In my area there's a KJ who makes "compilations" for a dollar a song.  

2.  It is bad customer service for a KJ to refuse to play original customer CDGs.  I really don't understand why some KJs have this policy, perhaps some are just LAZY and don't want to have to fuss with guest CDGs.  I can remember a KJ at an in-house show telling me once that "I am reluctant to play guest CDGs because it puts pressure on us to have to buy new discs".  Most in-house shows I've been to truly need "pressure" to purchase new CDGs.  These bar owners don't comprehend that the purchase of new discs on occasion is the cost of doing business.  

3.  Most of us who have our own discs have a number of rare discs that are out-of-print.  SIXTY-FIVE percent of my personal CDG collection is IRREPLACEABLE. I had a close-call with a KJ who removed one of my discontinued CDGs from the player and literally juggled it in his hands and LUCKILY caught it before it hit the floor.
After that I decided to use archives.  Am I really expected to bring my original SC8148 to shows and turn it over to the average KJ? I won't do it!

4.  NO karaoke manu ALWAYS has the "best" versions of every song.  This idea that Pioneer or DK or Sound Choice versions are ALWAYS the best is total nonsense. Better is better IMHO.  

5.  There are often SIGNIFICANT differences between different karaoke versions of songs.  There are radio versions, album versions, live versions, acoustic versions, dance remix versions, country versions, pop versions, specific concert versions, and karaoke edit versions (lots of examples of these).  Some versions were recorded in keys other than the original - DK and Nikoddo have many examples of this.  If "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins is listed in the book without a manu code, how do I know if it the acoustic version (SC8264) or the version most remember on Chartbuster?  If I see "FLy" by Sugar Ray how do I know if it the dance remix version on Sybersound or the correct one (I learned this lesson the hard way once)?

6.  A two-letter manu code can be added to the front of a song number resulting in a gain of 3 characters.  It is not necessary to use manu numbers, you can have something like "SC 160-09" or "CB 10043" (in the case of computers using their own number system).  I developed a two-letter manu code system for a KJ friend of mine who uses a custom ordinal song # system.  His dbase is in MS Access. His book is printed using a two-column grouped format.  The customers LOVE it.

7.  Some customers just "like" certain versions even if they aren't that great at all.  Believe me, I've heard some "winners", like the Sybersound "version" of Trace Adkins' "Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk".  Man, is that one BAD, and the SC version was available in the book (a much, much better version).

Can't use Archives.. ......who gave you the chalk?.....  ....everybody likes to draw the line where they think it should be.....they'll understand, you don't want to wear out your originals.....

I chose a track recently that had an LG prefix.... I had no idea what "LG" stood for....  it was absolutely awful!  Oh well, I had waited for around an hour or so to sing a song.. what a waste!  No, I didn't enjoy that experience!  Would have been far better to have sung a song from my own disk!  At least I did that for my next song...
Of course, the KJ had many other songs in the book, but how was  I to know that I wasn't going to get something equally as horrid as the first song... yes, there are different prefixes and numbers which I assume relate to manufactures of CDGs, but there is no way of knowing what is what!  Much rather have my own backing that I know is good!  

Fortunately the KJs where I go do let me use my own disks, even though they are copies of my originals.  They are copies because the KJs do scratch them (I know this because the only time I play them is to check they are OK before going to a karaoke bar!  My originals are still in exellent condition and when a copy gets scratched, I throw it out and make a new copy.  That way, my disks always play without a hitch!  

I don't always use my own tracks (as seen from the above experience), and many songs I do from the book are perfectly OK.  I guess there is a certain amount of learning involved.... I know I will NEVER choose a song with a "LG" prefix again!  And from reading this thread, I will be avoiding the "DK" numbers as well... I abhore those karaoke tracks that have a flutey melody!

Dennis has said that he does not play customers' burned disks and given reasons for his stand... it's his show, his perogative!   All I ask is that he tell us what his venues are so that I know not to go there if I happen to be in the area!

A bad backing track will not make your vocals suck.  Your vocals will suck only because and if your vocals suck.

Archival copies of audio recordings (as I read it) are an express violation of copyright law. The idea being that your copies are supposed to wear out.  This law was written in the days of the wax records when each playing degraded the sound.  In theory a carefully handled CD will last for 30+ years so the law needs to be updated it's true.  But right now (as I read it) if you need an archive buy two copies.

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Okay, who took my pants?

Better still, do as I do and get permission to make a backup copy!

"LG" or "Leg" are for Legends

and yes, exweed, a backup track CAN and WILL throw off your vocals if the backing vocals are really off...

Completely agree if the track is bad enough.

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The Chartbuster "Heard It In A Love Song" has only three verses, with the last one being a combination of the first half of verse three and the last half of verse four. That sort of threw me off.....