Karaoke Forums

I think we have to realize that karaoke by its very nature is a new “high-tech” entertainment commodity. For that reason we would expect it to change formats to reflect increasingly more convenient technologies. For example it has gone from cassette tapes, to video tapes to laser disks, to CD+G to DVDs and computer hosting.

The main reasons for these format changes has been that the newer format has multiple advantages including is ease of use, reliability, cost, transportability etc. It is increasingly clear that the future is going to be some sort of flavor of digital storage, allowing the KJ to transport thousands of songs in a compact unit. Currently a hard drive meets that need, but who knows what it will be in the future.

Once we come to terms with the fact that digital mass storage karaoke has distinct advantages, it is only a question of either making it legal in some way or continue using a less than optimal technology. Eventually the legal system will recognize computer hosted karaoke as legal, but it will have to find some way to regulate it.

I think it can go one of two routes, first allow people to format shift their media onto computers. But unfortunately I doubt that will be the eventual future. I sadly predict that the future of legal karaoke is going to be buying a “license” to use a set library on either a monthly or annual basis. (example: Rhapsody for regular music, but done in such a way that it is transportable and not relying on the internent connection)

This I predict will happen because the already demonstrated capacity to run a show with 100,000+ songs. A bit of rough calculations will show that a KJ with a once a week show will only play about 3,000 songs a year. If we only count the non repeated songs the number will probably be less than 1,000. Obviously the well prepared KJ is spending most of his song dollars on songs that they know will never be played. Even the most active KJ out there who has had 5 shows a week for 10 years (if any such KJs exist) would have only hosted 150,000 songs. But accounting for repeats I seriously doubt even such a hypothetical extreme KJ has had more than 5-8,000 different songs sung at their shows over that time.

In the future some sort of licensing agency is going to provide the 100,000 song catalogue, and each bar/kj is going to pay their monthly fee. Sadly, while this may weed out the “pirate” karaoke, it will also punish the serious KJ who has crafted a song list. I imagine some regulatory system such as BMI where karaoke machines will have a tag attached stamped by the inspectors, as is done with Jukeboxes in public places today.
From a licensing standpoint the song publishers will realize that money that they get from selling many songs, most of which never will get played vs selling far fewer songs that are likely to be used. I suspect that the publishers will prefer (or at least allow) the first option.

The result of the licensing of karaoke will be twofold, first off individual KJs will not be able to compete with the massive (and now legal) song lists. It will either be fight them and loose or join and surrender. The result will be to change the karaoke songsets into a monopoly controlled by very few companies. Eventually most likely just one or two “serious” large companies, and a few smaller companies.

The result for the KJ and the singer is that every karaoke venue will have exactly the same songs (or at most one of 2-4 song lists). It will also result in less of an incentive for companies to expand their libraries of karaoke songs. They will reason what advantage is 1 more song for keeping their consumer base, it is not like the customer (KJ) is going to turn their back on the service to provide them songs for the advantage of specific song or two.

While the monthly fee may be reasonable (say on the order of $50 a month for once weekly shows), I think that eventual reality is going to transform the industry in a way that may not be the best for the serious KJ. While such a system may have the resources to crack down on the “pirates” and illegal karaoke people, which will earn them some applause from many on this forum, it will kill the future of KJing as much or more so than the pirates. Most of the manus will leave the business, and those that remain will be the ones that cut their costs to the bone in terms of quality session musicians etc.

Any thoughts, or am I just looking too far ahead or am I just paranoid. Personally I see such a system coming into place in 5 years or less, with near total market dominance in under a decade.

You actually have to have a seperate license to play karaoke.....maybe you'll pay a fee to have your hard drive registered....getta sticker, like for your car......maybe we shouldn't give them any ideas.... ....now excuse me Doc, I got some pictures to check out below us.....

I understand the performing license paid to BMI and ASCAP are different from owning a legal copy of a song.

The BMI/ASCAP license are for the performing of karaoke and they charge the same regardless of if you have a 50 or 50,000 song list. Legal venues pay that fee already.

I am talking about some way of making the large songlists legal (but much less work to assemble). The music publishers (both owners of the rights and manus of karaoke versions) will conspire to sell more songs than could possibly be performed at some sort of a bulk discount rate, most likely by a monthly/annual license.

I don't like it, but I predict it.

I would like to see karaoke music produce by the sane studio that produce the song in the first place. Then the question of which version is the best, does does not crop up. This already happen in most parts of Asia but not in the west.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott