Karaoke Forums

Yes Lonman I highly disagree with any one person or company trying to control a whole industry. Just like it is repugnant to me to have a country like ours, controlled by a small group of individuals who can afford to control the course of this country and drive it over a cliff if they so chose to do it. Just like the citizens have the right to overthrow such a non responsive government. So do I believe that hosts have the right to not do business with a company, that might succeed in destroying, this industry for their own selfish gains. This I realize is a personal choice. I'm glad that my success or failure rests with me and not some company. I feel that my rights under the 4th and 7th amendments of the constitution, are more important to me, than how SC survives as a company. They seem to have made their choices, just like I have, and we all just have to live with it.

If that were the case, sure. They are trying to recoup the losses that were stolen from them - I don't think that fact was ever hidden. And because the majority of computer users never bought anything legally, rules change and anyone wanting to use a computer must pay the price.


Then don't do business with them and drop it! Again WHINING about it isn't going to do anything but make you look like,.....welll>>?

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

Lon

You're a PC user, (MTU hoster IIRC), yet you're OK with being charged an audit fee.

Can you post the reciept they gave you for your audit? Just want to make sure you actually paid. It'd be sort of unfair if you were given a free pass.

I haven't submitted for one yet. But yes when that time comes, I will - don't like it one bit - I do not believe anyone that is found to own original discs should have to pay, just the true thieving pirates, but if it's going to be a part of doing business to have the convenience of using a computer, then I work it into the budget! So no I haven't been given a free anything.

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

So Lonman why haven't you requested an audit? And therefore you also haven't gotten permission to media shift either? Aren't you afraid you'll be named in a suit and then have to go through all the unraveling of the charges and clearing your name?

Time mainly. Plus the fact that I don't have a webcam for a Skype. If I get named mistakenly, i'll get a webcam & take the time to show my discs.

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

Both excuses are really weak Lon. No webcam? No time? yet you have plenty of time to come here and shake pom poms.

Well que sera sera - and no, I have no pom poms! I will do it when I get to it. May be tomorrow, may be a month from now. So I wouldn't worry about how I conduct my business ok? Thanks!
And as far as 'pom pom' shakers I seem to recall you being closer to one than I ever was:


I also seem to recall you stating sometime in the past that you had permission or all the rights (not sure how it was worded) to use all your discs on the computer and use the webcam stream live of all the tunes, I could be wrong?
Ok I haven't found anything stated on the discs, but did find the thread where you said the webstream was ok'd.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5710&p=68286#p68286 just wonder how that plays into SC's motives since it could be some of their trademarks that can be seen in the streams? If that is possibly why they are 'pointing fingers' at you now? But don't understand if you were sitting on the board didn't you have to go through some kind of audit to begin with?

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

I love this double standard of yours, when a fellow host expresses a view different from yours he is WHINING. You want hosts to submit to the audit, but you have not done so yourself, makes you wonder who's WHINING NOW! LOOK LIKE WHAT________________well, you can fill it out at your leisure. No labels really!


I'm deeply sorry Lonman I know we are supposed to refrain from negative stereo types on this forum, as well a labeling groups or individuals. This WHINING NOW was over the top.

Not trying to put words in lon's mouth , but I think his situation is different than most. All his shows are at one venue and the orginal disks are there on site and can be seen. I went digital so I didn't have to lug the da** things around. Only way I can prove it immediately is to give someone the keys to my garage and directions or stop the show. If someone confronts him, it's "there they are have a nice hunt". He hasn't gotten checked yet but so far even SC hasn't pushed it if you can prove you own it.

So does that mean SC will only check out hosts they feel they can pressure into leasing their product? That it isn't cost effective to go after some hosts and not others? Seems like a very caviler approach in trying to clean up Dodge, the sheriff will only go after the gunmen they can beat on the draw, and let the others go. All for the honor of letting them let the host use their product. It would seem to me since lon's operation is all in one location he would be one of the easiest to check out and certify. That he should have gotten it done while the audit was still free. I get the impression from, his posts he feels it is a personal insult to him, to have to submit to an audit. If this is true he is not alone in that feeling. This of course is just speculation on my part.

I agree with Lonnie.. Stop the bickering.. Jesus Christo..

If you get a letter, deal with it..

If not, live it up..

When are you going to accept the fact that any mfr's audit of your system is not so that you can use their product.

If the host/KJ decides to shift the content of their CD+G's from the original media to a hard-drive, then they are assuming rights that they do not have.

It is because of the ease and simplicity and marginal expense of copying that it becomes necessary to verify that someone who is using a copy without permission is actually in possession of the original product.

If you choose not to shift your media and produce shows using those copies as the source, then you are in the clear.

I have had my complete GEM series for over a year now. I have two contracts with SC and I'll tell you this... I have added over 150 SC Spotlight, Power Picks and Star series discs to my system in the last year. My contracts allow me to copy their trademark(s) and use the resultant tracks to produce my shows without fear of civil action from the mfr.

Let me be clear, no mfr has interfered with me running my business in any way. In fact, quite the opposite as they have gone out of their way to accommodate little ol' me by cooperation and support for my efforts to help legitimize computer karaoke.

Take a look around Lone Ranger... SC holds no one hostage. CB also filed suits in Tennessee. PHM has a suit in process in Chicago (I was told directly by mgmt). All of these companies are moving forward in the karaoke industry with MP3+G technology. The entire GEM series is MP3+G tracks. Every track on CB's KJ Media Pro is an MP3+G track and PHM produces everything in their monthlies as MP3+G and have since 2008 or so.

The effort to stem piracy and continue to sell karaoke tracks to professionals has been/is relatively successful so far as we've seen that the GEM series is still not available on-line after over a year. It is not being copied and distributed like every disc SC put out for the last 2 years they were producing. The KJ Media Pro also embeds an identifier into the tracks purchased so I doubt they are going to have any problems with those tracks being copied and distributed.

Like LonMan said... the audits are a cost of doing business these days. It is a result of the way business has been done over the last 5-10 years or so. Both mfr's and host/KJ's are part of the problem. If I were out selling my services in an area where there was real competition, you can bet I'd be informing my potential clients that they are not at risk from my karaoke library because it is 1:1 track to CD+G and certified by the mfr(s). My current venues are all aware of my standing on the issue and the steps I have taken to prevent them from being at risk.

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Never the same show twice!

Nope, didn't have to go through an audit. Also, we never broadcast raw CDG on the stream (the screen behind the singer hasn't been visible since we installed flying speakers). Finally, in addition to the bar paying ASCAP/BMI/SESAC/SoundXchange we were double covered because we were (still could be) an AOL soma.fm station (aol blanket licenses their servers)



Lon's been like that for years, and you're only finding this out now? You should see him on the sound choice forums.

Murray, try to keep up. The Karaoke producers have no legal right to grant permission to media shift. Therefore, they also have no right to grant permission to- believe it or not- grant permission to media shift their logos attached to media shifted karaoke tracks. The best they can offer is to SAY that they MAY not sue you for displaying it.

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