Karaoke Forums

I've just started into my own karaoke business after being a DJ for several years and working with a partner running a karaoke show for 2 years. I've started accumulating my library, buying discs from several online sources and downloading some select tracks from tricerasoft.com.

Presently I have 1 Sound Choice disc that was my daughters, SC2040, which I have ripped to cdg+mp3. It is not worth my time or Sound Choice's to audit and "certify" me for one disc. How does the audit procedure work with someone like me, building my library? So if I get several discs, get audited and "certified" and then add more, two months later, add more. Surely I wouldn't be expected to be in a perpetual audit status? What if I choose not to add any more SC or to add and CB content at all?

Will those folks audit 8 songs?

If I didn't have but 8 songs from SC and CB put together I wouldn't worry too much about an audit, there won't be too many places where I would be playing that either one would be interested in.

As for the audit yes you could still go through it and get permission from them to use thier product on a computer system and then just update them as to when you add more content. Some of us who went through the audit process did so to get permission to format shift before ever loading onto a computer system.

OK, I see - I'm just looking to the future to see how that might work. So is SC the only one that requires you get their permission to shift from CD to digital format so as not bring legal action to you? What about the tracks they have made available for download at selectatrack.com?

BTW, I have two shows already running now and doing very well without any songs from those two companies. I haven't had anybody ask for a specific version of a song to this point, they just sing what I have.

One other thing I've found out - venues here just do not care about certified vs not, in spite of all the legal action in this area, and several of them have told me so. My friend David Price has beat that to death here and some just don't care. I've even gone after places that had KJs named in the SC suits and are still right now running shows there still and one guy has added 2 more places in the meanwhile.

OK, I see - I'm just looking to the future to see how that might work. So is SC the only one that requires you get their permission to shift from CD to digital format so as not bring legal action to you? What about the tracks they have made available for download at selectatrack.com?

BTW, I have two shows already running now and doing very well without any songs from those two companies. I haven't had anybody ask for a specific version of a song to this point, they just sing what I have.

One other thing I've found out - venues here just do not care about certified vs not, in spite of all the legal action in this area, and several of them have told me so. My friend David Price has beat that to death here and some just don't care. I've even gone after places that had KJs named in the SC suits and are still right now running shows there still and one guy has added 2 more places in the meanwhile.

That is strange because David and Jennifer are actually expanding their business because of the fact that pirates are closing up shop. Right now from your area there are that I know of 6 or 7 certified KJs and one who has settled with Sound Choice in your general area, I think all of them will disagree with your assessment.

Not saying that pirates are not still operating in your area but their libraries have shrunk and contain little to no Sound Choice or Chartbuster material, not saying they have to have it to run a show of course, but there is a lot of material and a quality in them that can't be had anywhere else. Personally I could not run a show without the both of them, perhaps because my singers are spoiled to them, perhaps because I am just a bad host and need the quality of their songs to support my ineptness.

Here is Chartbuster's latest view of shifting taken directly from its website.

What is the Chartbuster Karaoke media-shifting policy?

You may not shift the Content of the Original Media to any Non-Original Medium unless you are in compliance with our media-shifting policy:

Provided that such media-shifting is otherwise in compliance with the laws of the Country in which it is used (as applicable), you may shift the content stored on each of the Original Fixed Media to ONE Non-Original Fixed Medium of your choice.
You must maintain possession of the Original Media whose content you have shifted during the entire time the content is stored on the Non-Original Medium in order to demonstrate the legal status of the stored content.
If you desire to shift the content of any of the Original Media to more than one Non-Original Medium, you must acquire one or more additional original media or additional licensing from Chartbuster Karaoke, to maintain a 1-to-1 relationship between original media and the non-original media. Any additional users must also be registered, and each storage device may serve only one user or system.
While the content has been shifted, you may not use the Original Media for any other purpose, commercial or otherwise.
Media shifting for performance purposes is only permitted with express written permission from Chartbuster Karaoke. To obtain written permission you must consent to an audit of your system(s). For more information or to schedule an audit please contact Paula Riffle at 800-347-5504 or priffle@bigmama.tv
Recordings of these tracks of any kind for any purpose are prohibited.
Nothing herein will serve as an indemnification.


In other words DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU PAY US $200.00 and PASS AN AUDIT if you can. If ya can't we keep the $200 and don't give you certification.

I love the part that says "Media shifting for performance purposes is only permitted with express written permission from Chartbuster Karaoke. To obtain written permission you must consent to an audit of your system(s). For more information or to schedule an audit"

Which means if you've done it and don't have certificate that says you have passed and audit your ILLEGAL!

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

SInce they offer downloads and streaming that can be captured ( like it or not), I would ask what their "new" ( if there is one ) definition of "Original Fixed Media" is. These two versions certainly do not apply to a standard definition...

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

They have said that their downloads are not to be used for a show but you are right about the streaming.

I'm beginning to think that "ALL MANU'S" are making up the rules as they go and forget to update things like this when a new product comes out. Don't forget about the SD cards too.
Just wondering what will happen when a singer brings a SD card to a show the KJ plays it, the investigator sees it, CB serves papers and the KJ doesn't have a clue as he doesn't have the music on his computer and doesn't remember who or how.

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I like everyone when I first meet them. If you don't like me that's not my problem it's YOURS!
A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet

Which is one of the reasons I don't play outside music of any form.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Saturday night I had 23 singers (less than average) and 19 of them brought in their own CDG's. About 2/3's were OEM and the rest were burns. If I tell them that I can't play their cd's I will not see them again. Business is not as good as it used to be regardless of hosting skill or sound quality, and EVERY customer is valued , even water drinkers are better than an empty room. I refuse having to worry about someone looking over my shoulder all the time when I do my shows. I have an huge library of OEM cdg's viewtopic.php?f=26&t=21293&start=120 (they better ask to see them before including me in a law suit) and it is becoming very clear that times are changing....some for the good.... some for the worst, they are definately changing. One thing I know for sure, is that a law suit can be nothing more than ahead butting challenge and not necessarily a legal battle.

Mrmarog

Last night I had 28 singers (about average for a monday night) not a single one of them has ever brought in a disc (OEM or burned) for me to play and I am on my third year there.

Tonight if things go as they normally do I will have between 40 and 50 singers, in nine years only two have ever brought in their own disc, within a week I owned the disc that they were bringing in. Now those songs are in my system. I don't have to worry about losing them as patrons just as I don't have to worry about playing their disc.

Wednesday nights I have been there for 3+ years and not once has anyone every brought a karaoke disc in for me to play (although I have had a couple of "rap stars" who wanted me to play their beats (that ain't going to happen). Average number of singers 15 to 20.

And I could go on but I will boil it all down. in the past 30 years I have had maybe 5 or 6 people who brought a disc up for me to play, in the past 5 years I have had 1, sorry if I lost that person's business (I didn't by the way, I already had her Backstage version of that song).

While money levels are a lot harder to reach business levels are still high for those shows worth going to.

Why would you be included in a lawsuit if you are using disc? That is not who they are suing.

Thunder, I was replying to DannyG's last statement about not playing any outside music during his show. I believe that he is fearful that an investigator might attend his show and associate the ownship of a non-DannyG file as belonging to DannyG. This line of thought could be valuable if included in a law suit. It could be very difficult to prove that the "offending file(s)" that the investigator observed being played were not in DannyG's system. An audit would find that he didn't have it, but according to audit requirements the auditors wouldn't be happy until they forensically searched his computer and all other drives to see if it had been deleted. Is this a valid concern....maybe? Do you want your personal life torn upside down for a such a small infration? Oh, I forgot who you are, you "Thunder The Magnificent" and you have NEVER done anything wrong. My fight is not for or against piracy, it is for PRIVACY.

Mrmarog

Sorry I didn't feel that my post was anywhere near condesending apparently you thought so!

My point was that my experience has been contrary to your thinking that it isn't going to make or break a show simply because you refuse to play a patron's disc, even when I was disc based I wouldn't play them because I didn't want to put their (for the most part) scratched up skipping and hanging disc into my players.

I got your point though, you are afraid to not play a patron's disc because you might lose one and that would destroy your business.

Well put, mrmarog. Thank you!

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

It's funny. You guys say you're business people & expect to have privacy performing in a public place.

Kind of an oxymoron, don't ya think?

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"Just Say NO, To Justin Bieber & His Beatle Haircut"

WOS, Have you ever had someone ask you for proof that you own the shoes you are wearing? Then use the legal system to invade every aspect of you personal life. I don't think doing karaoke in a public place has anything to do with invasion of ones personal life by someone who you have never met or has never attended one of your shows. Come on now, we are not Hollywood stars or the President. I would never expect to have my personal life exposed for hosting karaoke would you?

My business doesn't consist of wearing shoes to make money.

However, as an entertainer, I can "write off" the expense of my shoes that I wear as a performer during a paid performance. As soon as I do that, the privacy vanishes.

A business is not a democracy I'm afraid.

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"Just Say NO, To Justin Bieber & His Beatle Haircut"

Your business in fact, does rely on you wearing shoes to make money. The absence of shoes will affect your business. Try working without them.

Mrmarog's point is about privacy. If you were required to prove you purchased your shoes - whether or not you write them off - just because you wear them when you work, you just might have a different attitude.

Do you require a mechanic to prove to you that the tools he uses were purchased by him?

Of course he does,after all he is W.O.S.! He also demands that the restrantuer prove that they purchased the food he is about to eat, in fact not only that, the restrantuer must also prove they have purchased all the food in the kitchen for every item on the menu!

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.