Karaoke Forums

Quick question here:

I was just listening to this song on SS, and was wondering if anyone has ever seen it on any brand of karaoke CD? Got the Bob Seger "C'est La Vie" remake, but I've never been able to locate the original Chuck Berry version.

Might be a licensing issue, but does anyone know why this tune can't be found, or why it's discontinued, on karaoke? Love that song.

Chuck Berry owns his songs and has never given the right to any karaoke company to publish them, though some have.  I believe he was involved in the lawsuit that caused Music Maestro to close their doors.

Yeah, you're right. I think I remember reading about that a while back, but totally forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder!

Think I got my hopes up with the Bob Seger version being on karaoke.

Johnny B Goode, and Plenty of songs are "In the Style" of Chuck Berry..  This seems as though technically it CAN get into another "Copyright" violation.  If Chuck Berry doesn't allow his songs to be published on CD-G, but people use his song title, actual lyrics, etc, even using a disclaimer "In the Style Of" Chuck Berry...  How can so many of his songs exist on CD-G ??   This is interesting ?  I don't know how this works...


Just entering a "Key Word" Search of Chuck Berry & Karaoke,  ALL his songs come up.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

NASHVILLE POST

Anti-Karaoke plaintiffs take the stage in federal court
Email | Print By E. Thomas Wood

10-05-2006 3:08 PM —
Karaoke is going on trial -- not, as some might imagine, on charges related to poor taste and even poorer vocal ranges, nor, as some might fantasize, in a case that could lead to the death penalty for an entire genre of public entertainment. But the sing-along craze is nonetheless in the dock at Nashville's federal court.

Famous Music LLC, a unit of media giant Viacom Inc. that owns and administers song copyrights, has sued Stellar Records Inc., which is said to be one of the country's major producers of Karaoke recordings. The publishing firm claims that Stellar has been producing "illegal and unauthorized" copies of as many as 118 well-known rock, rap and country songs since at least 2000 and selling Karaoke versions of them under the brands "Pop Hits Monthly" and "Sing it Now."

The amount of money involved is potentially staggering. In addition to an injunction keeping Stellar from continuing to infringe, Famous is asking for damages based on the profits that the defendant has generated by selling the recordings in question. The lawsuit (a copy of which is available at this link) says that alternatively, Famous may yet choose to invoke its right under copyright law to statutory penalties of $150,000 per copyright infringed. For the 118 songs listed in an exhibit to the lawsuit, the total could reach $17.7 million.

Similar actions have transpired in several jurisdictions in recent years. Early rocker Chuck Berry and SheDaisy singer Kristyn Osborn are among the performers who have sued over infringement of their own works. Last November, a federal judge in California returned a $7.2 million default judgment against El Segundo-based Major Music Corp., producer of the "Music Maestro" series of Karaoke discs.


The songs run a wide gamut of styles, songwriters and performers. Paula Cole's 1997 number-one "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone," "Float On" by Modest Mouse, "Stan" by Eminem and Nashville songwriter Darrell Scott's "Long Time Gone" (a hit for the Dixie Chicks in 2002) are all on the list. If thinking about amateur renditions of those ditties is not enough to put your teeth on edge, then one other surely will: the Academy Award-winning Top Gun theme "Take My Breath Away."


Famous is based in Los Angeles and Stellar in Fall River, Mass., but the complaint was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee. Famous has an office on Music Row, and Tom Dundon of Neal & Harwell locally is representing the company along with a Wyoming attorney, Paul Harrison Stacey.

Stellar Records owner Tom Viveiros could not be reached today to discuss the lawsuit.

If the owner of the song didn't license it to the karaoke manufacturer, then of course they deserve to get sued. That is stealing.

The karaoke manufacturers certainly know if they have the license to reproduce a song for COMMERCIAL use or not. If they don't have a signed contract to do so, they shouldn't be allowed to sell said product that doesn't belong to them. You aren't allowed to sell your neighbor's house without their consent and keep all the proceeds, are you?

If karaoke manu's have to steal in order to meet a certain price point to make money, then they are certainly in the wrong business and deserve to be shut down. I'm sure this is one of the reasons that some discs cost $23.00 while others costs $5.99.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

It gets worse.
Beethoven's lawyer woke up.

Owning Beethoven
Professor Lenz has a very interesting report on a recent ECJ decision, concerning trademarks consisting of sounds: The plaintiff in [Shield Mark v. Kist] had registered the first nine notes of the musical composition Für Elise, by Ludwig van Beethoven. He is suing a competitor for trademark infringement based on that registration.The Court says that sounds can be registered as trademarks in Europe and that for compositions, the description in a stave (musical notation) is sufficiently clear, precise, self-contained, easily accessible, intelligible, durable and objective.That probably means that the plaintiff will win his case. Which in turn means that he owns Beethoven's famous composition as a trademark for various products and services in Classes 9 (computer software (recorded), etc.), 16 (magazines, newspapers, etc.), 35 (publicity, business management, etc.), 41 (education, training, organisation of seminars on publicity, marketing, intellectual property and communications in the business sector, etc.) and 42 (legal services) of the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks of 15 June 1957, as amended and modified.
Sarah

well, sc has been doing a few of Chuck's songs, and they claim to be TOTALLY on the up and up. If something isn't allowed, or even not allowed AFTER product is made, they yank it off the market.

Quite a few of Chuck's songs are still commercially available from SC.

I'd email Bob C from Sound Choice and ask him point blank if Chuck denies all karaoke licensing... cause I find that to be very hard to believe!

That is weird, Matt. It's like a mystery, wrapped inside an enigma with Chuck's stuff. Chartbuster is still selling his 6+6 artist disc too, and they usually pull discs if the licensing is not, or is no longer, available.

Guess a lot of it depends on the REASON he went to court over his music. Guess we'll have to dig into the dirty details of the case to find out why he had a lawsuit against it, and yet some companies can still "legally" produce it on karaoke. Odd.

Looking back at Jerry12x's post..... I'm now scared s***less to play Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven"!

http://www.chuckberry.com/business/music.htm


Chuck is 80 now,  I seriously doubt he'd have a problem with the public Singing his songs, and spreading his music to an interactive venue. While I certainly believe years back he might've resisted Karaoke, does he still ?  Maybe it wasn't hard to convince him that sharing his music interactively is the best monument that he can erect for himself, and at his age, why wouldn't he wish for his music to get sung, and enjoyed as much as possible to keep it alive ?   Seems from all the Chuck Berry songs on CD-G, he doesn't have probs allowing his songs being sung in Karaoke.  I might be wrong, but when you think about it, at 80 wouldn't he likely soften up somewhat and wish for the world to keep his music alive ?   He can't take it with him  LOL.    He might've broke down in the 1990's, and decided "what the heck", why fight this stuff ????    Dunno.   He probably sued for companies not paying royalties, or getting proper licensing of his material, some of this stuff is HUGE, and likely taken forgranted.  Are you sure he "DIDN'T ALLOW LICENSING" of his songs for Karaoke ?  Why wouldn't  he wish for Karaoke to do his material, it's fun ?  LOL.  He probably just wants his royalties, and his material properly licensed  :shock:

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Good link Kappy. Gives the impression that he's willing to cooperate with licensing in many forms.

Just thought of the fact that he DOESN'T own the rights to "Johnny B. Goode"...... He stole that song, without licensing, back in 1955 from Michael J. Fox, according to the documentary film "Back To The Future".  LOL Touche'

Here Chris.   This got me curious.  

,  Yeah,  the funny thing is I was just about to challenge you on Michael J Fox writing the song ,  It's been a LONG LONG day.. I better get to sleep before I do something really stupid
                                                TTYL.


http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/art ... 1001478035


He's VERY strict !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Now it makes sense... sueing the companies that DIDN'T get the proper "permission", and didn't pay royalties. If that's the case, I still wonder why the "major" karaoke companies still can't come out with "You Never Can Tell". Oh well.... c'est la vie. Thanks again, man!

Still think that Marty Mcfly got the bad end of the deal.

YooHoo McChris

McFly never had time to copyright the material.  Geeeez

Didn't Marvin Berry call cousin Chuck who was looking for a new sound, and Chuck ended up paying for a Copyright for a less garish Hendrix/EVH'esque version of the song ?

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Now THAT's funny Chris! You literally had me pounding the table about Marty.

But remember the paradox... Marty heard it in the eighties...

..... Which was stolen by Marvin/Chuck in the 50's.

Which came first.... the chicken, or the licensing?!

Don't get me started on the fact where he also invented the skateboard under the influence of a slight Oedipus complex.

Yup, it's late.

I liked the show Quantum Leap with Scott Bakula.  I wish I watched MANY more episodes of it.  That was a very well produced show !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

tell me about it... I have all those episodes on tape!  :O