Karaoke Forums

I posted in the Newbie section a few days ago but no one responded so I'll try here.
I've worked as a KJ for someone else for a few years and now I'd like to go into business for myself. I intend on doing private parties only and not shows at bars. I'd like to build my library song by song, because I know what my clientele wants. Sorting through the legalities in the karaoke business is very confusing. That is why I have come here. It seems that Chartbuster has the only legal way in which to build a custom library. But, unfortunately, their site keeps crashing and I've spent many long hours building a "custom album" only to have it disappear before I had a chance to purchase it.
Is there ANY other site that can offer me a way to build my library this way? Has anyone else had a problem with Chartbuster? I love their site, but it's just been so frustrating.

if you like the CB product you can get the new mediapro HD and only unlock the songs you want. SC also has customs available again...I have never bought a custom disc because I find the cost er song too high but am really thinking about the Media pro HD as it cuts the cost below $2 you do have to use Compuhost to unlock them tho....I think the drive cost is 199.00 but you get 50 tolkens(value 100.00)to unlock songs and can purchase more in volume at a cost that goes lower with higher numbers purchased at the same time. And it save you from having to convert them...just my 2 cents worth

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Chartbuster has a new way of giving you songs that you can buy as you go if you really want to. KJ Media Pro HD allows you to pick and choose your songs as you go by allowing you to unlock songs stored on a hard drive by claiming credits you bought before hand. No more "do you have this song in your system." and having to say no I don't and you don't have to be hooked up to the internet to get these songs because they are sitting locked up on a hard drive you have in your possession. All you do before your show is hook up to the internet at home and purchase enough credits to get you through the night and walla instant show. Once you purchase the songs they are yours to keep and completely legal. the website for this is http://www.chartbusterkaraoke.com and it looks like the best way to build a library to me anyway.

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

Thank you both! Almost looks too good to be true. Has anyone tried it before? I'm looking around and doing some research...
$199 gets me a 500 gig drive with all 11,000 songs but they are locked. Then I pay, per song to unlock them with credits.
It really seems to good to be true. But I am also really tempted.
...and this is all legal? Chartbuster seems to be operating legally and ethically and that is a priority for me. But I also need to know that its gonna work. (not really bawling, my 6 year old daughter just wanted me to put it in there because "it looks like its so cute"

You sound like a paid advertisment for Chartbuster.....

"Gee, tell us all about their NEW PRODUCT and how ethical you think they are and that it's all too good to be true! And inexpensive! And convenient!"

Golly, you should look into using A KIOSK with your system that won't crash with your hosting software!..... Gee, I wonder where you can get that too????

.....

It's all so confusing....

Sorry but this really looks like "spam-vertising" for CB....

Post #1: Do you think it's possible?......
Post #2: Tells us all about the product, how much it costs, how it works, who to get it from and that you think they are ethical and trustworthy....

Transparent is my opinion because if it's true that you've:

After "a few years" you'd know what to look for and you'd be able to answer your own question.

Wow! Nope! I am sincere. In fact, I actually pointed out some flaws in CB's service and their website. You didn't notice that did you? I've set up shows with someone else's gear, as I stated. I've been researching how to build my own library and get my own gear for months and it is so much more complicated than I expected it to be. I can see that there must be alot of steam boiling up. I also asked for ANY information about ANY product or company.


There is so much contradictory info on the net, that it is hard to tell where to go. I mentioned I am a newbie. That is very much the truth. I've run lots of shows, that too is the truth. I could easily use the gear and copy the disks from my boss, but I just won't to do that.
So therefore I'm a plant for CB? Come on.... Please re-read my original post and ask yourself "if this guy is sincere (albeit a little ignorant and naive) how could someone answer those questions?"

Hey, I'm not what you say I am. I'm really tinkled at Chartbuster for wasting so much of my time!
I get it that my posts sound suspicious to you. But I just put it out there as a blanket question and the 2 responses came back with this product. I am hesitant to use anything from CB because of past experience. If there are better products, companies, sites, I'm game for trying.
This is my first time reaching out to a karaoke community. I will probably step on toes, but that's not my intention. It really is overwhelming to someone just starting out.
P.S. I tried to PM this but it just sat in my Outbox.
P.P.S. "Tinkled"? That's not the word I wrote.
Funny, I've been censored AND flamed for the first time today.

I don't blame you for your reaction to Chip. He has been against everything that CB or SC are doing because he disagrees with what they are doing to fight piracy of their product. Personally I support what they are doing and don't understand why he is against their methods. I would personally do anything I could to recoup maoney that was owed me for use of my product if I were the manufacturers of any product being used illegally.

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

My first thought in reading this was that it was another attempt to advertise and push the latest compuhost/chartbuster product. The timing and wording is very suspicious. Looks like Astroturfing. I still suspect that's what is going on here, but will proceed as though it's not with an answer to your question.

Jasonkaraoke, possibly the reason you got no response from your first post is because you posted it in the "introduce yourself" thread which is not meant for asking questions.

A simple search or read through of the forum and you would have found this thread listing option for online purchasing:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19575&p=274523&hilit=download#p274523

Or the thread discussing the pros and cans of the new product:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21663

Those are both very recent threads addressing exactly the question you asked......by not bothering to pay attention or engage within the forum why would your redundant thread even deserve a response?

It really looks like you are just trying to start a thread for the new product minus the downside of it that others have expressed. And that ad has already been done here by someone else:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21696

I don't have the same problems with Chartbuster that Chip does (I understand his though), but I agree with him on this.
Nice ad try.

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KNOW THYSELF

If anyone's post looks like an ad for the product it would be my first reply to him that followed closely the response from KJathena. I fully support this product and it's not just because it works well with my choice of software for hosting. Nothing in his original posting looks to me as an ad for chartbuster, in fact it looks like he doesn't prefer them due to technical difficulties with their site. I don't blame them it took me three tries and two different computers to get an order done for me this past weekend but I got it done this past weekend and hope to be the first guy in my area with For The Kids by John Rich.

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

I think I laid out a good case without mentioning it, but the gratuitous posting of that link in his reply is also one of the things that makes me think he is advertising.

But Jasonkaraoke, if you are sincere, and you have absolutely nothing to start with that product may be the option for you. But the true costs are not being advertised. They say $2.00 per song, but you will need their software (they pick that for you) and harddrive (they pick that for you too).
$200 for harddrive
$200 for software
first 50 songs free
equals $8.00 per song
Still not a terrible deal for someone with nothing to start. You could be doing your first show with absolutely nothing and still come up with something for them to sing. At a cost of four hundred dollars. At fifty songs per show, if nobody repeats your next show will cost one hundred dollars. Eventually someone will repeat and the cost will go down.

Most of the sellers listed in the link I posted earlier will sell you your first fifty songs for $2.50 each and you get to use any software and any harddrive you want while choosing your songs ala carte from many more labels.

DannyG2006, I first heard that song when John Rich did it on Celebrity Apprentice. I liked it. It's a good song. Will you be singing it the first time yourself?

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KNOW THYSELF

[attachment=0]Screenshot-6.png[/attachment]

Been playing my hand close the last month with this but hell, might as well show folks what's up.

DLC, no hard drive to buy.

Thanks earthling for the relevant threads and link. I have looked at Select-a-Track before and I didn't look too closely because they offered instant downloads, In fact, all of those sellers do downloads. This stopped me in my tracks before because I thought downloads were a "no-no". I could be wrong. I have begun to look more closely at their site (Select-a-Track) and have also sent them an email for further info. It seems they offer many different manufacturers...any suggestions as to the best?
I apologize for not finding the relevant threads and for, perhaps, opening long settled disputes. I have edited my original post and removed the link.
Being new, I am beginning to understand that there is a difference of opinion on how some companies are strong-arming the industry. When I first looked into "legal karaoke" I came across Sound Choice and that page was VERY intimidating. I also passed on a few companies that sold pre-loaded hardrives. Until now, it was my assumption that only SC and CB COULD sell legally. I am totally ready to be wrong.

Thanks also for your explanation of the hidden costs involved with the KJ media pro. The software is extra? That IS deceiving!

I'll do some more homework.
Thanks again.

Depends on who it is. There's "Dan Sterns" of the internet (guys that sell content without paying the manu) and guys like tricera and select a track.

Tricera does some wicked cool explanation over here. After he explained everything, It was totally rad! Tricerasoft downloads are the best!!

viewtopic.php?p=301331#p301331

So awesome! Like the grass of the astrodome.

just a bit slow....DLC?
screenshot looks kinda neatr though

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

I just bought two custom disks from Sound Choice and a 30 song, 2mb flash drive from Chartbuster. Both sites were problamatic at first, but I was able to get through them. Another way to buy your songs one by one is through SBI karaoke. They are downloads, and I have been very happy with their results.

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My first choice IS Sound Choice.

All this track on demand stuff is FANTASTIC but its still not very cost effective if you are starting out.

To that end, even a starter set like karaoke kurrents would be a fairly cost effective way to get a basic singable collection with fairly decent quality.

If you're willing to spend more money for the quality chartbuster offfers 6000 songs in mp3+g format on two SD cards. Altho in my opinion, i think the price is a little on the high side and i don't know if you can finance it.

Soundchoice offers 6000 HQ songs that in my opinion would cover about 90% of the songs I would want to sing, but you have to be willing to submit to their licensing agreement. Some are not willing to do that, which is fine it's not for everyone.


There are other sets u can buy, but the OVERALL quality is not worth the price, in my opinion

just my two cents

-James

So, if using downloaded karaoke tracks is legal for a U.S. based show, would some please post a link to the license? I mean one that someone (Mfr, KJ, or anyone?) paid for recording rights (for recording), fixing rights ( to fix onto whatever media is being used), video sync rights, commercial rights (to sell), digital rights ( to sell digitally), format shifting rights, etc., etc., etc......

I mean, all it would take is a link to that license to end any question about it. Anyone?

I'm guessing.....no.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

With Sound Choice, the 'custom kataoke' takes me to a link to buy in Australia where the songs are $4.55 AU which converts to $4.82 US. Is that what you did? or am I missing something?