Karaoke Forums

As cheap as possible, then work your way up from there, and make improvements as you go along.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

My first system consisted of used/pawn shop items, but the system alone ran me over $2000 combined. Wanted to stand out from the typical all in one box mixers & a couple of speakers.

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

Yeah, well, some of us just don't have that kind of money. Trust me, my system sounds QUITE good.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Well if you don't have that kind of money, then you are not ready to go into business.

I'd like to open my own business but no matter how much I'd like to, if I don't have the funds, it will not happen. I'd also like to go South every winter but I don't have the funds. That unfortunately is life.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I didn't either! It's called borrowing. No not from banks, from people.

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

...Well, I thought I might get lucky when I get back into this business by finding good deals on equipment and music (both karaoke and filler) back in 2009. I had around 300 cdg's and 700 music cd's from previous years. Back in the 90's, it still took around 30-K to have a good system and library. Even with the lower karaoke music prices in the last few years, I've still ended up putting 34-K plus into it. That doesn't include my old music (karaoke & filler) library or my trailer but just about everything else (speakers, amps, cords, cases, mics, books, lights, mic & speaker stands, lighting truss, cases for everything, laptops, software,hardware karaoke player, external hard drive, etc., etc., etc.). Everything was purchased brand new.

....Am sure others have spent this much and more. I suppose a person could buy used equipment and legal music tracks for less (Gem when it's on sale. A loaded legal drive or the "Pay As You Play" Drive from Chartbuster when they were in business. Stellar/PHM when they have their sales. Perhaps a Karaoke streaming service. Some of the Authorized Online Stores have some good deals and of course the secondary market: Ebay, Craig's List, etc.). I won't deny that I haven't looked and found some good deals on music (filler and karaoke). The total amount spent on my music library is well up there and I do have several dups. New KJ's will still have some dups because you will be tempted to try other brands but new technology is eliminating that to some degree. I don't have any downloaded music.

....I wish that I would have waited to get back in or NOT AT ALL and of course I thought KJ's were still charging 90's prices but I have learned that it's a whole different price structure.

....I don't know but still feel like a good system and music will cost you around $15-K or more. Maybe I'm wrong but that budget number didn't work for me. Good Luck!

I don't have that luxury, either, nor do i like to be in debt.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I'd think that to be about right. I'm probably just north of 1/2 that and even though I've got probably the best system in the area I would need a lot more music to put on a show that didn't have a lot of "No, sorry I don't have that, but I'll see what I can do to get it "

Customs disks, KJ Media Pro HD, and downloads would make it easier than others have had in the past, but is still money I'd need to spend to truly be competitive.

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My statements, opinions and conclusions are based on my own personal experiences, observations, research and/or just my own $.02. I'm not a "cheerleader", but that doesn't make me a Pirate.

That's what I tell everyone if I don't have it my options are instant download if it's on Tricerasoft or two weeks to get it on custom disc from Australia. Also some stuff that was on PHM I have not ripped all the disks I have, so in those cases I have to look through my disks for it.

I have most of what I need, already. I just need to upgrade my speakers and get a table, I will be pretty much ready. My new target is about mid-summer.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Please pick one side of the fence or the other.

You can't take the position that all the licensing issues really don't involve the KJ's because it's none of their business (especially when it is brought up regarding your client) -- then switch sides and decide that because of price -- based on those same "none-of-your-business" licensing issues -- that they are somehow not quite legal and would make you "uncomfortable."

Just like the gem series - who is going to sue the KJ for media shifting them? The publishers? I would think that if a publisher did sue a single KJ for media shifting a karaoke track, your gem series sales would suddenly take quite a hit. Even though you have the renters indemnify your client in just such a case, the unspoken message is simply "we can't give you permission to media shift, but we're pretty sure that no publisher will sue you either."

Licensing and legality of SCDG series of discs -- no matter what the price -- is still between the publishers and distributor of the discs. Sybersound attempted years ago to sue other suppliers for unfair business practices because they were not licensing songs and it didn't get them very far either.

Just so we can hopefully put this subject to rest, just go to ebay, type in SCDG, and scroll down until you see an ad for a Cavs 203G package including 7000 songs. This includes all of the Sweet Georgia Brown collection, as well as Millenium 1 and 2, AND the complete Nutech 1,2, and 3. If you look at the ad, it is a "certified" Cavs dealer. They also have in the ad that these are original stock, not burns, complete with pictures. If this doesn't ligitimize them, I don't know what does. To me, it's no different than if you bought an item from Walmart, how could you, as the customer, be sued for buying from a litigimate "certified" seller. Just sayin'....

It's a whole moral issue with these people. They think you are a criminal if you use these discs. They think you are some karaoke deviant. I would rather just ignore the BS and just use the discs. NO KJ has EVER gotten sued for using a CAVS disc except for if it had Sound Choice music on it. No other brand seems to care. DK doesn't exist here, anymore, so they don't care. SGB had been owned Chartbuster, so who knows their status.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

That's debatable. Chartbuster refused to confirm or prove that they had actually purchased/owned anything from Sweet Georgia Brown. Based on the recent lawsuit that put them out of business, it's debatable whether anything that they claim that they actually licensed was licensed to start with. So for those that like to knock the SCDG discs, they might want to take a good hard look at those chart buster discs because there is a good possibility they are closer to being illegal than anything else. It is apparent that at least the last ten years with chartbuster, Their existence was based on one lie after another and in my book, that makes them all lies.

your mileage may vary

Gretchen told me point blank that they owned the trademark, but that I could shift my discs. They probably bought it just to add revenue, but didn't particularly care about the brand.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

The way that licensing issues could involve KJs is if they are charged with willful blindness. If I were an enterprising attorney wanting to make my case against a KJ who was using SCDGs purchased at 8.6 cents per song, I would point to the fact that someone would be losing money on every transaction involving that material as evidence of willful blindness.

On the other hand, if material is being sold at 75 cents or 1.00 per song, that is a much more reasonable price and no one would blame a KJ for believing that to be legitimate.

Besides, even though we have declined to publish our licensing materials, a KJ who is concerned about that issue is free to decline to buy from us.



There is no reason for a publisher to sue a KJ for that media-shifting when there is a much bigger fish to go after. But DK isn't doing business here anymore.



The reason why that doesn't work is because it's a case of jus tertii--the rights of third parties. If the publishers don't care enough to enforce their right to license fees, a non-publisher can't very well enforce them either. Of course, if I had been representing Sybersound when they did that, they might well have found a mechanism for success, as we have in tying the unfair competition associated with KJs using pirated material to losses by our legitimate customers, who then cannot afford to buy our material.

Wait.... Let me get my waders....

just so i understand.....



its up to you to make sure you are buying from licensed sourses, but the licensing is none of your business. but for $150.00 i will ask no questions and give you the exclusive opportunity to buy more music as we start producing again of tracks you can not see the licensing for.

you have told us to be concerned about this issue, and now say just dont buy my clients material if you wish to take my advice?

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

About a month and a half ago, Gretchen posted that all was swell at Chartbuster too...

If one wants honest answers about about this sort of thing, one does the research oneself. One does NOT ask the person who is trying to sell or promote the product.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Is it just me, or did everyone ignore the last post I made, to the fact that these are being sold by a "certified" Cavs dealer. The question is why would anyone STILL say that these discs are illegal to use? I know that the manus have done alot of unsrupulous things, but the consumer has NO knowledge of that (until later). IF these are NOT legal, tell me how they can be sold by these CERTIFIED dealers, and how the consumer can be held libel for ANYTHING if they bought and used these discs. Please, don't pick it apart, and sidetrack, just a straight forward answer to the question... Thanks


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