Karaoke Forums

I think the reason I can pick them out so easily is that I know my bars I work in as far as 95% of each bar's clientele. Most of them come in, order something non-alcoholic, and sit and watch. Then they start texting, all the while trying to stay "in the woodwork".
I have had a couple of them order a beer, but not more than one, and even had a couple of them sing. I should have been a sleuth myself, because I am really in tune to them. I don't know why.
I will say the harder ones to pick out are the women. I usually takes me a little longer to realize who they are.
There are alot of reasons I am able to do this, but I won't elaborate here. Let's just say past life issues.

When I was a beginning singer, I would memorize when certain instruments came in to give me the notes to stay on key. If they weren't there, I could be lost. Also, background singers would really throw me off. Now it is less of a problem but that is why different brands were an issue.

If a singer is used to doing a song a particular way, things that can throw them off are differences in lyrics, verse order or parts being left out, extemporizing parts being built in or left out, differences in how long the musical break or intro is, not having a starting tone and count off on songs that start without musical intro when they are used to a version that has one, background singers being too loud or too constant, duet parts being in different colors on different brands or not being in different colors at all, song being faster or slower than used to, even in a different key--mostly things that throw off someone that has learned the song a particular way.

I tried the other side of the fence and went to our friends show without bringing my own discs--I stumbled here and there but it was still fun--but I don't know how singers do as well as they do.

Not everybody drinks alcohol when they go out and just about everybody textes, so there is nothing strange in that behaviour. I see it in our bars all the time.

As for the recreations, some can be done in another key or sped up or slowed down. Some are great some are just plain nasty.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

There are some differences in the way a brand created the track that can throw a singer off. Not all recreations are created equally.

For example, I sing "Mister Cellophane" from a Stage Stars disc. I have found this version to be identical to the Pocket Songs track, yet the Sunfly version is totally different. One night I asked to sing that song, and the KJ had it on Sunfly. Since the KJ said he couldn't play from my Disc or flash drive, I decided to give it a shot. At first it was OK, but then the song changed (from what I am used to). I couldn't sing that song from the Sunfly version because the spoken parts of the song were in a different segment of the song, and the words were also different. I was so lost, that I just stood there for that part, and waited for the singing parts to continue. I was totally unfamiliar with that song when it came to that version.

Another example is "Dentist." I sing this song from Pocket Songs. One night, I was at a show who only had this song on Sound Choice. Now, I've heard (and performed) some Broadway tunes from Sound Choice, and my general opinion of them is that they can NOT do Broadway right. Well... "Dentist" was no exception to that. There were parts of the song, that the musical notes in that version would not let me go where I wanted to with the song. Although that version was singable, it totally threw me off.

Another song that I can't sing from Sound Choice is "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor." I am used to the Music Maestro version of this song. Now, the one time that I had attempted to sing this song from Sound Choice, the music was fine, but the lyrics were totally different. Again, I was totally lost, and could not sing that song from that version. Now maybe, if I weren't so familiar with the song, I might have been able to sing it from the Sound Choice version, but since I knew the song so well, my head just could not wrap itself around the change in lyrics, and I could not sing it.

I'll third the original sentiment. On the other hand, I like my singers comfy, so I keep all the brands I have in my books, especially "home" brands.

As for the so-called "education" from SC, I'm thinking that they like things the way they are- more chance for income that way. The more KJs that learn of their actions in advance, the more that cover themselves. Not only might they simply delete the label from their drives, doing so will eventually ( and it already has in my neck of the woods) decrease brand recognition, and any value the label might have will dissipate, lowering future sales of GEMS.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

CAVS is not a version. CAVS is the machine that plays the songs. CAVS (at least when it originally appeared in the market) has DK, PHM (or maybe that was THM), CB, and Music Maestro loaded on it. There were 1 or 2 other brands on there as well.

I dunno. I'm thinking that it's not my place to be the one and only judge of what's "better". I've always been of the opinion that the only "best" version is the one that is most popular with the singers, not my personal favorites- So I try and give them what they want.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

It truly is a shame because people do not wish to care. We had one of the nicest people you could ever meet from Colorado spend over $7,000.00 on a nice pro system and then invested thousands more in a SC library because she cared about doing what she thought was right. Almost 2 yrs. since her purchase and she struggles to stay afloat because there are many other kj's around her with loaded laptops w/ over 100,000 karaoke songs and the last time we spoke with her, she felt abandoned by SC for doing nothing to protect her after a year of complaining and turning in people/clubs.

The moral is that good people come in last and those that cheat the system seem to thrive no matter what.
Yet make no mistake about it, we would rather go bankrupt doing right then having to join those that contribute to your demise.

When I was running my first show, back in 2004 - 2005, the bar had bought a CAVS player with three discs. No names came up but CAVS, and there were no variances in the sweeps. It wasn't like DK came up on the screen, like it does on the Millennium Series.

As for different re-creations, if you know the song you can sing it. Bed of Roses is one of those songs for me. I am used to the SC version, and now the Sunfly version. My buddy has the Legends version, where many of the words are wrong. It doesn't bother me at all, because I know the words well enough to sing the song.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Or kj's are just over paranoid thinking anyone asking anything different than they are normally used to from a possibe new customer is actually an invstigator when they really just may be a new customer in the know about versions they want & are actually asking for those versions.

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

Fully agree. I have sang some tracks that didn't even resemble the original song it was trying to recreate.

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

Agree, why would anyone texting be suspect as an 'investigator'? I see it all throughout the night from various people - both regulars & strangers alike. This is a texting world. Or they are playing games on their phone while having their beer or drink. People are getting too paranoid.

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

I never said I forced anything on them, but would have them 'try' other versions if I had them (regardless of manu) to let them get a feel of which was better for them - so THEY could be the 'judge', I only list what I feel is the best version, but if I have multiples, I will ask a singer if they have a brand preference. I still do this to this day - and many of them now know what they want and do ask for specific versions. I have one guy (more old school) wants nothing BUT Pioneer laser video versions as the first choice. Luckily I have most of them for him.

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

I do Bed Of Roses down one, and it HAS to be off the DK as it's already recorded down one, so technically it's down 2 keys when I finish dropping it 1. The SC version sounds weird dropped down 2 from the start as it was recorded in the original key, DK being already recorded low, don't sound as weird dropped down 1 key.

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

Don't be so lazy. Sing in the right key.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

The key change allows you to sing within your range. Not everyone has the range of Mariah Carey or an Elton John or for Canadians, Burton Cummings. There are many professionals who as they age change the keys of songs from when they were younger because they cannot reach the notes anymore.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

REALLY??? REALLY??? I KNOW the function of the key changer. I was just busting his chops. Please do not assume that people are stupid.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I don't give a rat's behind what the manu is, however I DO want it to sound like the original! Having said that, if I was a singer looking for a karaoke bar to frequent and all they had was SGB, wouldn't take long to figure out the karaoke host doesn't care about quality and that those versions are not very close to the original artist versions.


As a host, I want the best! Best equipment, best songs, best mixing, best sound, and best personality. SGB doesn't fit into that equation!

Doesn't make me a diva, doesn't make me spoiled, just means I always want the best if possible and I can't get it at one place, I'm sure I can find it somewhere else.


My opinion of how SC is handling the lawsuits doesn't skew my view of their music, it is overall the best when compared to other manus. Not on every song of course but in general.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Well, All I can say is, I have met the owner of the investigation company, and he has confirmed who I have picked out. They also take phone pics of the big screen tv's when the songs come up. Doesn't take a genious to figure it out.

A few of the shows around here ONLY have the one tv on the stage area, so the inspector would have to take his/her pictures right in from of the host.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE