Karaoke Forums

Instead of buying a music source of 8000 songs that you never own .
1.Use the D.K. library and various freeware
2.Get on E-bay and buy 500 chartbusters from that source in Seymour Tenn.--about 1.35 a disk
You will have way more than 8000 songs and you will own them.

I would agree with you all the way. Downside of that method is all the dupes and ripping required. For the most part I have quit buying on eBay. The percent of dupes in my library was climbing and I wanted to find an alternative source that would allow me to continue to buy songs at a low price but without the dupes. Hence, the KJMP.

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

My way of dealing with dupes is to get rid of lower quality dupes. I would rather have less songs but better quality.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I keep the dups but have a "show preferred version only" option. When this is turned on, only the preferred version is shown in look-ups. If someone likes a version that isn't preferred and it's in their personal list, that version does show. I rarely turn this off and rarely have anyone prefer something else other than "my picks". But U do have them just in case.

Comphost only shows the brands that I want it to show. I tell it my first preferred brand, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, all the way to 8th. Then if I have a dupe in two diff brands, my book only shows the first preferrred brand on that track.

As far as getting rid of my lower quality dupes, that ain't gonna happen. I don't have dupes cuz I improved the quality of my collection, I have dupes because many songs show up on this set, that set, and the other set but I need the other songs that are on the disk. To "get rid" of those dupes would mean letting go of many songs I don't have dupes of. Would make no sense at all. For the most part, I was very particular what brands I bought other than when I first got started buying disks.

I don't wan't dupes "just in case". I'd rather spend all my karaoke music budget buying my songs one at a time on the KJMP and never buy another dupe as long as I live. Only way I would go back to buying disks,,,, super fantastic unbelievable incredible can't pass up prices on them.

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

I don't get rid of any dupes because I don't think it's up to me to decide what's "best".

1) "Best" seems to be whatever version is most popular in any venue.

2) A customer's "best" version may not be in agreement with mine. I may think that the Zoom or DK version is the best, but if the customer practices at home with what I consider a Backstage "coaster" because they're cheap and is used to it, then the customer thinks it's best. If I have it ( though hoping that I don't), then I try to fill the customer's request.

Keep in mind that many home singers will usually want the most songs for the least money for the house. Hence, one can run into Backstage, Sav, SGB, and other inexpensive brands.

One might also run into premium brands, but they will be the less expensive multiplex versions with only 4, 6, 8, or 10 songs on them. Of course, one can simply sub the non-multiplex versions from the same company, but a very few will want "karaoke with training wheels"- singing along with the vocal track.

If I have what they like, they come back.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Joe's logic is spot on at my old venue. As he stated our singers purchase, for practice at home, all the cheaper brands and that is what they are used to singing to. For them that is the best version!

I would agree with that for the most part. Have to say though, in my neck of the woods, if I hear once per five shows "do you have the other version of that song?" it would be very rare. So it is up to me to decide which is best. Now even if it did happen more regularly, I wouldn't add dupes to my library just so I have more choices of manus for one song, nor would I put them in the book but I would keep them available.

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

I get that on occasion - whether I have a specific version over what is listed or another version. Most of the singers are happy with the listed version (9 out of 10 times it's SC). But I would never list dups in my book, I will however not delete any dupes off my hard drive. I will mark if I have multiple brands which is the preferred.

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

Well, as far as those who have the dupes, but don't list them- this may be the reason that you get fewer brand requsts in the first place. They don't know that you have them. Certainly they could ask, but it has been my experience that most will just go by the book.

While this may be more convenient for the host, I know that it's much help to the customer.

Of course, on many occasions I DO have to pick a "best" version for a singer. However, I do not have a single "go to" brand unless I've never heard the song. I've been at it a lot of years, so I have had the time to listen to most of my duped tracks and make an informed decision.

The times when I simply don't know, I will put my faith in a particular company using the music genre for which I know them best- and hope this isn't the track that they decided to screw up...

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

I do have a page in my books stating I MAY have more than one manu of songs, if you have a preference for a specific version, please feel free to ask if it's available. Most of the 'brand' requests are "Do I have this in SC", but sometimes people prefer the Pioneer videos versions. I had one gal sing a Fleetwood Mac song and request the Zoom version (even though I feel the SC version is better). Unfortunately I didn't have it, I do have it on order for her though.

The question "what is the difference between these songs listed (all the same song/artist)?" is the reason I originally took out dups listed in the books in the first place. I would always have to explain that it's like going to listen to a cover band, some are pretty spot on and sound like the original, then others kind of fall short of what they were really trying to accomplish, the song sounds somewhat close to the original, but not quite. They ALWAYS would reply "well just give me the version you think is best". This was also back in the days when no one really knew any better though too - around 93-94. Today people are more educated as far as which brands are typically better (in my neck of the woods) and know the versions they prefer - again 9 out of 10 times when someone is asking for a brand, they do ask for SC). Often times bringing in their own discs.

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

i get that almost nightly. most singers don't know the difference and those that do (once or twice every few months) will request a specific version whether it is listed or not.

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

This area was karaoke before karaoke was cool. Most of the singers here have been "karaoke educated" for a long time- hence, the nightly requests for specific brands.

It' the young guns here that hit me with the "Which is which?" question. While it can certainly be a PITA, I think that it's worth it for me.

I would add that there are occasions where a regular puts in a version that I think truly sucks. If that's the case, and we know each other well, I will ask the singer to trust me with a version upgrade (" That's with an "s" not a "g"- we don't get very many of those..") and they allow it.

Most of the time the really like the upgrade, but in very rare cases they're stuck on the horrid version, and that's it.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

do they put down their preferred version on their slip when requesting a song? all of my versions are listed but except for those few a year nobody even bothers.
oh the time i could have saved.

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

But in the case for the newbie singers, chances are a kj that has been doing this a while has already listed the best version over the years and this is what they are going to go on - new kj's don't have a clue & just list everything willy nilly & say HEY I HAVE EVERYTHING. I'm not going to stuff my books with duplicate songs that I may have just to have re-educate new singers in the differences of the songs I MIGHT have duplicates of. I have less than a 15% duplication ratio anyway. I only purposely duplicate a song if it's a bad version or if i'm buying a disc that only 1 song I need is on and cannot get it anywhere else. I have even changed some of my listings over the years from steadfast manu picks that were replaced by 'lesser' brands because even I agreed the manu pick wasn't the best. Had an All Hits version replace a Pioneer version of King Of The Road last year.

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

They do indeed. On average, whether my picks or not, it goes something like the following for those with a better than average karaoke education:

Country- Chartbuster, and All Country Hits for newer stuff.

Oldies/Doo-wop- Music Maestro

English Rock- Zoom or Legends

Show Tunes- Pocket Songs or Stage Stars

Pop- DK, Zoom, SuperCore/KK- in that order.

Duets- Hate to admit it of course, but Sound Choice, with the exceptions of Picture ( Medacy Karaoke Party)and the nauseating "KJ In The Bathroom" PBTDB ( All Hits).

Here's one that will throw you- ELVIS- You would think Music Maestro, but the favorite is actually Chartbuster. I would add that most of the Elvis singers would rather have food poisoning than sing an SC version. Despite my issues with SC, I have always said that they made a nice product. However- as an Elvis singer myself- I have never seen his songs butchered as badly as SC does. Sorry. Elvis himself couldn't sing those tracks.

To screw you up further, prepare to strap in and bring an airsick bag- Queen, Eagles, and Neil Diamond...wait for it.....here it comes..... BACKSTAGE?!?!? Go figure...

Keep in mind that these choices EXCLUDE the home singer with the cheapie collection. These choices are from experienced karaoke singers.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Missed my point, Lon. I've been doing this for decades, and have found that there is no "best".

No knock, my friend , but you ( doing a great job to be able to maintain it) have ONE venue 6 days a week. It has been my experience, having different venues throughout the week, for over 3,000 shows ( may have hit 4K over the decades, but I quit counting a long time ago), that each venue may have their own most popular "best". You and Toqer at the Bamboo may well pull off a "best" pick, but the rest of us aren't as lucky.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

7 days a week

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

I know Lonnie doesn't seem to believe me, but around here people just don't care about brands. We have good singers, we have mediocre singers, and some bad ones, and nobody asks for specific brands. My buddy uses NO SC, for example. He never liked them because they were more expensive than other brands. Nobody has a problem with it. The only time he uses a Sound Choice song is if I am there and someone requests something he knows I have that he doesn't. He's been in business for 13 or 14 years, and has a decent following. No SC.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Never once did I say I don't believe you. I said that is not the case up around these parts. People are more educated when it comes to particular brands & what they do prefer.

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