Karaoke Forums

Agreed. The only way downloads will work in the long run will be through a Napster/Amazon etc. type of site. Same as DJ music, but with the synched graphics licensing problems ironed out.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Like I said, nothing personal, just trying to lend perspective, particularly at this time of year. By no means do I truly wish you to lose gigs or pay. By the same right I would like for you to consider that Sound Choice and Kurt Slep have every right to pursue the actions they are taking whether you like it or not.

BTW, if my gigs go away, I still have a day job. It would be a big bummer on a personal level, but financially it would be insignificant.

-Chris

_________________
-Chris

Until they VEHEMENTLY go after those entities that facilitate piracy, I will not support SC's actions. They are looking to make money off people who copied what they originally bought. To me that is wrong, despicable, and going after the wrong people. They audit people and hand them a Covenant Not To Sue that is good for a year. Then they charge $125 for that. Meanwhile, they troll bars for KJs who shifted the products that they bought and paid for, then charge them $500 for the same audit and the same certification, while immediately naming them in a lawsuit. I have no respect for that. Harrington is no better than an ambulance chaser. He's doing the same thing, only he is doing it for one customer. Meanwhile, they do little, if anything to stop the drive sellers and the file sharing sites. Until they close down the ability for pirates to do their thing, there will be piracy, and honest KJs will still be trolled. Sorry, but I can't respect that. They aren't a government agency, nor are they authorized by the government to do what they are doing.

And Chris, FYI, you are a KJ, and I have no animosity towards you, even though we disagree. I certainly don't want to see you go under, either. I think you have been sold a bill of goods by a company who doesn't really care about you and your business, but REALLY cares about having control over you and what you do with the products you legally bought from them.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Well Smooth, if you go out of business, that's one person. How many people have lost their jobs due to piracy. SC alone lost over 100 employees. Your problem is you're only concerned about yourself and not the industry as a whole.

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger

And SC was perfectly capable of protecting themselves instead of letting the problem escalate to the point that it has. You're right, I don't concern myself with the industry as a whole. The industry as a whole will not put food on my table, only I will. SC wasn't concerned with the industry as a whole, and still isn't. Yeah they say they are, and people like you buy their bull crap, hook, line, and sinker. If they did care about anything but themselves they would have figured out a way to survive the piracy, or figured out a way to get rid of the piracy. What they are doing now is just for them and their pocketbooks.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

The cost of the audit is $150. The covenant not to sue is perpetual. It doesn't expire as long as the terms are met.

Oh yes, I forgot. Every time you get 2% more Sound Choice you have to bow down and kiss Kurt's a$$ and stroke his ego. I forgot that part.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Not stealing their tracks and sharing them with other is 'kissing his (@$%&#!)'? Huh! Unbelieveable.

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

No, having to report in every time you increase you SC collection by 2% is having to kiss his a$$. You assume too much, Lonnie. Where did I say anything about stealing anything??

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

It's in the TERMS that Jim mentioned - you don't steal or share tracks as part of the terms. So that is where I got that skippy! The 2% increase is just one part of the terms.

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

Well, I like how you automatically assume that I was talking about stealing music, Skippy!

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I never said YOU do, I did equate you considering their 'terms' as kissing their (@$%&#!) - which the 'terms' include stealing of their material. So yes i'll see it exactly as I saw it there.

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

To me, kissing Kurt's a$$ and stroking his ego means reporting in that you bought more of his product. Stealing his product would be akin to telling him to kiss MY a$$. Get it yet??

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

But you have absolutely nothing to worry about there since you unequivitably stated too many times to count that you'd never buy or support their product again. So why do you continually bring it up to ad nauseum? It doesn't affect you in the slightest.

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

Once again, you are wrong. If circumstances changed, say if they dropped this lunacy, or if they finally went under and their music were to end up on Tricerasoft, I would GLADLY buy their products again!!! I have said that many times before, too.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Well you heard it right from Harrington.Save the post.Lets see if more enforcement is on the way or just more bull.
I hope you manus realize that most bars and most D.J.s-K.J.s think this is all just a lot of hot air.

Naturally James is going to give out the usual line that just wait they are going to really get serious about everything, etc.etc.etc. My father always told me "don't pay attention to what people say, watch what they do". So far the manus actions, or should I say lack of action indicates to me that nothing significant can or will be done before I retire fully from karaoke in the next 2-3 years. The reason the manus have to sue in civil court over these matters, is because the various government agencies will only get involved if there is criminal activity involved. Despite all the shouting about theft, it is really two business's suing each other, plain and simple. Without litigation James and all lawyers would be out of a job, and maybe have to try being a host. Wouldn't that be something, he probably would have to take a cut in pay. All of this posturing and threatening is aimed at one purpose to promote the idea of leasing GEM in the case of SC, or getting Cloud in the case of CB/DT/PR. It is to generate sales of product with the threat of possible suits used a leverage. The only power SC or CB/DT/PR have is what the hosts give them. Just like a vampire can't cross your home threshold unless you invite him in. The manus cannot disrupt your business if you don't use their product. There is plenty of product out here much of it in the freeware status zone. The only way the manus can get the karaoke industry in a strangle hold is if they succeed in getting control of the production and distribution of karaoke music material. Then they will be the only game in town and the host if they wish to stay in business, will have to pay whatever price they demand. Fortunately we as hosts still have choices as to how we run our respective operations. Let us hope we never lose that freedom. Have a nice day.

Kurt, SC and Mr. Harrington don't exert any control over me at all. I use the products the way I wish to use them. Just so happens how I wish to use them adheres to the policies SC has.

I imagine Kurt and SC care very much about my business considering the plans I have.

-Chris

_________________
-Chris

Chris you know that my position is you have the right to run your business, anyway you see fit. Just like I have the right not to use the SC product. If it were effecting my business or my bottom line I might review and change my policy. Like they say if it ain't broke don't fix it. James has stated that the very use of the SC product makes you a suspect, and it is up to the host to establish if they do indeed have the right to use the product. You paid for an audit would you have done so without the pressure they are trying to exert over the whole industry? There would be no need for any of this, if they would act like other manus and stop trying to put the genie back in the bottle. Have a nice day.

Piracy is the only reason SC went down hill? I think not. Not at all. I would venture to say the much larger reason is due to their failure to keep up with the times. The entire music industry has shifted to files\downloads including most of karaoke. What did SC do? They tried to make it impossible (tried and failed) to convert their discs instead of embracing the change due to their own paranoia. How much time, effort and money went into the Disc protection deal they "tried" to employ versus investing in the future? I personally slowed\stopped buying SC because I had most of the stuff I needed and buying a full CD to get one song was ridiculous. I did a few custom discs but then I had to go through the hassle of ripping them. It was easier to just buy the files and download them ready to go. The path of least resistance. That's why the music industry has recovered from where it was. The pirates are still out there but the path of least resistance for most today is to buy it though Itunes or amazon. One click and it's done. Turns out people didn't mind paying, what they did mind is the hassle of buying the disc and converting the files. It's my opinion that SC's demise had mostly to do with their paranoia and some to do with pirates. Even today, the only way to buy a SC MP3+G is to buy 5999 more? Stupid crazy and it explains quite a lot..