Karaoke Forums

Stingray bought all streaming and download rights to the SC library. SC only retained the rights to make and sell discs to professionals.

Not a super business move considering current download trends.

However, Kurt's brother is at Stingray, so I wouldn't be surprised at any corporate shuffling.

It has always been my opinion that the sale was made to Stingray to keep the library out of U.S. jurisdiction anyway.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Well, considering that Karaoke Channel has a successful site AND they are on XBox Live - the largest console gaming community - It would seem the core music is getting exposure to a lot of people and that aspect of leveraging the original assets is a fantastic business move.

Considering Sound Choice is now the only major player left of the original Big 3 and they are still selling the GEM, I would again say that something is going right for them.

When the legal system makes things difficult, you have to learn to exploit and manipulate the loopholes. That is good business too and every business does it.

_________________
-Chris

Don't know if you were buzzed when you posted, but SC is a FAILED karaoke producer, and the FIRST of the "big three" to cease new production. They do offer the GEMS, which are RE - productions of their OLD product, many if not the majority of which are sold through intimidation. Now, their newer business model based on litigation / intimidation certainly keeps them alive as SC, but they are no longer contributors -now parasites?- to the karaoke production industry, and haven't been for years.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Still what is in the GEM is more popular than anything new that has been released as far as staying power. New music isn't where it's at, it's the older staples. New music does have it's place - for a couple weeks. It's rare to see a 'new' song get sung more than a month, but I have songs 10, 20, 30 years old that are still nightly regulars. And for many of the kj's that post here have stated that if another new song was never released, they could still be successful for years to come with their 'older' library. So not being in the game as far as nothing new has nothing to do with them being successful selling a GEM set or not - this is what most singers want anyway.

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

There in lies the truth Lonnie, that is why Golden Oldie shows still fill up venues. The music of even the 1980's is now turning 30 years old. The 50's, 60's and 70's is even older material. I had some patrons that were even doings songs from the 40's. "Minnie The Moocher" Cab Calloway is from 1929 originally.

Well I didn't mention 'golden' oldies (honestly wouldn't want to, not my forte or preferred genre). I was talking 70's -2000 or so with heavy emphasis on 80's metal & 90's alternative. I haven't had anything in the 50's or 60's (true golden oldeis) or older sung (regularly) in quite a while. These are more novelty songs at my show. I do get a lot more newer songs song (10 years or newer) but my 'core' is 70's to early 2000's and I could easily get along with what I have for quite a while if I never bought another song.

But that was my point, even if SC is not producing 'new' music, they are selling a very solid 'core' set that I'd bet higher than 50% of all shows in existence could run successfully on even if they had nothing else.

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

Lon, I wasn't knocking the product - you're talking to a DK fan, remember - I was just pointing out that they were the FIRST of the three to stop producing new tracks. Nothing wrong with the set itself...

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

They may have been one of the first of the big three to quit producing new tracks but they may also be the only one that kept their company alive long enough to be able to resume production once the legal climate changes. They may end up to be the last one standing.

Once the legal climate changes, everybody will be producing again, not just SC but 5 years is a long time to sit on the sidelines.

New Country is popular here. I always have to keep up with that. New Pop and new Rock are pretty much dead.

_________________
I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

brings up an interresting thought.......
they have not been able to press a disc for over 2 years because they can not get the licenses to do so. the last of their inventory was imported over two years ago, so for two years they have been selling only inventory in stock in the warehouse...and still have plenty.

also, a funny i saw today looking at a disc....

FSC MEDIAPLAS

Foreign
Sound
Choice
Media
Production,
Licensing
And
Sales

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

FSC stands for Full Sail Consultancy, and Mediaplas is a Dutch word that refers to a media group or collective.

Resistance is Futile. You will be assimilated.

REALLY... How many tracks would they have to sell to equal ONE intimidation (strong arm?) settlement? They have a new - intimidation/litigation based business model. Yes, it keeps the SC name alive, but it defecates all over their own label. If, for reasons unknown since a pay-off...er, I mean "settlement" brings more of a profit, they return to their less profitable ( remember, the company was the FIRST - probably due to incredible mismanagement- of the big three to FAIL as a producer) production, they will probably need a NEW label. Their name as a producer already fading away due to venues refusing to allow their play, as well as hosts banning them to avoid their nonsense and frivolous and proven weak or non-existent suits.

Of course, at this point, Kurt Slep has already sold off all but the right to make discs for pro KJs.

Sorry Mimi, but you seem to be hoping for a miracle.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

I heard of a handful of places around here that originally stopped playing SC tracks, but that was short lived. At this point I know of none that refuse to play SC or any other tracks. We still get heavy requests for SC tracks.

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

we het no places refusing to let SC be played, butalso get 0 requests specifically for SC tracks as we do not cater to divas.

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

Hoping for a miracle? Just making an observation. Only time will tell how it all really comes out.

You keep saying that venues have dropped SC (others have too) but no one provides examples. Not a single venue in Seattle dropped SC even though SC came through twice. Some KJ's dropped it, but it had nothing to do with the venues and those KJ's are back to using SC again.

I think the whole "venues dropped SC" thing is very, very, very isolated and blown way out of proportion.

Only the existing SC content was sold off. I do not believe there is anything that prevents Kurt and SC from producing new content.

_________________
-Chris

This is correct, and in fact there are about 100 tracks or so that were produced post-sale that belong exclusively to SC.

SC plans to return to production as soon as the licensing issues have been worked out. In fact, SC signed new licenses with EMI and Sony/ATV around the first of the year, but both companies (which are jointly controlled) reneged on the agreements and asserted that they, not SC, would own any new sound recordings (which is legally fallacious as well as being well outside the agreement). Eventually this mess will get worked out, one way or another, and SC will return to production.

I have a theory about Joe's stepped-up anti-SC rhetoric. See, the theories he's advanced (about what we're doing and what our rights are) have been discredited in actual practice, and I suspect he's become frustrated that despite his predictions, his assertions of "inside" knowledge (he's never been an SC insider), and his supposedly superior view of the karaoke industry, SC continues to exist. In order to "save face," he's forced into endless repetition of his anti-SC talking points, in the hope that what he contends is true will become the accepted wisdom about SC.

It must really kill him that we refuse to die despite the energy he puts into hating us.

I don't 'cater' to divas, but we do have singers who prefer certain versions, I know a guy that comes in and will ONLY sing Elvis songs from the Velvet Elvis set only, he used to bring in his discs until I found the set online and bought it. I know a guy who will only sing from the Pioneer video discs, yes he's one of the older singers we get in. But I also know many that come in and ask if we have it on SC that would be their preference - if I have it (which 9 out of 10 times I do) then i'll play it, if not I will offer them an alternative version - sometimes they will do it, sometimes they won't. I know I prefer most SC tracks over others when I go to other shows and will ask the kj if they have it, if they have the song choice on some other reputable manu like SBI or Zoom for example, i'll probably give it a shot - if their only alternative version is like from Music Maestro or Sweet Georgia Brown/Idol Maker or some other off brand, chances are i'll pass - if that's the definition of a diva, then so be it.

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