Karaoke Forums

Sure, why not..

Had a meal with a buddy, and they are planning on dropping all karaoke CDs, and using a live band to avoid any conflict with CD producers..
Seems like the funding is in place, the venue is huge, and already making a good profit..

Wave of the future?

In that scenario there is no KJ, no use for one, but surprisingly there is a large percentage of karaoke singers who can't sing without the words on a monitor, even if it's a song they have sung hundreds of times, (if you don't believe it, take away the words from the screen at your next show and watch the panic) so not sure how this can work without swipes in time to the music

On the few occasions I've been to live band karaoke, they generally play along with a recorded track anyway so the singer has access to the lyrics.

Lipstick on a pig is still a pig.

Call him MC, KJ, DJ, or "Show Runner". All the same same.

Many live bands simply use an iPad to scroll text for the lyrics so that crisis is solved.

I've seen iPads in that service for many years. (I may even have a few)

I don't know about "wave of the future." I went to my first live band karaoke in 2001, and have been to several different live band karaoke shows since. Rick is 100% right, most singers can't do it, so you alienate the casual singer/drunk singer crowd. There have been three live band karaoke shows here in my town over the last 5-6 years that I know of, and of those three, only one lasted for more than a year, and that one just barely made it a year then was done. The other two made it about 3-4 months. They're a novelty at best.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

It comes down to money. Venues do not want to pay a host over $200 to run a show. If there are 3-4 band members involved how long do you think they will play for next to nothing divided 4 ways?

Live band karaoke usually has a VERY limited set list. 300 to 400 songs at best.

Hard to enforce only one performance of Crazy a night when the pickings are so slim.

More of a Fantasy night - "Cool to try but wouldn't want to buy" - deal for most singers.

I love live band karaoke! But it's won't be replacing traditional hosted karaoke.

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-Chris

One of the most successful karaoke bands (Rockaraoke) comes from Seattle/Tacoma area. They've done shows nationally for events and parties and play locally at least once a month. Their songbase is in the 750+ range that you would hear at almost any given karaoke show and they are learning more all the time. Full light setup with scrolling lyrics on stage - sometimes over the original video, sometimes just black screen.
http://www.rockaraoke.com/
https://www.facebook.com/rockaraoke/videos

< The Videos Are Hosted On YouTube>
https://www.youtube.com/user/rockaraoke/videos

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

Two entirely different animals -- one will never replace the other. The singers don't really overlap very much.

Although venues will always prefer whatever is cheaper, and that's regular karaoke. Good live band karaoke charges at least $100 per band member. Not that some venues won't use bad live band karaoke that comes cheaper -- but at that point they may as well pay for good, regular karaoke.

I enjoy live band karaoke very much but the lyrical displaying of the lyrics can be hit and miss. I sang at one place and when the chorus rolled around for the second time in the song; all it said was "CHORUS". How hard could it have been for them to just copy and paste the chorus where necessary?

Again it depends on how much they actually put into it. Rockaraoke has full scrolling lyrics just like any other karaoke track.

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

Is it not illegal to display the lyrics? I thought that was what the whole mechanical sync license was all about. Harrington?

As long as the band or the venue is -
Currently paying both the mechanical AND the synchronization license fees required for the size of the venue
AND
Playing from original licensed disc
I can't see that SC or anyone else would be able to oppose it.

A) bands can't pay the pro fees, has to be paid by the venue
B) they aren't playing a disc, they are playing live version and just scrolling the raw text on the screen, which violates the copyright of public display of the lyrics

This is kind of a tough situation to analyze.

If the venue has paid PRO fees for karaoke, those fees include a license from the publisher to display the lyrics, since lyric display is a usual and customary component of a karaoke show. (That's why ASCAP et al. have a "karaoke" category.)

Where it gets sticky is...where do they get the actual graphics? For example, many live-band karaoke shows use karaoke tracks (MP3+G, usually). They may or may not run the sound portion of the track. (Most do, because it creates a fuller sound and supplies instrumentation, like horns, synth, and strings, that most bands aren't equipped to provide, plus the better brands supply backing vocals as well.)

The problem is that running the graphics, with or without sound, might well infringe the copyright of the karaoke producer, especially if the graphics are being played from an unauthorized non-original source (such as a pirated copy).

But what if ONLY the singer sees the graphics? It would be quite difficult to get a picture (proof) of the graphics/logo without an audience screen.

I suppose it's true that it would be difficult to get proof...unless, of course, the investigator was the singer.

In any event, infringement occurs whether or not the copyright owner witnesses the infringement.

I don't know about them being the wave of the future either, but, in contradiction to your opinion about them being "a novelty at best," I disagree. I know of one Live Band Karaoke in NYC that's been around since at least the 90's at a place called Arlene's Grocery (don't let the name fool you. It's a Nightclub/Bar). AND, due to its popularity and staying power, others have been starting up Live Band Karaoke in the Metro NY areas over the past 2 years, and they haven't disappeared yet.

Well, I don't know about "most." All I know about is the place I just mentioned (Arlene's Grocery). They don't do anything special. They just have their band playing the songs Live, and they have the lyrics for each song printed out on a piece of paper (for the Singer to sing from). No word-swipes or public display of lyrics.

As a footnote, I don't remember now whether that piece of paper was a copy of the actual sheet music, or just a copy of the written lyrics.