Karaoke Forums

O.K., I realize that the subject of piracy has NEVER been brought up on this forum , but is it me, or is there a huge amount of the old "Dangerous", "All Hits", "Nikoddo", etc. brand cd-g's being sold on E-bay that are "burns", and are coming out of Ohio! (Parma, Sandusky, Valley City, etc.)

Most sellers aren't showing pictures of the discs, just selling them as sets, with the song listings, for cheap. However, there are some that do show the pics., and it's pretty obvious that they are probably making money off copies. (If you look at one of the photos of an "All Hits" copy it says "not for public performance" at the bottom!)

Not trying to get another pros & cons of piracy thread started, and I admit those weren't the greatest cd-g brands, but it just kinda sucks that that many illegal cd-g's can be sold for that cheap under E-bay's nose  :(! Reported them yesterday, but hey, it's E-bay, and nothing will probably change. Would LOOOVE to bust that distributer, though!

Sorry to vent about a dead horse subject again, but it just seems so blatent, and I was curious if anyone has ever noticed these Ohio area "burn" sellers before?

KjChris,  Not that it matters much, but my own feelings are that bringing question's up regarding concerns about Fraud and piracy within a venue so many of us use (such as Ebay) is a good thing for us to be aware of..  I know I'd like to know who to watch out for assuming I wish to purchase CD-G's, similarly who's had positive experiences..Stuff like this can save other's headaches IMHO...and should be exposed. Doesn't need to be the blatant blasting of anyone of course, but there are subtle way's to bring thing's up too

JMO.....   (not all that counterfeit are that obvious, seller's can be crafty)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

All hits discs have always stated that at the bottom of their discs.  Never been legal as far as I know that's why you will NEVER find contact info of any kind on these discs - even originals.  All Hits has come in MANY different labels including
Mega Hits
Sweet Georgia Brown
Helluvadisc
and a couple others that slip my mind right now
They also bought some (or at least use them) of the old UK series discs with Bob Seger.
Nikkodo/BMB/Nu-Tech were also questionable - however again, had contact info, although Nu-Tech was busted years ago for using other companies music & using their own graphics over the music.
The Dangerous series (the orignal series) actually had contact information on them so they could have been legit, however probably not - under rated set by most kj's BTW.

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

Isn't there a number that people are asked to call assuming they come across such piracy, or counterfeiting ?  I saw something when I was reading info regarding copyright infringement in one of the area's,  either the Jukebox licensing site, or BMG, etc... One of those newer licensing companies has a 1-800 number in washington I think...?????  or there might just be a division for general Copyright fraud... Don't recall

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Good points fellas.

Lonman, I just went and checked out a couple of those discs I have, and you're right, my one U.K. disc says "not for public performance". However, I checked out a couple my All Hits and Helluvadisc cd-g's and they said.. "not for public performance, unless played at FULL volume". So I guess those are illegal, unless they're played at 130 decibals!  Still can't figure that one out.

So I guess it's twice as bad... illegal copies of discs that might've been illegally produced in the first place! Yeah, forgot about how shady some of those companies are/were.

MyFather&Mother-in-laws run a KJ business also, and she has bought several discs of ebay.  A few are legit, but most that I have seen are not.  On a couple you can see the CDR label bleeding through the label that was put on the disc.  

She also order some songs from a CUSTOM CDG website, and they didn't even make an attempt to hide the fact that tey are not illegal, just a white label with song #s & Titles.

But let us not forget the peeps that pirate over the net, and the ones talking about trading songs, even on this board.  Perhaps would should start at home first, then expand elsewhere, IMHO.

I havnt bought any cd's lately on ebay I'm THM subscriber but I have bought alot on ebay.... Feedback feedback feedback.....If you suspect a seller click on his feedback... All buyers listed in his feedback have a link to their feedback history See what their history looks like then there is a contact box in which you can im buyers and ask them about the seller...After about $20 grand on ebay I dont buy much on ebay lately but I sure am not leary of ebay or paypal....

Me neither, never been burned, always as decribed, but I only buy from sellers with feedback of 98 or better.





Which custom sites?  There are several that are legal.  Can't remember which company it was (either Priddis or Pocket SOngs) but they did custom discs through the manufacturer with nothing more than a plain white label disc - before the advent of thermal disc printers mind you.

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

It was not a legit custom CD maker.  On the disk were songs from Sound Choice, Chart Buster, Legend, and a couple others.  She never told me the website, since I was giving her hell about it.

Went and checked a couple of the seller's feedback who had the pictures of the burned discs, and they were 99% or above. It's almost like the people don't know what they're buying, or don't care. Probably a little of both.

I basically live on E-bay, and love the site, so my apologies if I came across a little harsh on them in the first post. Just kinda feel bad for the legitimate sellers. (Still upset that Lonman outbid me on that 8803 disc....just wanted the song "Voodoo" dangit! )

, was that you I was bidding against?  Sorry, I needed another copy, the one I had broke.

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

Yeah, that was me . Funny thing is, I was debating on bidding higher, but then I saw your username, and couldn't bring myself to do it! Would've been easier had I not respected you on this forum so much! I'll take an 8125 or an 8148 as compensation, if you feel a little guilty.

Hey Chris,  thanks for helping me out two weeks ago !  I told you we could get that "pro" over 18 bucks on the CD-G...    I sent you the copy we agreed upon for 10 bucks in my Ebay Store.... Same deal I gave Keith and Karyoker !!!! No S&H for that btw !....  $17.75  (didn't think it'd have to go quite that high)....   He bit !!!!  AHAHAHAHA

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

This is the first time I even considered looking on Ebay for anything like a CD after some of the nightmarish type stories I'd heard..  Yet some of the prices are incredible (assuming these are legit).  75% off Soundchoice retail for some of these being sold by power seller's ?   For certain volumes, can't afford not to buy in such a venue IMHO.... Another thing I was warned about was (if EVER possible) never buy electronics equip on Ebay. It'll be interesting to see how low the JVC 3 tray player's go for.  Great thread Chris.. Yet for CD's I *WAS* extremely leary of Ebay...Never would've considered them after a few of the horror stories I'd heard when helping out in the Community Feed-back Forum (I was only a buyer)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

That's a lot of hogwash, Steve!

I buy stuff on Ebay ALL the time. I've NEVER been burnt, except by my own stupidity.

Cars, karaoke equipment (amps, players, microphones, cdgs, mixers)... you NAME it

always read the feedback of the last month, even if you have to go thru several pages! If it's a new buyer, pass and let someone else take the risk.

E-bay is just one of those things you have to be careful with.  I haven't been a huge e-bay user, but what I have bought has been good stuff.  Stereo, speakers, concert tix, jewelry...you know, it just comes down to  caveat emptor.  If you're informed, it's harder for you to be screwed over.  

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Matt,  That's good to know.  I started viewing Ebay feedback profile's with about the same amount of faith I'd place in Singer's Showcase comment exchanges.  Between feedback hostage holding, and so many fearing giving a neutral beget's a Neg, the feedback "backscratching", (where it appeared many were buying feedback, and not just the item), the percentage of Positive feedback's was absurd. Granted some did give the well deserved Neg despite fearing retaliatory FB. I suppose it should be obvious that a shooting star seller with a 98%+ rating (assuming item description is scrutinized) will standby their customer satisfaction policy. It makes sense that given the high volume of transaction's involving CD's, the burned copies getting "passed off" incident is avoidable assuming you know who a seller is.. I just need to learn what to watch out for when buying CD-G's.  This isn't an area I have knowledge in...So this thread is helpful to me. My concern regarding electronic's had alot to do with return policy and the "blame it on UPS" situations. For certain item's I too took chances, and with electronics while I didn't get exactly burnt on item's that weren't "New in Box", I did get one or two "used once or twice, and returned to box" items (hence not accurately described)..  I guess it's just a matter of not only carefully studying S&H, packaging, and profile, but also seeing if the seller will provide me with the same POMG I might get from a large store.  Assuming an item arrives DOA. Returns shouldn't be at my expense.  It's good to get an idea of who the trusted sellers are.. I wasn't in a position to know this years back. For CD-G's Ebay is VERY tempting now. I suppose seldom the POMG you might get from a huge retail chain, yet given price comparison worth taking some chancing.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Dave,  I think Ebay is the only route to take for purchases of the more obscure item. I've purchased batteries for my older model B&D, and DeWalt tool's on Ebay, certain collectible's etc... Mostly good experiences. I got annoyed when a seller advertised wrenches as Snap-on, photographed Snap-on, yet the items that arrived were "blue point", small thing's such as that.. My concern is that something like a brand new, or even "as new" Karaoke player is ALOT more intricate than many other items, so while I make a trade-off based upon price point, naturally warantee & a few other things shouldn't be traded off.. I'm just trying to get a feel for what's what.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Same as Matt, I use E-Bay ALL the time & have yet to have a bad experience.  Been buying since 2000.
There are a couple of sellers on there selling NEW Sound Choice Spots for $4.99 - $8 each.  They get clearance & close-outs from stores that go under.  From a couple of these guys, i've probably bought around 100 Spots @ $8 each as opposed to $22.

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

Yeah,  I can't afford not to buy off've Ebay with that type pricing Lonman. After reading Chris's post early AM, I've been in Ebay looking around for the last couple of hours..Compared to the usual retail prices, I feel like a kid in a candy store with some of those volumes at such low prices... That was my reason earlier for checking out the auction you two were discussing. I just wanted to get an idea of who people I knew trusted.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".