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Well technically you aren't allowed to have copies with originals either - even making a back up copy (and running a show with the backups) of a cdg be it to hard drive or cdg is just as illegal.

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[/quote]I don't really think she's talking computer shows in general jujst the ones that don't BUY any of their music. [/quote]

Yes she is.

I don't really think she's talking computer shows in general jujst the ones that don't BUY any of their music. [/quote]

Yes she is.[/quote]So if I ran a disc only based show & played the original discs on computer (not using the hard drive) then this would still be a problem?  How would this be a problem then?  Not that I do it, but if it came down to it, i'd still have all computer advantages as far as rotation, splash screens, slide shows.

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you know what i mean...

Yes I do & I think you know what I mean.  I purchase every disc I get.  Everything in my computer corresponds to each & every song on the discs I purchase.  I do not have anything in the hard drive that was downloaded, traded, borrowed.   Legalities aside, I and others like me (as you run computer as well) are not killing the karaoke industry by stealing our libraries & doing shows for $50-75 per night.
She is talking more about blatent pirates who down & out steal their library by downloading or purchasing a preloaded hard drive from ebay or trading with other kj's, etc...I still run my show exactly as I would if I was using discs.  Not undercutting anyone lowering the cost of the playing field.  Not stealing shows.   When I update my collection, it's because I just purchased MORE new DISCS!

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She has mentioned RIAA too much to just be talking about super hard drive KJs.  She is talking anyone with a computer based show.

Soon everyone will be computer based.  Until they start lining them up and shooting them.

That's the only way it will stop.  

2008 is here, if you're still in the 70s, you are falling way behind all of your competition.  Be they "legal or illegal" according to God.

you hold your future income in the palm of your future "computer..."

That's true, but illegal downloads & preloaded drives & multirigging do not have to be (and should not be) the norm for this industry & is a direct casue of it's decline - not those who purchase an individual disc PER system to simply transfer to computer for convenience.  
And if it came down to being forced to run a disc based show again, I can still do it on computer & have all the benefits except for the hard drive storage - it's already set up to do so (except of course MediaCloq discs).

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I would just have to add another usb drive and i could do it too.

It is the advancing technology that the real world has not been able to assimilate quickly...An example is the screen writers strike - this is 100% related to collecting their share of the moneys that are being gleaned when their material is shown/played on line  There are many applications to this issue, computer-run shows one of them. I for one am SOOO looking forward to leaving my discs in their cases and using a mouse instead!

K

Shame on me for what? Taking disc that I purchased and and putting them on a hard drive. How is this any different than a CAVS machine or a karaoke Jukebox?
I will still have a player and my disc with me at my shows. How am I affecting the way you run your shows? With your disc and player? I purchased all of the disc I did not download them or buy a preloaded hard drive. If you are against all or any shows using laptops or computers then get a life.

Hundreds upon hundreds of working karaoke hosts using computers belie your statement.

How you interpret the law is one thing -- you can say "you can't", but I will tell you "they do".

Computer KJs are here to stay and there is no way to stop it.

The ones that don't get upgraded to computer, will soon sit at home and play with their....discs.

I'm not making the rules.   Computer is the way to go.  Not everyone wants to be illegal on purpose, but it's a matter of being and staying competitive and saving money.

It's the only way that you have to protect your musical investment.  Discs don't last forever.  I have a pile of junk ones to prove it.  Many can not be replaced because they are out of print.  So if you have a better alternative than a hard drive to preserve those delicate discs, let's hear it.  I can think of none.   If you think your discs will last forever....you better look at them real close.

Making a copy of a CD is just as illegal as ripping it to a hard drive.    CDs will become obsolete before hard drives.  Or other mass storage devices.

If the disc companies were worried about your investment, they would use a higher quality blank CD.  I would be willing to pay a little extra for a long lasting high quality disc.  That won't happen.  Maybe they know they rot away and it's job security for them to use the cheapest ones they can find.  You're paying for it.  They aren't.

I will not stand back and let my investment disintegrate.  When you have a perfectly good, alternative.

You know what...pretend i never said anything and just keep playing wih your discs...Your competition will love you for it.  :O  

As they wave goodbye to you in the rear view mirror.

Your customers will be asking why you don't have this song and that song anymore.  You will have to tell them you can't buy it anymore and the disc it was on is ruined.  I don't necessarily mean from being scratched or cracked.  But these are the 2 most likely.

Does the law say that you are not allowed to protect your investment?  Are they worried about the millions of dollars that we collectively have spent?   I'm not going to throw thousands of hard earned dollars away, without trying to protect it or them.

I'm not selling my hard drive, i'm just using it for myself.

Again, all, although she may be against computer users in general, the ones that DO purchase their discs PER computer & not multirig them, or download or buy 100K preloaded drives & do your your shows for respectable prices  and not $50-75 per night aren't what she is po'd at.
She is losing jobs not because of computers per se, but the people who downloaded & multirig & buy 100k preloaded hard drives & charge $50-75 per night.  I am willing to bet this is what she truly hates about them.  The same thing was going on before the computer shows in the mid 90's when cd copiers came out and had cdg capable - back then there was no one running computers, but they could still obtain these illegal libraries (obviously not to the scale of todays piracy) & charge less because they didn't pay for originals, but these had nothing to do with computerized shows.
I charge the same with my computer as I did with my discs.  A computer does not make a show any better, but it can make an illegal library obtainable for pennies on the dollar (so the company/hack don't need to charge anything to the bar) as opposed to people that work hard & purchase discs for full price.  I know of at least one company out here that will download a song at the show if you want it.  Can't get anymore compliant than that - illegal as hell as it is done through P2P, but hard to compete with legally.

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I believe that computers make a show less costly in one way -- transport. Instead of two to three rackspaces of CDG player, and several cases of disks, you have one laptop.

Someone can put together a great-sounding show for a small venue with one rack, a laptop, a music stand with an LCD monitor, and 60 pounds of speakers. It all fits in a car -- no van necessary. Setup time is ten minutes.

I know a couple of KJs operating in this way, one of whom uses a pair of B212A active speakers *permanently installed* at the gig. A mixer bag, a laptop, a wireless mic, and a couple wired mics for the KJ and duets. Setup in nothing flat.

One of the reasons we switched to active speakers is neither my partner nor I are getting any younger (both in our 50s, he at one end, I at the other <wink wink>) and hefting those big speakers and full-sized subs was just getting ridiculous. With our soon-to-be complete switchover (well on the way to having my entire library copied to hard drive) and the active speakers and sub, we'll be way streamlined and have a lot more energy at the end of our work week.  The lighter the better. We will, however, continue to carry the CDG player in the rack with the board, and the Tascam burner, and have our disc collection accessible in case of computer malfunction. I won't be going home early because I don't have access to the music!  :)

This is the same blah, blah, blah ... take 5,328.  Sounds to me like kameragurl is new to all of this.  

The laws are clearly fuzzy, if they weren't the illegals would be prosecuted.  I've only heard of a couple of cases where the RIAA did anything to a KJ, and it was probably at the insistence of some RIAA agent's wife (who didn't get to sing as much as she wanted one drunk night at the show in question).   How many years has karaoke been around, how many KJ's have their been?  And I think I heard from my grandma that the RIAA is hiring Blackwater to start a major underground campaign against illegal karaoke shows - starting in Tomball, TX.  Yeah, something about a couple of complaints some local female KJ filed in connection with her inability to get a gig.  They said they'd finally heard it all and needed to act swiftly.  It shouldn't take them more than 50-60 billion and 10-20 years tied up in court to get through Texas before they move on.  Isn't the RIAA corrupt?  

WAKE UP PEOPLE!  

We don't generate enough revenue for anyone with any power to do anything realistic.  Karaoke doesn't kill people, and beverage houses are great community business partners.  Kameragurl - welcome to the club, and as the Marlboro Man presumably used to say - Cowgirl Up!!!

Most of the actual prosecuted cases have been dealt with actual multirigging & selling of loaded ahrd drives, there has not yet been a case of a company that purchases their discs to transfer to computer yet.  Still waiting to see one of those cases myself.

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I've been to shows where a KJ's are making  phone calls because their computers lock up or their hard drives mess up. Hmmmmm. Maybe a manufacturer is working.

I really believe that if a Kj does a good show , with disks or a computer they should not have a major problem booking shows. we have karaoke shows around here who will do a show for $75 or less. you get what you pay for! most bars have realised that a $200 show that is well run with good sound is going to cost them less in the long run than the $75 show.
  I personally believe that the reason you have such a hard time booking shows is similar to the reasons many of the long established shows around here are now struggling.  15 years ago karaoke was not known for quality sound. there were a few shows with really good sound , but most used poor PA systems. Poor speakers , radio shack microphones, disks that skipped, and TONS of FEEDBACK!! people who still do shows this way are lucky to make $75 a night. Add to this the fact that many who have done this for many years are now really just going through the motions week to week. and I get why they struggle to get shows. you obviously have a large investment in your disk system. disks have there technical issues but if you are happy with them, they ARE legal. keep using em. I would say that if you are still using the same old mics, mixer, speakers , cables ect that you used even 5 or 7 years ago you would be well advised to upgrade.
    I run an energetic, up beat and fun show with top notch sound equipment and good music. the last thing in the world I would do is compete with the "average" shows on price. I can charge more and still leave the bar with more profit also. so if you read up here on ways to make yourself the best around your area you will also no longer have to worry how cheap the hacks are. people do still appreciate quality no matter where you go. I am one of the highest priced shows around. Im also the most busy in around 30 to 40 miles. good business practice and marketing make a huge difference. its 2008, things that worked 15 years ago do not work the same now. there are a ton of people on here who are really good at what they do and who are happy to give you guidance to improve what you do. Im pretty sure we are all sick of reading that it is computer hostings fault that you are struggling. you are much more likely to improve yourself than to get ascap riia and bmi to put your compettitor out of business.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Seems like you just don't like Digital KJ's whether they purchased all their music or not ?

Fact:  There are some bars that just won't pay more than $75-$100per night

If you are looking to be a pro KJ instead of a whining wannabe - FORGET about your obession with KJ's who use computers and start thinking about HOW to get some work...if that is indeed what you want.  If you can prove to a bar owner that YOU and YOUR SHOW is better and you can generate MORE profit ..then DO IT !!  bars will PAY MORE if you can show that you are worth it ( not $200 more but $25-$50)

This obession with LEGALITY has been beaten to death -- I ask  you are you 100% legal in ALL  YOU DO IN LIFE?   Never go over the speed limit when you drive? I'm not talking 100mph over maybe 5-10mph over ?  I would like to follow you and report you the police every time you do.   How about your TAXES  maybe someone should report you to the IRS as I'm sure you (like many) probably STRETCH the truth just a little on your income tax...   Then again maybe your are the exception and never do ANYTHING wrong in life .........Wake up Cinderella its MIDNIGHT