Karaoke Forums

1. Do you bring your own CDGs with you when you go out to a show?
a. If yes, how many discs do you usually bring with you?

2. If you bring discs with you, are they originals or burns?
a. If they are burns, are they complete burns of an original disc, or are they only compilations of songs that you sing (custom CDGs purchased would be counted as the latter)?

1. I bring my own discs with me when I go out to a show.
a. Years ago, I used to bring my entire library with me when I went out. This consisted of between 300-400 discs at that time. They were all originals. Eventually, I got tired of doing this (for various reasons which I don't need to get into right now), so I now bring about 10 discs with me when I go out.

2. The discs that I bring with me are burns.
a. I burned several discs that are song compilations of what I sing (from my library).

*** Footnote added after reading the 1st 14 replies) ***
I tend to avoid PC run shows if I know that they can not/will not accommodate my personal discs. I have also found that these people that claim to "have everything" still don't seem to have some of the songs that I like to sing. Now, realistically speaking, I don't expect you to "Have Everything," but, I also feel you should not lay claim to that when it's not true... That is another reason why I bring my own discs with me to a show.

CDG's will soon be part of the past just like 8 track tapes, cassettes, beta, laser discs etc... The new karaoke cd+g players have card readers on them so you can play music off a SD card. There are clubs now that allow the karaoke singers to purchase a SD card and pay for any song they want to download from mp3gmusic.com. They of course get a printed reciept for their purchase. If the patron wants to pay for and download a song for the club he or she receives a free beer. Once again there is a printed receipt for the purchase which goes into the house log book. And of course for computer friendly home singers the music they download from home can fit anywhere on their SD card be brought into a club and played.
If you haven't seen the new introduction of SD card products at the CES show in vegas, take a look and I think you will see where things are going.

PS. By the way I have (8) used karaoke players (low usage) for sale $49.00 plus S&H just put out new ones with card readers if interested PM me.

I also bring about a dozen or so compilation discs(burns obviously) with me when I go to karaoke. Lately I have found that quite a few shows are running karaoke from a laptop and have no ability, or maybe just no desire to play a customer's disc so I usually avoid those shows. Some of these KJs claim to have EVERY song out there so they have no need for a disc player(wrong) and some just don't want to be bothered with discs at all. I have purchased some tracks from SBI(Bruce songs) that no one else has around here and I can't sing them at these computer only shows unless I bring them on a thumb drive and "donate" them to the KJ by allowing him or her to place them on their respective hard drives; so I mainly just go to shows that still use discs. I guess someday it will get to the point where I just won't be able to sing these songs anywhere but at home. Thank god there are still some KJs out there that are NOT very computer savvy.

I bring a couple of compilation discs (burns) and just recently started to also bring a usb flash drive for those computer only shows.
If they refuse to play either, I don't make a big deal about it, just look in their book for something to sing and have a good time.

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

I always bring my own discs unless I know it's a show that won't play them (and rarely attend those shows more than the first time since maybe 1 in 10 has the songs I do). I usually just bring my whole CD wallet (about 40 discs), but, the reality is, I probably stick to the same 5 or 6 discs. I'd burn a compilation and just take one or two discs, but then it gets into the question of legality and who would or wouldn't play them.

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"I hold the key to an open door....will I ever be free...?"

Yeah, I've heard that one before too.

I haven't tried bringing my own discs--maybe I should start. I don't have a whole lot of discs yet, though.

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I love being a mom!

When I venture out to sing on others' systems, I carry 5-6 CDGs with me - originals, not burns. I've never had luck with those shows where they say they have "everything - just ask." I sing obscure music at times (old blues, etc.) and it isn't possible for even the best pirate to have everything. The one show I do frequent because the host is very skilled and the clientele is a little more serious is on a Thurs night and she uses a CAVS and CDG player and she has never questioned playing my stuff for me.

The reason I chose MTU Hoster was for the ability to play others' CDGs for them. I have a few singers who have their own comps because they have their own biz and like to come and sing at my show. One such couple burns comps because she is wheelchair bound and obviously for them to carry around a huge case with them would be ludicrous. I don't question it, I play their comps for them.

The sophistication level of singers varies so much - there are people who have yet to even venture to a karaoke show, to the very extreme, those who know all the ins and outs of all the manus. A good host will be prepared to deal with all - offer a quick explanation about why there is more than one version of a song in the book, to how we can use their CDG but it by loading it temporarily, we don't retain a copy, etc., etc.

Where we used to go as patrons, the host rarely updated his book so everyone just brought their own discs. Some people even made lists so others could borrow them. So that's how I thought it worked and always got my own discs.

I still bring my own these days because I am a "new" singer and it is easier for me to always have the same version. My boyfriend and I each had wallets, mine with about 20 discs and his with a collection of 10 years. His was lost/stolen last year. Now all of our CD&Gs are incorporated into our business so we have to select out just a few if we go to another show. It has been a milestone in my "singing" that I have recently dared to do songs from the host's book but it's sort of shakey and I am often disappointed in the version.

Almost all of our CD&Gs that we brought to shows were the original purchases including some customs from Sound Choice, My CDG, etc. The boyfriend did have two burned discs where he made compilations of his most-sung songs from discs he had bought but those were old and we don't do that any more just to avoid suspicion. We haven't encountered a show that can't/won't play CDGs yet but we are in sort of a backward area.

We plan to keep that capability in our own shows just to accomodate those people who have been collecting their own CD&Gs over the years. But so far the only ones with their own have been other hosts visiting our show plus one guy with a Pearl Jam collection. My boyfriend is very computer savy and the "song on demand" thing is very intriguing so we will probably do some sort of computer addition once we are more established.

Yup, with one exception, I always bring my discs. They are usually full back-ups of the mfrs. discs, though I do have 2 compilation discs.

As a kid I was a pretty darn good full range singer, but as I've gotten older I have had to be more careful with song choices and keys. Too many years with speakers in my ears... The exception is if I go to my friend Alan Carpet's show. I know he has my versions, and I trust his skills as well. I believe he is a better host than I am ( Cueball, THAT'S the guy you want to go see. Maybe you and I can go annoy him one night.. )

I won't sing at computer shows unless the MFR. numbers are in the book and I recognize the version. A book using the host's personal code is completely useless to me. I will sometimes ask of the version, and have been lied to outright. Forget it.

Even if they will play my disc there is another problem. Some hosts use only software for mixing, and can only mix their MP3 tracks. Anything from the CDG player can only be played unmixed. No key or effects adjustment. I've run into this 3 or 4 times.

I have also handed my disc to a host, only to have him start playing his MP3 version because it's "better". That's my cue to get up and leave.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

When I do go to a show I've never brought my own discs. I mean how many songs are you people singing in one night ? 3 or 4 ? Personally could never see bringiing my discs to s show ..UNLESS you are singing something unusual that most people do not carry. Now as a KJ I do NOT offer the ability to play customer cdgs.

Completely agree here. A number with no manu is worthless. But I have seen this in all disc based shows as well. A friend of mine runs his show like that, new discs just get added to the end of the line & numbered accordingly. Can't tell what is what & he lists everything as well. I try to ask him why, hiw main response was to make the book look bigger, 2nd was to allow people to have their choice. Well sorry to say 5 versions of a song listed without being able to decipher the manu isn't a choice, it's a confusion.



Which is partly why software only to run a show - no mixers, etc. are not that great.



Do you mean they played their own version - different manu than yours? Or they played the same song, same manu as yours but played it from their file instead of your disc? I will do that if I know it's the same manu & version is identical to the disc they handed me. If not, their disc is played everytime, I wouldn't think of pushing a different version on anyone.

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Here's a weird one. I use my own custom CDG at our own show, even though we have the same song, same manufacturer in our book. Reason? My custom version (Hot Hot Hot--Sound Choice) has a 4 beat lead in and our book version (Sound Choice Foundation) has a 3 beat lead in!?! If those background singers get in the first "Ole" without me, I'm done. Serious singers seem able to cope with anything but we recreational singers need our familiar versions.

Until about a year ago, i bring along the whole lot of my karaoke collection with me whenever I go to sing. In many place my collection of disc is more than than that of the pub. Now I just bring along a few (maybe 10 original) and 2 to 3 compilation discs that I burn.
I almost never go out to sing without my discs.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

OH MY HECK!!!!,,,,Are some of you that "offended" when someone doesn't have "exactly" the same version of a song that you are used to? I mean, it's only recreational singing,,,not for money, or for fame. It's supposed to be fun. To bring your own discs is OK by me anytime, really. But if someone is so stubborn to sing only one particular version of a song, or else they leave, then I believe they have other issues to talk about with a professional shrink or something. Yes, when I do go singing at someone elses show, which happens very seldom (way to busy), I will sing whatever is available at that show. I used to bring a few discs with me, just because I knew the other person didn't have the song I was trying to sing or learn. But no more of that, it's just not worth the headaches or worry. Come on people..get a grip on reality here. Karaoke is supposed to be a good time, not a place to get all huffy just because you can't sing a certain version of a certain song.

Ok,,,just me ranting. I'm not that weirde out or anything..hehe.

Understand your point; however, if I make the effort to go out and sing, I want to make sure I get the most bang for my buck, and if that means singing something I want to sing, instead of whatever is available, then I'll do that by bringing my own. If, however, I do see the version of my song (if they even have it) I'll leave the CDG at the table. I don't like to take them particularly, as I worry about leaving them if I get distracted but, again, it's that bang for the buck deal.

k

Offense may be the word some use but for me, I am just not good enough to do ANY version but I can sometimes overachieve by practicing a certain version a 100 times and then taking that version in. If I mess up, I laugh or improvise, no big deal but sometimes when you just LOVE a song, it is much more fun to have a good reproduction backing you and not a midi-ized version. I guess some people just love the MUSIC itself along with the fun of karaoke so they enjoy having what they think is a good version.

That's ridiculous! If you were to hand me a disc to play, the only reason I would not play it, were if I knew I had the SAME version... and I would then hand your disc back to you. I would leave a place like that to (if they did that to me).

Go and try singing "Come Sail Away on Music Maestro some time, and then bring your version of Sound Choice with you. The music is NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT, not to mention that Music Maestro did the 45 cut, and not the full song (like Sound Choice did).

Yes... It's recreational singing, and I like top ENJOY what I sing for MY recreation. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whatever happened to "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" ? A KJ's job is to make the singers happy; including the ones who bring their own discs to a show. If the KJ can't or won't provide that service to the people that keep him employed, he should be in another business.....and should NOT get annoyed when people go to a different karaoke show instead. I want to sing the songs that I bought and practiced. I don't want to be limited by what the KJ bought; especially the KJ's that got into the business by buying every four dollar disc that was for sale. I don't expect a KJ to own every single song that someone might want to sing but I do expect him to be able to play a disc that any customer might bring in. For a KJ to assume that every singer should be satisfied with his collection of songs is arrogant at best. A lot of KJ's these days are running shows from a hard drive they bought with tens of thousands of songs on it. The problem is that many of them bought these hard drives a few years ago and haven't bought a new song since. They feel that since they have 70,000 songs, no one should want to sing a song that they don't have. Some of them even expect you to just let them copy your new songs so they won't have to buy them. I went to one show where they KJ advertised in his song book that he would burn a disc for any customer for two dollars per song. Every time I would go to his show with a new disc, he would ask me for a FREE copy of my disc. One time I told him that I would give him the disc for two dollars per song and he got angry with me. Apparently everyone should pay but him.