Karaoke Forums

My moral high ground is likely lower than many others. I have shifted my stance over time and become much more critical and decisive about the karaoke manufacturers. But I still don't cross the line into the smear campaign that you and your other half have perpetuated for as long as I have been on these forums.

You expend all of this time and energy with what seems to be the sole purpose of destroying Sound Choice and all who are or have affiliated with them. Yet you refuse to get involved with combatting piracy in your community where you could have a material impact. So applying your double standards philosophy, you are willing to hold the manufacturer to a standard that you don't expect your fellow KJ's to adhere to.

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-Chris

How do you know what standard I hold pirates in my community to, and what I do here to combat them?

Getting back to your other accusation...There has been no smear campaign here except the one against us. I can't tell you how many times we've been attacked for pointing out the truth about the manufacturers that no one wanted to hear. Some of them have even come from you.

Moving right along...

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Birdofsong

Personally I don't see how anyone can claim the morale high ground save the clear owners of the original underlying material. If it is true that no karaoke host can obtain full permission to operate their service business, then isn't it a fact that all that have been operating or involved in such a service, have been operating illegally? Some might have made the effort and spent the money thinking they were working legally, that doesn't change the fact that full proper permission is impossible for the average host to achieve.

Because "he who shall not be named" gave your stance on combatting piracy in early discussions on this very forum.



And what has your anti-karaoke manufacturer campaign accomplished? It doesn't benefit KJ's or even the greater karaoke community at all.

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-Chris

On the other hand what has the pro-karaoke manufacturer campaign you support accomplished? Is it really benefiting KJ's or even the greater karaoke community at all? When you consider there are today more total pirate karaoke operations than when the recovery process started, where is it's positive effect? Also now the publishers are getting into the act, they even have more standing as far as suing over use of host library content than the legal recovery manus. This should concern you Chris since you are many times more possibly exposed to legal suits than the single host running his single rig.

If it is true that all karaoke service business's have been running illegally all these years, and the rights owners push for their legal rights, won't this cause most hosts being litigated out of existence? If the net effect of the manu legal process is to have the publishers eventually stop all public performances of karaoke, this will indeed have an impact on the industry. Not the one you wanted since you have placed all your eggs in the entertainment basket, and quit your day job.

Voldemort?

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Birdofsong

I believe it was a Yeti of some sort....

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-Chris

Sooooooooo predictable. Yawn.

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Birdofsong

Not productive, Chris. From you I kind of expect better. Why not just debate different views with facts? Insults are just distractions from a weak position, an old debating tactic.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

And not only that, but I find it quite interesting to see that in a "Battle of Wits" against Birdofsong, Chris hasn't received 1 "Like", yet Bird has received several. I think Chris is losing in that war.

This isn't a war, and I could care less about "likes". I am not here to be liked or to like anyone else (though I do like many of you). I am here to learn as well as inform. I am interested in opinions and express my own. Sometimes that includes butting heads with people that contribute exactly zero positive information to the forums.

birdofsong may be getting liked more than I for this little jab fest, but I don't recall seeing any information that has been useful to the everyday KJ being posted by here in that last year or more. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple more people that fall into this same boat, but I take particular issue with the Staley's animosity toward the karaoke companies, Sound Choice in particular. The Staley's have done more to polarize this forum that just about anyone else and even with the absence of Chip, the seething disdain still lingers and continues to corrupt this place. So maybe the Voldemort reference wasn't so far off.

I have no issue with anyone that wants to express an opinion. But I can only watch a one trick pony perform so many times before I know exactly what will be done.

I have said it before - It's a shame that the Staley's, with their long history in the karaoke world, seem so bitter and don't have anything positive to say about this fantastic job we do.

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-Chris

Take as much issue as you as you like, Chris. Although I haven't been here much over the last year, I am doing my best to try to respond in other areas, as well. I feel it is important to stand up for what I believe in. If it offends you, or you somehow otherwise take exception, then that's something you're going to have to deal with. It has always been important to express both sides of this issue. The difference between you and me, is that I allow you to express yours without calling you names like Yeti. The cheerleaders' constant name calling to anyone who disagrees with them is the single most polarizing issue on this forum.don't try to deflect and make it all about me. I never called anyone a pirate or a Yeti or FUD just because I disagreed with them.

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Birdofsong

POLARIZATION IS A GOOD THING WHEN YOU OPEN UP A FORUM. If everyone agreed on everything, there would be no need for a forum. Someone would post an opinion and everyone else would just type Ditto! and be gone. Unfortunately, for Chris and the other cheer leaders; they are in the very small minority of karaoke hosts who think that their way is the only way that karaoke should be done. The other 90% of karaoke hosts disagree. The reason you don't hear from that majority is that they are not interested in being called names and they don't want to draw any attention to their less than approved way of running their businesses. Why would a KJ who is competing against Chris come on this forum and antagonize the guy who would drop a dime on him in a heartbeat? Any KJ who would come here and defend the pirates would be assumed to be guilty of being a pirate himself. That is the usual treatment around here. Chris wants to create a forum where only certified Sound Choice hosts are allowed to post their opinions so they can live in a fantasy world where everyone thinks just like they do. They have lost the battle in every way imaginable and they don't like it so they want to come here and commiserate with each other and ban any posters that disagree with their philosophy of what karaoke SHOULD BE. Ban the posters and delete the posts and pay no attention to the men behind the curtain.

None of this is even true.

First, There is a difference between piracy at the KJ level and what the manufacturers allegedly do. I have expressed my reasons why I feel this is true and why I take KJ's to task for piracy but don't bother with the manufacturers. I also take issue with people that beat up the manufacturers for something they can't do anything about when they could be doing something about piracy at the KJ level. People are free to spend their energy where they wish and they are also free to express their opinions. My opinion is that the folks that focus on the manufacturers have their priorities out of whack.

Second, do you really mean this?



Because it seems idiotic to me for anyone to defend piracy at all. Even the anti-SC folks aren't pro-piracy. They are simply against SC methodology. Anyone who pirates or supports pirates though is a complete fool and a thief.

Third, I do not push SC certifications. I support SC for asking for them though. But it is entirely an individual decision as to whether you get certified for media-shifting. At one point I was much more hard line about this, but I long ago softened my position. You know this, but conveniently overlook it just so you can chime in and try to land a punch.

What I want is a forum where people are providing help to fellow KJ's. Preferably without all the legal mumbo jumbo. I also have very little tolerance for obvious stupidity that flies in the face of facts, and deductive reasoning. The one trick ponies that can't stay on topic without an "Oh Yea?!?!?! When someone else did this and they are exactly the same!" defense are the ones that grind me the most (which by the way, means you).

Finally, "ban the posters". If I recall correctly, there has only been a single permanent ban in recent history - Chip. I don't believe anyone asked for that to happen. I certainly didn't though I think the forum is better off for it. The "management" gave their view on the decision. He did it to himself. No one else was responsible for that.

There has only been one temporary ban in recent history - I believe that was you. I don't know if anyone asked for that one or not. I certainly didn't. But again, I didn't miss you while you were gone. Instead of blaming everyone else for your vacation, look at yourself. You are harsh, unseemly, sometimes offensive, and pro-piracy. If anything you should have gotten a permanent ban (though I am not asking for one with that statement).

My philosophy on karaoke is this - Positively promote it and pay for it. Do just those two things and practically everyone will view you as a decent person. Any issues beyond that can easily be worked through and won't cause nearly the same kind of dust ups.

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-Chris

I guess I must be a fool and a thief then, because I support some "Pirates" by attending some of their shows.

Once again I am calling you out on making GENERALIZED STATEMENTS which lump everybody into 1 category.

Call me out all you like, I am not the one supporting pirate shows.

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-Chris

I'm not pro-piracy. I'm apathetic about piracy. I don't care how the local KJ gets his music. It is not my job to police the karaoke industry to protect people like you Chris. Your holier than thou mentality makes me wish for whatever the opposite thing is that you wish for. Chip has been banned for his stance on piracy and Sound Choice's futile efforts to stop it. I've been called more names on this forum than I have thrown out at anyone else yet I am the one who gets banned while the homophobic name callers get a tiny little slap on the wrists. Chip and I have have made our view points very clear when it comes to Sound Choice and piracy. We have served our suspensions while none of the cheer leaders ever have to. The Cheer leaders are bullet proof and the anti-cheer leaders are not. Why would anyone else bother to step up and voice their opinions knowing full well that only certain opinions are considered viable while other opinions are considered so offensive that they will get you banned from the forum? It's just safer to keep your mouth shut to appease the Sound Choice Gods of Karaoke. You may ban everyone who disagrees with you and Kurt but all of those people will still be out there in the real world doing many more karaoke shows than you will ever be able to do. 90 % of all KJs are said to be pirates of one form or another. Are we all supposed to boycott those shows just to make you happy, Chris? Are we all supposed to drive 3 times as far to find a "legitimate" karaoke show?

Should I have to go to a Joe Chartreuse show because he's the only guy around who still plays discs; regardless of how far his shows are or what kind of a dive bar they may be in? A big part of the karaoke experience is convenience. Spending extra time and money to satisfy some whiner out on the west coast just isn't going to happen. 10% of the karaoke hosts in the country give a crap about piracy. 90% of the karaoke hosts and 100% of the karaoke singers don't give it a second thought. Chew on that for a bit.

I will go to whatever show I want to (regardless of whether a Pirate is running the show or not). There are many reasons why I choose to go one place as vs another (location, parking, prices, atmosphere, other friends attending (and many other reasons)). That does NOT make me a fool or a thief, and I resent your GENERALIZATION of such (whether you care or not!!!).

Chris has made my point for me. He insults Cueball, A "Sound Choice Certified Host" for admitting that he goes to shows that are hosted by pirates. That is why most people don't bother to post on this subject. Case Closed!

Cueball. You should stay home unless you can find a karaoke show that Chris approves of. Make sure that you pay for him to audit your social life.

No, only pirate manufacturers.

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Birdofsong