Karaoke Forums

Hi to all,

I'm sure this topic has been well covered...but never resolved. Can we use laptops ..do we need all our originals (or our legal copies within arms reach). If we don't have them with us, do we have a certain amount of time to produce them? I would just as soon not bring all of my cdg's with me (theft, damage, weight,etc.), but if I have to have them, then I will. Any thoughts?

I am new to doing shows but very familiar with all other aspects of karaoke. I am far from a newbie, but I am a caucious newbie in the business side of things. I have worked far too hard to put my hard work of converting and organizing all my music to have one the "karaoke cops" take my equipment. I know there are alot of computer kj's out there, and there are still alot of kj's that still swear by cdg's. How many of the forum members use discs and how many use laptops?

Enough for tonight, hope to hear from many of you soon.

mrmarog

I can't think of a single show that's been "audited" (for want of a better word)... but I personally feel that YES, you MUST own and can prove your discs that are in your digital format are ALSO in possession. Secured SOMEHOW, either with you or in a safe at home or bank or whatever...

Agree with Matt, also have not really heard of anyone being audited - it's technically illegal anyway, but if there was a grey area, i'd rather have my hard proof. I have all my discs on the premises however I am also stationary 7 nights. If I were mobile I would still bring them (in a cd coffin with casters for easy moving) to have them with me for not only proof of owning them, but for back up purposes.

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A case could be made that even karaoke from disks is illegal. Public performance of a copyrighted work etc.

The way I read the law, making a copy of a karaoke song is illegal for any purpose except study. This includes back-up copies. "Temporary" copies are allowed but only for the purpose of making them easier to play (this seems to be a loophole allowing computerized karaoke.) But, the long and the short of it is that the same copy of the copyright work (karaoke song) can't be in two places at once so you do have to bring your disks along.

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Okay, who took my pants?

Yes IF the club isn't paying their publishing fees.

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In my opinion it is better safe than sorry. If you are planning on going pc based keep your CDG library tucked away somewhere.

We have several KJs on the board that use both methods. I don't think one is better than another. Going pc I think is much easier though when running a show.

The argument if it's legal has been hashed over here a lot. We have even had lawyers chime in. If you want to read lengthy discussions about the subject check out the search feature on the forum.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Good call, Babs....

Until some of these 100,000 song hard-drive pirates get busted, I'll continue to run my legal, format-shifted CDG to laptop show. Can't worry about it anymore...I believe the chances of the busts ever happening is pretty well zip, zero, nada.

I have both my CDs with me at all times..

Hi again,
I am not going to be a post and run guy on my "first" Karaoke Forum post. Thanks for all the good reassuring feed back. I have spent more time in prepation for this moment to go out there a get a show going than maybe some of you have been alive (20 plus years). I've seen alot of changes in all aspects of this business and I've always tried to keep up with the changes. That alone probably postponed my being a KJ by at least 10 years.

Now that I have started, I have this new fear of not doing things right, and of course I'm referring to "laptop computerized karaoke". I think it is way to big to stop now, and I really love running my show this way...so I guess I'll just keep moving foreward like I have always done and try to relax.

My CDG's will never be far away!

Mrmarog

I would imagine one could keep receipts of purchase in a special wallet in your gig case.

Only if you bought them through a store source. I know I bought several just either through private sales online or people bringing me in their discs asking if I want to buy any of them. Most of these do not give receipts.

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and what do you do about the ones you've sold (Lonnie sold me one)... do you still have the ability to claim the disc even though you have the ONE receipt?

To me, having the physical disc IS the ONLY way to prove ownership. That poor soul that posted on here a while back about all his cdgs being stolen... ugh!

Hey Lon,

Where's that dead horse emoticon?

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

I do know of a dj (not karaoke that uses a laptop for his show and was "audited" in Pa he was given a paper telling him to prove he has all of his playlist on cds or else he would be fined $1000 per song that he didn't have . Luckily for him he was an honest dj and did have all of his cds home

It's only a matter of time for karaoke dj to have these same 'audits'!

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

My DJ'ing library is very extensive and has grown from my own CD purchases and on-line documented purchases. It takes a while to build it this way but I'd be the first to suggest an audit if someone was suggesting I had done it any way but honestly. Same goes for our karaoke music. I actually bought a laptop from a guy who previously ran a show with it. It had some (not a lot) of karaoke music already on it and I immediately deleted it from the computer as I had no hard copies to prove ownership (the laptop was a 'throw-in' on a deal for other things - didn't end up with it for any other reason). I don't even use that laptop for hosting but rather for DJ'ing anyway but I know there are people who would have been painfully tempted to use music they had not legally purchased. It's the nature of the pirate beast.

k