Karaoke Forums

So for quite a while (actually 2 years, I think ) I've been just adding sheets in the front of my book instead of redoing the entire thing. That was my plan when I started using Hoster (almost two years ago now... ) Well, today I consolidated all the add-ins along with some new music that arrived today. Would you believe just a tad 900 songs? So I'm thinking, 900 songs = at LEAST $900. So what comes to mind? How simple it is for the local pirate to jump on line, download a bunch of free music....then doesn't redo the book.

Book duty is something I abhor, but if I don't have good books, people don't know what I have or don't have, and what they can and can't sing. So I spent 4 hours today doing that. Now I have to "sleeve" the pages...

Oh why must I be diligent? I just finished the work I was SUPPOSED to be doing while I was working on the karaoke book and it is midnight...

RANT OFFICIALLY OVER

k

I've been putting off updating my books for quite awhile. I've been really bad and haven't even added "update" pages! I plan on doing it very soon. But then I did say that a few months ago, too. It does get expensive as well. I need to buy some new binders as well as a new toner cartridge. Now THAT'S what's really been putting me off. Not wanting to buy the cartridge. So darn expensive. Ah well! I'll have to bite the bullet sooner or later. Might as well be sooner. You've inspired me!

I do updates to my books every 3 months and put them in the front of the book. I redo my books at the 1st of the year. Last year cost me $320 at Office Depot. Books suck. I don't use plastic sheets. I use three ring binders and invest in those hole repair thingys.

Book? What is this thing you speak of?

Actually, been there, done that.... BUT, after hearing how much everyone enjoys being their own "publisher" of sorts with updates, reprints, new bindings, repairs, etc. just exactly how much does your book(s) REALLY costs you?

It's obviously not just the supplies; the paper, toner, binders, sleeves, yadda yadda, but how much of tyour TIME do you have to devote each year to keeping together an attractive and clean set of books that are usable in clubs and perhap private parties.

Be honest.... Kinko's will NOT make your books for $5.00 each and it doesn't count if you're somehow misappropriating supplies or services --copied with office copier at your work or some such arrangement...

So, based on the costs you have to shell out (including your time which is valuable), divided by the number of books you use, what is the REAL per unit costs for each of your printed books?

Is it $10, $12, $15, or more?

My karaoke library runs about 13K and I have 4 folders A_K, L-Z Spanish and new, As I add they go into new. For new sheets I just import the new folder and use Song List Creator to print new sheets. .

Once a year I replace the binders that are broke. Move the new songs into the perm folders and print 2 column books. It is time consuming but I reuse the sheet protectors and restuff. I now have a mono laser and a color laser printer and get toner refill on Ebay. The cost is minimal.

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Diafel, at least toner has a much lower per-page cost than ink... true??

I just had to get my books done for a gig, half way through my printer locked up... 3 books cost me $30 at Kinko's... worst part... half of them got wet at the gig when it started to rain and party guests had left them on tables not under the tent!!!

I am contemplating using a remote, computer based, look-up / sign-up feature included in the book program I use (Karaoke Song Book Pro). Supposedly I can set-up a second computer that the singers can use to look-up songs, select them, and send them to my screen for me to enter them in rotation rather than dealing with books and slips.

I just updated my books, also. I use a FastTracks software, a Samsung laser printer, 3 ring binders and sheet protectors. I have just over 200 pages in the singer books with most of the duplicates weeded out. I print 4 artist books and 2 song title books for the singers and an artist and song title book for me which includes all the duplicate songs. Paper was about $13. Toner cartridge $22. I already had the binders and sheet protectors. It took about an hour to stuff each book. I multi-task by doing this all while watching TV.

The real time consuming task is proofreading. While FastTracks is supposed to provide standardized naming of songs and artists, I find quite a few duplicates when printing and then go back to the program to fix those manually.

3 books for $30? Wow, what a deal? Staples is a .08 a copy, and my books are 191 pages long.

Now I do do things a bit differently than most. I don't use binders and plastic sheet protectors. I have two sheets of heavy card stock laminated, on being the cover which I've printed with my logo and date. I print one or two books every two months. When a book gets really bad looking I just toss it.

Doing it this way, I've been adding about two pages every update. For example, the last update was 188 pages, and the new one is 191 pages.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

What are you using to bind them, karaoke koyote?

Yep. Kind of a pain to lug aroud but once you've tried it you won't go back. It takes a little while for the crowd to get used to the kiosk but after that you can kiss the slips goodbye.

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Okay, who took my pants?

Like Koyote, I just laminate the front and back covers of my books. No 3 ring binders, no sheet protectors. My books are 204 pages. Light weight, and easy to carry around, and cheaper. They have spiral binding instead of the three ring holes. Maybe it's the clubs I play, but I get about a year out of my books before I redo them, and they still look pretty good when the're thrown away.

Years ago I did the binder thing, and someone suggested the spiral way with laninated front and back. I thought "No way". They'll be ruined in just a few shows. I was very suprised how long they did last. Again, it may just be the clubs I play, but they DO last a long time.

I would suggest for all you binder/sheet protectors out there, try it. You might be very suprised. Again, smaller, lighter weight, cheaper, and less time consuming. To insert updates, simply unspiral, put in the update pages, and spiral again.

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My first choice IS Sound Choice.

It must be book time of the year. A large load of updates is due to arrive here also which will be consolidated with the last two month's updates. Then I'm going to attempt an edited edition of our list for the Boys and Girls Club plus a Halloween suggestions booklet. May not see daylight until Monday.

Office Max on Army Trail Rd. is even cheaper I believe.

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

I use wire spiral binding that Office Max has. I've never had a page rip out or pop out using these. Wire binding is one continual spiral. The plastic combs give me headaches.

Wire binding http://www.officemax.com/office-supplie ... t-ARS26130

I do the laminated covers too. Even using just a laminted paper page holds up.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I gotta redo my books and am dreading it.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I just redid my books a few months ago. I use my office for printing, so no cost there. I replace a few sheet protector pages (that have gotten sticky over time), so that's maybe 1 box of 200 sheets (at about $12). My books' main section are 282 pages (two-sided, so it's really 141 pages), and then there's my Specialty Section (broken down by Duets, Broadway/Movies, Spanish, Irish, TV, Christmas, Children's Songs) which is about another 40 pages.

I have 20 books, so it took me 45 minutes per each book --- Taking all of the old pages out of the book, and then putting the new pages (re-sorted with the additions now added into the original listings) into the book. So now, I have a fresh new section for additions. I just keep reprinting the new additions at the back of my books whenever I add to it.... until I'm ready to redo my books again (probably in another 2 years).

Yeah, What Babs said. I works soooo well, and the added bonus is that they are much easier to pack up at the end of the night.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

True, but it still is a large outlay all at once. My toner costs around $100 and MIGHT do my 6 books.
I can't use the toner saver feature because it just turns out too light to be able to read properly, even in brighter light.


When you say the "combs" do you mean Cerlox binding? If so, I can well imagine that the pages will rip out easily.
Thanks for the reminder about the spiral binding. We only have Staples here, and they do offer the spiral binding and the laminating and it looks like it will be cheap enough for me to go that route.
The spirals are only plastic, however. Has anyone had any problems with them or will they hold the same as the metal ones?

My original goal was 4 each of artist and song books. Plastic spiral bound (not comb bound) with laminated covers. Each had a different parody logo on the cover, with new books getting a new logo each time. Fast forward to today and I haven't printed anything for at least 6 months and am on to 2 rigs (yep, this means some songs are in the book that aren't on my HD at all, depending on the rig - downloading on the fly has saved my more than a few times!)

I'm about to start things in motion again with custom books for each rig, probably only 3 each of artist / song per rig, along with some 'menu-style' books with just the top selections in various genres as suggested in another thread. Finally the touch screen song books (you can get good deals on ebay, total machine for <$200 incl touch!) are working okay and will always be up to the second with integrated download-able songs searched from the popular sites.

- Jonn

I recently had new books printed. I have a songbook program that reads my MP3+g files ( and as long as my files are named correctly ) it will create a PDF file and Nice looking songbook. And like many programs you ceate books by artist or titles, have MANU codes or not and ommit dups etc. Once the PDF file is created I went to STAPLES ON LINE print services and put together a work order to have the books created. Clear Cover page / Colored Back Page / and anything else you want. All SPiral Bound !!! Books look nice and hold up well
The best part I didn't have to print anything just load up the PDF file and any other pages I scanned in and sent it all to my local Staples and in 2 days went to pick them up.