Karaoke Forums

I'm curious if anyone has seen a pirate karaoke outfit where the host actually did a good job and it was a good show? Seems that we assume quite often on this board that the less than legitimate hosts (hows that for PC) don't care about the quality of there show and therefore not only steal music, but also use crappy equipment and do a poor job as a host.

Has anyone ever seen a host that had the markings of a pirated song collection but otherwise ran a good show? Would we even be able to identify such a person as a pirate or would we just assume they were legitimate. My guess is a lot of our assumptions on this board about the "crappy pirates" comes from our own direct experiences but I am curious.

My thought is if there are hosts out there who otherwise care about doing a good job but still have illegal copies of music, it points to a couple things. First, I have to believe we as fellow members of the industry might have an easier time convincing them of the errors of their ways and helping them "see the light". Two, it would mean that there may be a different motive at play for why these hosts are acquiring music illegally. Third, it would mean our assumptions that we'll beat them with the quality of our shows goes out the window and they'd be more difficult to compete with (I mean honestly, isn't that the worst case scenario, a host with the same quality show that any of us produce but with a massive library we could never touch)?

So has anyone seen a host they think fits this description? Personally, I have not, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

_________________
DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I know of one. Hes a really good DJ/KJ, just doesn't have any ethics. He has one of the nicest rigs I've ever seen also. I guess its because he doesn't spend a dime on music.

But I do agree with you for the most part Tony, Pirates usually don't give a rats butt.

Mojo

_________________
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47 !"

I know of several "Pirates" in my area who put on better (quality) shows than some of the "Legit" KJs out there (and I've even attended them). And the quality of their shows have absolutely nothing to do with the amount of songs in their library. Also, some of them even command top dollar for their services (and have done so for years (even before converting to Hard Drives)).

I haven't seen one that I personally thought did a great job. Although I do know a couple that were decent 'disc' hosts that went to computer and their shows actually worsened. He no longer buys any new music like he used to, sold all his original discs after he ripped them & is very slacking in his hosting.
Funny when he ran discs, he was actually a pretty good host. Purchased monthly updates & new music. And cared in general. No longer seems that way.

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

Here are some assumptions made daily

Most PC KJ's are pirates
Kj's who use pirated music are LOUSY and have inferior equipment
Any KJ who charges less than "I" do MUST be a pirate and therefore INFERIOR


All pirates are not crappy and all LEGITIMATE KJ's are not good

Not all PC kj's - i'm sure there are those who just ripped what they actually own from original discs to PC only, but yes many I would agree with your assumption list.
Again, I personally haven't seen a good kj using pirated music & never once seen good equipment nor the knowledge to use what they actually do have, but i'm sure there are some really good kj's running illegal rigs with top notch equipment & the knowledge to use it - somewhere.
As far as charging, I consider ANY pirate inferior to a legit kj regardless of their quality! Charging less or charging more than me - although haven't seen the latter - if a pirate isn't paying for the music, they are inferior IMO to those kj's who do.
I would also agree with legit kj's can be just as crappy all the way across the board. But this thread isn't addressing 'legit' kj's being crappy or not.

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

You know what they say about assume, and therefore about assumptions.

When I speak of these guys who are multirigging pirates, I know for a fact that anyone who can breathe can get a job hosting for them, and that certainly knowing anything about running equipment, apart from turning it off and on, is not a priority. I know that they have inadequate systems and they are making a very minimal investment .... in spite of the fact that they spend NOTHING on music (in the last six weeks I have spent over $200 on music for my one and only library). They don't market, and they take very little personal responsibility in providing a good show in the long run. Of those multiriggers, I know that one has basically dropped out of the karaoke biz personally but still has hosts running shows for him with his equipment; again, poorly equipped systems and hosts whose only skill is that of singing.

I do know of a multirigging company that does have at least one good host as I've only been to one of their shows; good equipment, and a long-term relationship with the business. They are busy and people like the place and the host; that is one of 8 or so rigs they are running in a 30-mile vicinity almost every night of the week. If they fall, it will affect the karaoke scene locally. I don't expect they'll fall soon, if at all. Of the shows I've witnessed, as far as being a good show they're probably in the top 10%, and they're making a LOT of money.

The rest are in the majority - crappy equipment and less than remarkable hosts...but hey, they've got 100,000 songs.

I have seen one or two good ones. But I have been to almost 300 different karaoke shows in 24 states....

Also, it isn't always a sure thing to guess who is who. But I assume any time they can pick 20 versions of a song, 12 of which are CB and SC, they are a pirate.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

While my area is not really flooded with pirates with 100,000 songs many of them are different levels of legal (a lot are multi riggers that bought one set only of songs), or others that I know do occasional illegal downloads.

I know a few pirates that are really bad hosts, but others are much better but in somewhat grey areas legally (some downloads and some legal purchases) very few are fully legal.

A couple of months ago, I had a very busy local multi-rig KJ tell me, "Sure I use pirated music. I've bought so many legal discs over the years, I feel I've already paid my dues to the karaoke industry."

I didn't debate it with him, but I was pretty much in shock when he said that to me. So anyone who spends over X amount in CDG's for their business gets a "gimme" on anything else they need for their library via BitTorrent or wherever?

So officially this guy might be termed a "pirate" but again he's a busy host working at some decent venues and has been around for several years. His show is nowhere near "crappy".

_________________
[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

My post goes along with what DAN was beginning to address:

What I find the most disturbing about openly pirated shows is that these guys BLATENTLY BRAG about not buying the source music and TAKE PRIDE in getting and using bogus hardrives, unpaid for music and everything else that falls under the category of PIRATING.

Its the BRAZENNESS that really TORQUES me off---not even an attempt to hide what they are doing.

JEZUZ I WISH SOMEHOW SOMEONE WOULD COME ALONG AND SHUT THESE PEOPLE DOWN ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!

GO SOUNDCHOICE!! WHEN WILL YOU FINNALY MAKE IT TO THE PACNW??

Here's where I stand on using puters----BUY ORIGINAL DISC, transfer it to the lappy for convience and as a SINGLE secure copy. NO OTHER DUPLICATION ALLOWED. One original and one transfer ONLY. Thats a fair usage and application of the disc and the technology. Money has been paid to legally purchase the source CD. NO MULTIPLE COPYING. NO COPYING WITHOUT PAYING FOR ORIGINAL SOURCE DISC. PERIOD.

ANYTHING ELSE IS THEFT PLAIN AND SIMPLE.

As to the QUALITIY of shows they put on-That varies from place to place and is mostly dependent on the personality and showmanship of the DJ.

_________________
"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Yep, lots of misconceptions have been bandied about regarding pirates:

1. There are excellent shows provided by pirates, just as there are terrible shows offered by legit owners!
2. Most of the original pirates I know began as legal rigs and upped their libraries with loaded HD's. They have years of experience and didn't lose their skills or their following when they became pirates
3. Pirates DO SPEND MONEY ON: equipment, software, downloading songs, promotion.
4. Many of the original multi-riggers I know were pirates long before they became computerized - THEY COPIED THEIR DISCS!

If the preceding doesn't clarify how absurd it is to generalize about pirates, I don't what more to say. The worst assumption is that any "good" KJ has nothing to worry about when it comes to pirates.

Piracy is just one measure of how dedicated one is to the job of being a KJ.

If someone is willing to spend $10,000 or more on their songs than someone who spent $500, all other things being equal the person who bought their songs legally (or at least tried to) takes the job far more seriously.

Someone who takes the job seriously will show in other ways and may put on a better show. On the other hand how hard the person works at it is another thing than natural tallent.

How good a KJ is (like many things) is a combination of effort and natural(or learned) tallent. Each one can only go so far. The best have a lot of both. A major failing in either one or the other results in a bad show.

That is an opinion I totally disagree with.

From my way of thinking, the "Wiseguys" took what they did quite seriously, though what they did was often illegal. And I would imagine they laughed at those who ran legit businesses?

And frankly, Vegas, was much better when they ran the place rather than the (legal) corporations, IMHO!

And, Fred, how would you describe the mind-set of pirates who had "legit" libraries for years before they went to the "dark side"?