Karaoke Forums

Holds 5 cds in a tray. That's perfect. I want it. The link is a wholesale bulk purchase of 15lb, 100pcs. I have to find a retailer where I can buy 2 or 3 pcs. Another great idea. Thanks again!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I guess I'm still the only one using CDG players as the main and only player?
The reason most customers bring their own cdgs in is, because they don't want to look up their song and hope that the KJ has their exact song by mgr or style...

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Karaoke is supposed to be fun, if it isn't, then it's NOT KARAOKE.......

Meh. I haven't had someone bring in a CD in over a year. I have played a few songs off iPods/iPhones however.

I put thier discs in a jewel box. Make sure thier name is on the disc so it doesnt get lost. Inspect it and let them know it wont play if excessivly scratched. Only refuse if its excessively filthy or too scratched. I get personal discs frequently. And only will frequent shows that either have the version I want on thier puter or will let me use myown disc(as even the 100k puters dont have some of the songs I have on my discs). Wont willingly sing versions Im not familiar with, especially when I provide that which I AM familiar with.

It all goes back to CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Either as the person providing the service to customers or as the customer enjoying the service you provide and who then enthusiatically tells his freinds about this really fun place and KJ I found who could even play my discs. (Karen can attest to this).

An example--Sunday night I hosted/Kj'd a wedding reception party and this amazing church Baptist gospel singer wanted to sing a particular song for the bride---of course I didnt have it ----but SHE CAME EQUIPPED!! And so it was the hit of the night and made the evening.

The alternative it would have been a REAL DOWNER and I could have lost my crowd and thier possible future parties. But as a result they will be talking about her singing this song at my show for years to come!

All because I GRATEFULLY and ENTHUSIASTICALLY welcomed her singing to her own disc(and its was a store bought SoundChoice disc complete in original case in pristine condition).

So it comes down to: How far are you willing to commit to SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE as a KJ/HOST?

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"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

I think that a big part of the problem with "modern" KJ's is that many of them have never run a show using discs in their lifetimes and they don't want to purchase an "extra" piece of equipment that they feel they don't need. After all, they have over 100,000 songs to choose from and they feel that any customer should settle to sing something that they have on their hard drive, instead of singing what they really want to sing, because IT'S ONLY KARAOKE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.

Many of these KJ's got into the business on a shoe string budget and are working for peanuts so they're not about to invest any cash for the occasional singer who might just bring in a personal disc. They come up with all kinds of excuses for not playing customer's discs and they don't care if they lose customers because of it.....as long as the bar owner doesn't find out why people don't come back to the show in the future. I always make a point to tell the person in charge why I won't be returning. The truth will set you free. If you wind up losing a weekly gig over not wanting to supply a relatively cheap piece of equipment, don't blame the customer who complained about it.

I used to carry around a player.. hell, I used to carry around a Pioneer LaserDisc player and milk crates full of discs.. not to mention the vast majority of my regular DJ audio was on CASSETTE.. so I had to tote around a cassette deck as well.

For several years I carried around FOUR players, a cassette player, a LaserDisc player, and a CD+G player, and a CD player mostly because ripping my ever expanding catalog of discs was a very time consuming process on Pentium II hardware.

Handling discs, cue'ing up cassettes, lugging around all that media.. it sucked.

I don't have anywhere near 100,000 songs.. even counting the duplicates.. but I have spent a great deal of time to build a solid back catalog of popular songs, and I keep it current with new discs monthly. It's a rare occasion when I don't have a song a person asks for, and when that situation arises, I write down the song and artist, and make it a point to find a disc with that song and add it to my catalog.

If I were in a situation where i've got 5 or 10 people a night bringing their own discs in, i'd probably play customers discs, but in the last 12 months, i've probably only had 1 or two people ask me to play their discs.

It's just not something my kind of crowd is into.

Not to say there aren't crowds that are hard core when it comes to bringing their own discs, or only singing to 'their' version of a track. God bless 'em. Just not my crowd.

Singers figure it out real quickly which shows will play their discs and which shows won't. You may not realize it but the average singer just doesn't return to a venue more than once if they refuse to play their disc on their first visit. That is why so many KJ's that refuse to play customer discs are always claiming that they don't get many singers coming in with their own discs. HELLOOOOOOOOO!!!!! WHY WOULD I GO BACK A SECOND TIME IF MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WAS LESS THAN SATISFACTORY???? SOME KJ'S JUST DON'T WANT TO SPEND MONEY ON DISCS OR EQUIPMENT. That's why they are willing to do shows for next to nothing.

You're right.. you don't generally see those people return.

Now perhaps those one or two people who've asked about playing their discs in the last 12 months are members of a secret society that hold midnight meetings out past the old stone mill where they discuss which KJ's are on their (@$%&#!) list whilst holding hands around a burnt sacrifice to the karaoke gods.

The people who bring their own discs tend to gravitate to a different kind of show.. a more serious kind of show.

My 'dirty mouth', raunchy humor, loose rotation, and the fact that I mix DJ tunes into the rotation, are far more likely reasons why I don't attract more serious singers, and in turn, don't have more requests to play patrons discs.

I still carry my CDG player with me. It's rack mounted in my case and will probably stay there for awhile.

i will play original discs for people if i dont have the exact version they want. Siglos will play directly off the disc like it is a regular CDG player. i make it a rule to not play home-burns to not help piracy. because some people i KNOW have the discs, but some people i have never met before and to say "ok " to one guy and not another makes them feel that i am calling them a liar. so in the interest of PR i just leave it at a blanket "no home-burns" rule and i have only had one guy complain, thankfully, a PITA, water drinking, super diva that i had never seen before, but I was "in for a treat when he sings".....i am still waiting for my treat. he never came back, no loss to ANYBODY.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

Well, I still have my player in the rack, and on an A/B switch with my computer. I use it EVERY show without fail... as a test screen to make sure my video connections are secure for all the TVs before I boot my computer.

Seriously, its just nice to have it there, when singers come up with their own disks, and I can pop them in the player.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

For all we know I might get busted for music I don't own so I choose not to play outside discs or zip drives.

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

In MY CASE....i cater to BOTH KINDS simultaneously and make the bar more money!

But i do understand if someone rarely brings in a disc, then there's no reason to have a player just for that purpose.

But if you want/need a disc-backup player or play music videos, then it's an inexpensive practical necessity.

That sounds like nothing but a cop out to me, Danny. I'm pretty sure that I've read somewhere on this Forum that Sound Choice isn't expecting every KJ to be 100% compliant when submitting to an audit. If you have 5000 Sound Choice tracks( 444 discs) on your hard drive and you have discs for 4940 of those tracks; it's very unlikely that Sound Choice would take you to court for the 60 songs (4 discs) that you don't have in your library....if they even found out about them in your audit. The idea that you would fail the sudit over a song or two that someone sang at your show, from one of their own discs, is just bull feces.

I think you're more afraid of someone asking you to sing that sams song the following week and you'll have to admit to a customer that you don't have it. You're just another one of "those guys" who feel that they are in TOTAL CONTROL of the show and if you can't find a song to sing from in their book; then it's just too bad.

And then they can't understand why they don't keep a steady string of shows going for years and years like the KJ's that are more customer friendly?

Just my opinion.

I also refuse because I don't wanna hear why you let him do it and not me. I'd have to explain that as a member OF KIAA I am not allowed to play burns. So I'd rather not play any then seem discriminating to the customer.

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

Its a simple CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE.

Not being willing to provide that service to the customer.

(singer patronizing your bar== paying, buying drinks along with the friends or family they might bring==potential lost business.--maybe ought to ask the BAR OWNER what they think about the issue and what THEY want the KJ they are PAYING to do and what potential effect this visitor who brings thier own discs and then doesnt return has upon the bars revenue stream)

Lets keep in mind what the REAL GOAL HERE IS FOR ALL OF US----BUTTS IN THE SEATS, BUYING DRINKS AND FOOD, AND BRINGING IN THEIR FRIENDS WHO CREATE MORE REVENUE FOR THE BAR!!

I'd like to hear from LONNIE and KAREN and others who do play custie discs to weigh in on the the revenue streams generated by THESE SINGERS AND THIER FREINDS/FAMILY who come to your shows BECAUSE you are willing to play their discs.

I gave a real life example from last Sunday on the effect this can have. How bout others??

It aint about what the KJ likes or dislikes or does or doesnt want--ITS WHAT THE BAR OWNER NEEDS----and that is PEOPLE STAYING IN THE BAR BUYING by whatever means(including playing the discs they bring).

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"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

And how many regular shows a week is your KIAA supported show doing at the present time?

I've yet to hear about a show getting busted for playing a disc that was brought in by a customer. You just keep sticking to your guns. It seems to provide you with a LOT of free time.

I've already stated we get at least 5-10 customer disc on almost any given night. Many of these customers have stated that they like coming here because other places don't/won't/can't play their discs. And no these aren't all serious singers, just singers that prefer to sing versions they like for whatever reasons. Most of these singers have friends that sit & drink with them so I guess as far as revenue goes, if the other clubs played their music, we wouldn't be getting their business, so I say to the other kj's, keep it up I love your stance!

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In my experience as a working KJ for 10 years, is that customers asking to play their own discs are the exception, not the rule.

How about I show up to one of your shows with my LaserDisc collection, and throw a fit and complain to the bar management about your poor customer service when you tell me you can't play my disc.

I get a kick out of those 'karaoke prophets' who predict certain doom for those who don't play customers discs.

Sure, if you're the KJ in a dedicated karaoke bar with a hard core crowd, then playing patrons discs is going to be a service you'll want to provide because it's a demand.

In the golden days of the CD+G disc, when many KJ's were still building their collections and many KJ libraries topped out at only 2,000 songs (and that included the dupes) bringing your own disc was almost essential if you wanted to sing a song you were familiar with.

But todays casual singer doesn't own any of their own discs, and they simply don't care if you're playing the SoundChoice or Music Maestro version of the song.

There are people who do.. no doubt.. but those people are the hard core karaoke singer, and those people go to the shows that cater to that crowd.

For people to suggest a show cannot be a hit without playing patrons discs, or without following a strict rotation, or having Sweet Georgia Brown or Music Maestro tracks in their catalog, is to be simply ignorant of reality.

I have on rare occasion people bringing in their laserdiscs. No problems there, I still have cassette tape ability with key change if someone brings one of those in, however have not seen a tape in nearly 10 years.

Didn't see anyone predicting doom? I saw where people would not frequent those establishments & kj's that see increase because of kj's who don't.

Interestingly enough when I was mobile doing one nighters, still got people bringing in discs because they knew I could & would.

As a kj, from a pure economic standpoint I will not spend money on music I already have versions of - unless it's an obvious stinker or a different version variation. If I have a SC & CB version of a song & someone wants to use their PHM version, so be it. 99% of the time, the song people bring to me I have a version already, but not going to force anyone to use what they are not comfortable with, that's just my stance.

Have to disagree in my experience.

Again have to disagree, many of the people that bring discs to my shows are just having fun, but still enjoy singing what they are used to. They aren't water sipping divas. Why does someone that owns a disc or two automatically get labeled as a hard core karaoke singer? What about those who buy a disc because they found a song they want that may or may not be worth it for a kj to purchase? Before custom discs were readily available, I wouldn't buy a disc necessarily for only one song & would encourage those to get their own disc, many did and still do.

Again no one stated that, they did state that they wouldn't attend shows of that type/calibre.

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