Karaoke Forums

Quick question about tracks I make myself.If I purchase a track from karaokeversion.com and produce the lyrics myself with a legally purchased copy of Karoake Builder Studio,where does that fall in the legal spectrum for use at shows?

Good question.

I get notices from karaoke-version.com all the time when a new "backing-track" has been produced. I always click on the link to the track and vote for the karaoke video release.

I have a small handful of those backing-tracks that I would be motivated to produce the lyrics/swipe for if the one-off version that I created would be permissible. I have a feeling that it isn't, but I'd like to substantiate that.

_________________
Never the same show twice!

If you wrote the song yourself, no problem.
If it's someone else's words and/or music, you would need to purchase licensing directly from the publisher if you want to be legal.

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

I wonder how many one-off sync licences the publishers have issued.

Oh well, KJ's can dream, can't they?

_________________
Never the same show twice!

You have copyright of your original lyrics. You dont have copyright of the music you used. Is ok for PERSONAL HOME USE under FAIR USE ACT. Not ok for USE IN COMMERCIAL SETTING. And the you do not have copyright of finished product as an ORIGINAL COMPOSITION nor REPRODUCTION rights unless you have Usage Liscence from original music track owner.

So OK for personal home use. Not ok for PUBLIC COMMERCIAL SETTING USE.

I do the same thing as you and have made 3 complete "DEMO" CD's of blues/swing/jazz songs. But I am unable to play them in a commercial setting. Only for my own personal/home/in the car use.

_________________
"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 have a hard time believing you couldn't go through the Harry Fox Agency for that. No one should have to license single tracks with the artist or publisher.

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

Believe it.
Harry Fox Agency will not license karaoke in any form.
You could get a mechanical license for a song to make a regular cd from Harry Fox, but you must get karaoke licensing directly from the publisher.
That's probably why the new karaoke releases aren't the quality they used to be.

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

If that is the case it's stupid, just like most of the things the music industry does.

It is no wonder at all that so many people have so much contempt for the industry. All they would have to do is get their act together, do things consistently, and watch their market explode. But they waste all their energy on lawsuits and idiotic "compliance programs". No energy left for developing ways to legally distribute music for money. Yes, karaoke is peanuts. But you add lots of different peanut trees together and you get a pretty nice farm.

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

MCKY, from your tone and comments on anything that pertains to copyright protections it sounds to me like your in full support of piracy---weather it be music, photography or anything else that requires licenses for use.

_________________
"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

That's a bit harsh. I have never had the impression that mckyj57 has in any way ever advocated for piracy. I agree with his response here and I'm not in favor of piracy, but am I now in your mind for agreeing? I don't understand this ultra righteous attitude that so many seem to harbor when it comes to Intellectual Poperty.

I hope those same people would take a moment to contemplate whether they have ever driven faster than the posted speed limit, walked across a street in the middle of a block, changed lanes without signaling, connected to a wireless network without advance permission, fornicated, cheated on taxes, used illegal fireworks, or taken a pen home from work, and that they feel the absolute shame of being a criminally fallible human.

I think there are serious problems with our current intellectual property law that have helped lead us to this point where everything we do or say must come under scrutiny and be subject to litigation.

For you hardcore IP cheerleaders, I offer this example:



Under those rules and in compliance with United States copyright law, I hereby declare this posting to be copyrighted with "All Rights Reserved", including the right for the reader to remember any part of this post.

I now own a part of your brain.

This post may not be quoted or remembered in any manner whole or in part persuant to copyright law. At my whim, I may allow this to enter into public domain sometime in 2082 or maybe not.

(c) 2012 earthling12357

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

NOTE: The preceding quotation has been reproduced for "educational purposes" only....

(nanny-nanny-poo-poo-wah-wah!)

Absolutely not. I wouldn't own a thousand CDGs if that were the case. I have never used Napster, Limewire, or anything of that nature ever.

But I feel that the music industry has brought this on theirselves. They have repeatedly dragged their feet on producing licenses that real people could deal with. Why didn't iTunes come out until 2001, when they were told over and over again they would have to do something? And it came out over the great protestations of many labels, mind you.

Why don't they get together and clarify music licensing? Why do you have to individually negotiate karaoke production rights? What do they think people are going to believe when they buy Congress to double copyright length?

And I don't appreciate the accusation a bit, thank you very much.

You do know that in another thread, you confused me with someone else, essentially accusing me of piracy even though I hadn't made a single post in a thread? Did you even acknowledge that when I pointed it out? You are pretty cavalier in your bandying about of people's names. Shame on you, Kurt.

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

I have NEVER EVER read anything about anyone being sued for making homemade karaoke tracks. There are literally thousands of them out there to be had and as long as they are being traded freely amongst karaoke enthusiasts, and NO ONE is making a dime from them; I don't think any millionaire recording artist, including Don Henley, really gives a crap. It's when someone goes into the Karaoke business; when these folks get involved. I really don't think that Bruce Springsteen is going to hunt me down for buying an instrumental track of Jungleland and making a karaoke track from it. I really do think that he has better things to do with his time. If he shows up at a karaoke bar while I'm in the middle of singng it; I would hope like hell that he'd come up and join me. That would be the karaoke experience from Heaven for me.

Here's a word or two from the creator of Dancing Frog Karaoke (DFK).
I have produced over the years karaoke files (mp3+CDG) for my own use and pleasure and occasionally produced some for friends who requested I create them for them. Now these were intended for personal use. So if folks have picked them up from various other sources, I'm firstly honored, but not compensated monetarily in any way. My creations are a labor of love for karaoke.
Many of the backing tracks I use have been professionally produced for which I've paid large sums and they carry with them the rights to use as I see fit. The cost for all the required rights for some of my karaoke creations ranges from $320.00 to $460.00 per song.
So one quickly realizes that first, "ya gotta want it" and secondly the outlay of cash adds up quickly for just one set of 12 to 14 tracks. My appreciation for the larger brands grows each time I have to part with that kind of money.
So next time you run across a Dancing Frog Karaoke track, think of me and a little prayer won't hurt either.
And if anyone comes across someone selling any one or all of my tracks, let me know cause that would be totally illegal and obviously, I won't be pleased.
If you choose to use any of my DFK tracks remember that they don't all have rights for commercial usage, only some of them. The rest is upon your shoulders whether you use them or not, but please, please, don't sell them.
Most of all enjoy them and have fun!

As big as karaoke is, and with as much money as can be made from it by the production company and artist, I really wonder why the tracks aren't made at the time the originals are mixed or remixed. It would cost next to nothing to leave the lead vocals off the mix and make a karaoke track that can have the graphics added and sold right on the artist's area of itunes\amazon\blah blah blah. This would be real sales right into the artists pockets and would sound perfect as it would be perfect. They might sell almost as many or more of those than they would the full version. Close to double sales with little to no extra cost? Maybe someone can explain to me why this isn't possible...

It is possible, and there are some publishers that are doing it already.

It would not necessarily mean more money into the artists' pockets--only to the extent that they are an author of the song, or they have a contract that pays them a royalty, and not merely a session fee, for their non-vocal performance. Many artists aren't big fans of karaoke, either--perhaps for that reason, perhaps for others.

Yes and thank you. The assumption was the artist is the author and\or they are on royalties and the same % was given whether it be the original or Karaoke track. Come to think of it, they amount would probably be double for the karaoke track as the cost would be probably twice or more than the original. I know more and more artists, especially those older established artists are taking over their own libraries. They could especially stand to gain substantially from this type karaoke reproduction model. Maybe I'm just weird but I would be honored if I produced music that others wanted to sing and I would do everything possible to make it available to them. Especially if I got a little extra change for it..

It will never happen, but it is my continued hope that more and more Artists will start producing their own music, and hopefully be a little more reasonable when it comes to releasing karaoke.

Of course there are probably always going to be recording artists that just don't want their stuff used for karaoke. Which is a shame, but hey it's their music.

Practically anyone can become a superstar with the internet nowadays, I mean just look at Justin Beiber..

Million Dollar recording studios are no longer needed either. The software has gotten to the point where decent music can be produced for a one time outlay of equipment and software.

True, and I believe the Disney CDG's are made from the original music I bought the Queen cdg from them (Artist Karaoke Series vol.1) and it is the original band playing and you can even hear Freddie say "sing it"!! There's a local French artist around here that produced a DVD karaoke disc using it's own music from one of is live event, you get the vocal part with him singing and the instrumental part, that is really cool!!

But you are right, not every artist are fans of karaoke and will not want to use their original material for karaoke...

If you are editing something which is copyright protected than you may come into a big headache. Why don't you do some thing unique by doing from yourself.

_________________
city karaoke