Karaoke Forums

By Robert J. Kossack, Esq.

"...While Sound Choice may be a staple, singers do not flock to a bar because its KJ plays a lot of Sound Choice disks. People do not swoon when the Sound Choice trademark appears on screen. The Sound Choice trademark is not what draws the crowd.

This is one of the weaknesses in Sound Choice’s trademark infringement theory of liability.
Every karaoke disk maker has their trademark displayed on the screen before the song starts, but no one cares about that, they only wonder whether the person standing behind the microphone can sing. Thus, it would be hard for Sound Choice to prove that any KJ or
entertainment venue benefited or earned additional revenue from the display of the Sound
Choice trademark. The brief display of the Sound Choice trademark is not helping fill up the bar. The venue is not selling a counterfeit copy carrying the Sound Choice trademark to fool anyone into thinking they are receiving the real Sound Choice product instead of an unauthorized copy. It is not as if one is taking a Hyundai and swapping out its hood ornament for one with a three point star and then trying to pass it off as a Mercedes Benz.

If the pirates were selling karaoke disks by another maker and marketing them as Sound Choice disks, then Sound Choice would have a true trademark infringement case. Here, Sound Choice is stretching legal reasoning with its claim that playing its sound track which incidentally shows the Sound Choice logo from an MP3G program has caused the user to directly benefit from the use of the trademark when the benefit does not come from the display of the trademark but from the playing of the musical accompaniment and the displaying of the word graphics, and that is copyright infringement for which Sound Choice has not sued..."

Read the full article here:http://soundchoicelasvegaslawsuit.com/hello-world/
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if you read it read all the blogs too...a bit biased but a ood read all the same

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

I have to agree with it....

I used SC tracks for over 10 years.....

built a nice business and following......

and then I dropped them like a hot rock....

I still have a nice business and following....

I'm unaffected by dropping the brand...

It ain't about the trademark....

I also understand that Lonnie says he has been getting new singers because he plays the brand. It appears from my experience ONLY, that those are the kinds of singers I do NOT want. They must be "performers" because they love the "large sound" they get (thanks to Lonman) --- are focused on their own performances --- and not really there so much to "party with friends."

I want the "party animals" that are there to have a great time with friends, the conversation with their friends and good times are just as important as the karaoke and they get loud, drink and eat and we have to kick them out at the end..

That's my job security -- not any single brand of karaoke disc. And certainly not the singers that want to talk about the slight nuances of how a different song progresses in different brands. Drives me up a wall to hear someone say; "The Top Hits version sounds more live than the Sunfly version." because I can shoot them down all day long and that's not what I'm there for. These are the singers that need to seriously buy a system and see what it's like on the other side of the fence.

But the real question here is: Do they visit Lonman because he has the "brand" of disc they want -- OR because he has "the SONGS" they want to sing?

As a long-time KJ, Lonman knows (and I do, and Joe C. does, etc) that many singers will "latch on" to whatever brand they "learned from" and then feel the most comfortable with.... whether it's the "best version" or not. It's what they've done the most.

So I don't believe it's about the brand of disc, but the atmosphere the KJ CREATES in the club. As I've always said, it doesn't matter if you have every song ever made in the world, if you suck as a KJ, you'll have an empty house.

It ain't the brand.

The original premise of this post is flawed.

I didn't buy my GEM set because I thought that they, themselves, would draw people in and they would "swoon" because of the brand name. I don't believe anyone thinks that.

I bought them because I believe they are the most faithful recreations of the originals. And people do notice that.

I find it interesting to read the entire site...including the about me section.....sort of explains the reason for the site inception. And them google all the people involved. As I said interesting read and thought provoking

Athena

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

I wonder if this attorney is willing to take on a sued host and fight it to the bitter end. Somehow, I think not.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

well if you look at his track record in other cases I'm not sure I'd want him representing me if I were a named host wanting to fight in Las Vegas....Just sayin....however he does seem to want to make a name for himself......just not getting the one he wants so far. He does seem to need a bit of education about karaoke in general with a number of his statements.

Athena

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

It's a little bit of both. Our singers are usually better than the avg 'karaoke' singer (yes they do party and spend as well), some are literally American Idol type calibre. They do come to the show because I have the songs they want - but also have the 'versions' they want to sing to. Can they sing to other versions/manus, i'm sure they could, but if everything else but library being equal between two kj's/clubs, a singer is going to sing where they can sing the song/version they want and know they have it - I don't think of myself as a 'prima-donna' singer, but I would like to sing to something that sounds good over something that sounds not so good - this actually can help a singer IMO sound a little better if the music is top notch. The other club/kj may be just as successful, but the singing quality may not be as high of a quality & more the stereotypical 'karaoke' type singer.

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

Please post a link to the track record you've made this decision on...

I think the rest of us would be very interested...

I prefer the singer that wants to sing the song over the "brand" of a song. This doesn't mean that I'll settle for any brand out there, but there are alternatives available to almost everything. If a singer either can't or won't sing a song solely because it's not on their preferred brand, I don't need them in the club and that's not the kind of patron I want.

We have "karaoke nights" not "singing exhibitions" and I much prefer the patrons that are there to have a good time and sing songs rather than those whose motivation is put on a spectacular performance of a few songs.

It is possible to get both and not be brand-dependent.

I will tell you that I PREFER the stereotypical Karaoke singer to the really good one, because the really good ones are the Prima Donas that everyone gets annoyed about. The regular singers just come out to have fun, not to prove anything. I take my singing very seriously, but I have learned not to be a PITA about it. But I used to be a Prima Dona type, years ago.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Well I can say our singers aren't prima donna types, nor cause problems, just good to great singers as a rule that also like to party. Makes it nice for everyone to sit and enjoy because it sounds more like a show rather than a bunch of screaming drunks. We get those types on occasion, but it's not often. I have people that come in that don't sing at all but do tell me that they like coming here because of the singers.

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

And again, I said all things being equal between 2 clubs/kj's except library, the customer is going to go with a version they prefer.

Karaoke nights are far different from a karaoke club where it's being done 7 nights. This i'm sure also plays part of the factor when singers know where they can go any night of the week.

I have never experienced that very often in other clubs in this area. We are a heavy SC town. Even when I get other hosts coming in to sing, that's what they ask for.

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

What you have to remember, Lonnie, is that every area is different. There isn't much to do in this town but drink, sing, and bowl. It's also not an area that is full of really good singers. I have been to shows from Sarasota down to Port Charlotte, and the area is lacking in the talent department. There are some really good ones, but the majority are just average to below average. It's just the way it is. They don't worry about brands here.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

For Chip and anyone else interested.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/judge-in-mazze ... 84978.html

http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/pdfs ... sponse.pdf

This is some of the info That I read and used to base my personal opinions on.

Blessings

Athena

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

as far as the type of karaoke singer we prefer....the ones that have fun


Our "Tag Line" since we started has been "IF YOU'RE NOT SINGING YOU'RE ONLY HAVING HALF THE FUN


Athena

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Yes, those are the best ones.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

But singers that have fun AND are good to listen to are even better!

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

i like that.


could not agree more. we are like you, we get both.

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

I can certainly post references to cases that would be all facts and appear very disparaging to even Mr. Harrington.... Would you like that too?

I don't think you can judge an attorney on a single case. (Wouldn't you agree counsel?)