Karaoke Forums

Unless you can somehow come up with a number smaller than 0, I doubt you can find a type of media smaller in physical size than "digital media," considering there is no physical size. From here on out, we're just going to start seeing improvement on how to store things more efficiently.

I'm saying what I'm saying because it was a lot more difficult to copy a cassette or a CD. At least, more difficult than copying or shifting a digital file. Companies never made active attempts to stop this kind of thing from happening, but now that it's actually a legitimate threat to their profits, we're going to see companies pushing for people to buy physical copies of their music.

As I just stated in another thread, I wholeheartedly disagree. There is this notion amongst luddites that "physical = secure" and that is the only way it can be done. Not only is physical media no more/less secure or easier/harder to copy, the overwhelming benefit is COST. Physical media is expensive to create, ship, store, sell & dispose of. Physical media as a mainstream distribution leader is in ICU and isn't coming back from a sure death, as it just isn't necessary any more.

New technology makes the old obsolete. Do you remember how long it took for vinyl and cassettes to disappear after the release of the CD? How many "Blockbuster Video" stores are in your home town now? CD stores? Do you think movie companies are scrambling for a new physical technology when Netflix and every other streaming company on the planet can do it cheaper? Even movie theatres are digital...no more "film" to store, ship, care for.

Digital technology is here. There will be improvements to secure THAT, but believing that some new hard media is going to return and the kids are going to go down to the mall, or order online and wait a week to get there music/movies is nothing but a fantasy.

I agree with Bazaa. Physical media distribution just doesn't make any real sense. Every content industry, including karaoke, is moving forward with their content distribution systems.

A great example of this is the pending release of the video games Diablo 3 and Tera. You can pre-purchase and download the games now and be ready the day the games go live. Never have any physical media.

Anyone that has the ability to distribute content over a network connection knows that choice and instant gratification = sales. If their customer can obtain it instantly or within minutes, why would they go to the store or wait for it to be shipped? People will and do pay a premium for this kind of service.

If Sound Choice would put individual tracks on a network based service for .99 a track there are a LOT of tracks I would buy. Sure, I could get those same tracks at close to .50 a track if I buy the GEM, but I have a hard time plunking down many thousands of dollars for giant chunk of music (GEM), much of which will not get played at my show. I will pay a higher per-track price for the convenience of selection and instant use.

Apple knew this from day one and it still works for iTunes.

-Chris

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-Chris

I think you missed the point of my post. We're in agreement with everything you just said.

However, since it's a lot easier to pirate digital media, companies are going to keep pushing harder and harder for physical media to once again become the standard. I think that's one of the reasons why Sound Choice wants to sue people for shifting. There hasn't been one single case of any major digital media, be it video games, movies, music, books, or anything, that's come out in the past 10 years that wasn't immediately hacked and released for free on the internet within hours.

Do you know how easy it would be for me to go on demonoid right now, and download the ENTIRE Sound Choice library?

The point I was trying to make through all of this is Sound Choice should have abandoned physical copies of discs long ago, and started really pushing digital downloads, FOR COMMERCIAL USE, on their website. Same deal with CB and SF.

I really hope DigiTrax becomes a legitimate iTunes of karaoke music. Yeah, people still illegally download music, but iTunes is the most popular music distributor in the world. This will work, and it will make karaoke music production good again.

I would wait for it to be shipped if it was software (and not just digital files) because of the possibility these days – which is all too real – that there will be some type of hardware malfunction at my end such as a hard drive going bad.

This happened recently even with a Microsoft product. As I told you before Chris, we purchased a brand-new laptop with Windows 7 and paid the extra money to upgrade the operating system to "professional" or whatever it was called. We purchased this upgrade online, had the digital content shipped to us online, Installed it and the ultimate result was – that the laptop was still junk it had to go back to the store. End of upgrade – money out the window – no refund from Microsoft – no replacement from Microsoft because their records indicate the upgrade was installed on a laptop and was not removed. (Impossible to remove software while connected to the network – when the hardware has blown up)

The end result was that I paid for an upgrade – which was installed on defective hardware and that upgrade cannot be replaced.

Thanks Microsoft. And this is example of receiving a digital download without the hard media. I want something that I can install – without having to be hooked up to the Internet or dependent on the Internet to kick start it.

On another note:
We are in a "sensory" type of business. Whether your files arrive for karaoke on digital content or on compact disc – when it comes to making a copy, anything you can see – or anything you can hear can be copied or re-created.

Songs that are projected from iTunes can be copied in a matter of seconds and played on any machine. The video portion of any karaoke disc can be captured and converted in a matter of seconds as well – simply look up power karaoke if you don't believe me.

Once the audio has been captured and the video is viewable, re-creation of a karaoke track is a snap.

So even digital delivery is not going to slow down any type of piracy soon.

A good rule of thumb -- installing software NEVER fixes a problem. Ever. If you have a crap laptop, it's a hardware problem, or something(s) need to be deleted. Don't ever let anyone fool you into thinking installing software of any kind will help your computer run better.

I do not agree with this. Again, I take issue with your initial premise that "Digital = easier pirating".



They are suing people who stole their music. Not shifting. If you can prove you purchased it, you will not be sued for shifting. (Awaits C. Staley "But Rodney!" comments. ) Shifted songs happen to be the easiest way to spot a thief, that's all.



Yup. And every one of those torrents was ripped from your hard, secure, physical media. (As an aside, there is still no GEM torrent on Demonoid or anywhere else.)



Wholeheartedly agree. No argument there.



Agree 100% and my belief is that is their goal. The first company to pull it off, wins it all IMO.

very funny. How about this instead: "but Dan Dan the taxi man!" Guess what? It was sued for a very long time and what was the ultimate result? It looks like there's agreement from sound choice that Dan Dan was 1:1 the entire time – incorrectly, or falsely sued for "theft."

Do we have to go through every lawsuit from a defendant that was voluntarily dismissed without much fanfare and ask "why were those defendants dismissed?"

So you are incorrect. They do in fact sue people that have done nothing more than shifted – not stolen.

(nanner, nanner, poo poo, wah, wah!)

Like clockwork!

Wow, if CDG goes away, Harrington will have nothing to do. . Actually, I am wrong. He can then sue EVERY KJ for buying downloads, because his investigators will have no way of figuring out who is legal and who is not. Oh, wait, his investigators already have that problem.




Disclaimer: I am just playing, so don't get your panties in a bunch.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

The best comedy is rooted in the truth..

What do you take issue with? You actually have to have a physical copy with you to pirate a disc. You can copy a digital file anywhere you are, from an unsecured WiFi connection, under a proxy, and copy it until there are enough copies floating around for everyone in the world to have 100 of, for free. In minutes.



So then why is Sound Choice suing people who have physical copies of their music, but copied them onto a hard drive without "authorization"?



All it takes is one phone call, and it'll be up on Demonoid tomorrow. (I'm not going to, or threatening to do that -- I'm just making a point)

Roche Coach,
There might be a very good reason that no one has been uneducated enough to put the GEM on a torrent site....Speak with a programer about enbedded code and then think real hard about it Do you really think SC would release a product that they can't trace to the person who bought it after all the problems they have had? Like I said think real hard ( I can trace my electronics via serial numbers....yes I do have them written down, and I have never needed them.....if I was used to being robbed I might go a step further and engrave my belongings in a hidden spot so I could identify them...like freinds I know that live in BAD areas)


Blessings
Athena

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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 thought about it.... and why would anyone put the Gem on a torrent? Those same songs are already available on the torrent sites I understand so it would be pretty useless.

Now, IF the Gem series was never-before-offered-but-in-high-demand songs only, there would be a reason. Otherwise, it would be stupid.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahah, you very, very clearly don't know anything about DRM or how it's used. You think they embed "codes" into their files to trace them?

I do know about DMR...however DMR is not all that exists


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

It isn't DRM, it is digital watermarking. Serialized to the purchaser. CB did the same thing with the CB Hard Drives.

-Chris

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-Chris

But you're going to tell me they did the same thing with each individual song in the SC Gem Series? Because every time I've seen a pirated .rar, they've been full of pure, un-messed-with MP3+G's. If they hide digital watermarks in every single song on the discs, unique to one customer, then I can safely say they are in the financial s**tter because of the crazy.

That is why you have never seen the GEM on a torrent site Roche Coach.....I'd hate to have a torrent tracked back to me, especially if I signed a contract. And the GEM is a totally recognizable series...not like regular SC disc's.


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

I think this has already been covered -- we haven't seen the Gem series because everything in it's already been torrented. There's nothing new in there.