Karaoke Forums

in my area being certified will make sure you don't get the gig. the bars see it as threatening and a bunch of crap. the other guys are using it against me. i have removed the certification part from my advertising and pitch.

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

sorry Paradigm, all I can say is the process is working here for us....hope things turn around for you soon.

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

Sorry Chris, but I did read your post correctly. it is in your words that there is no way you would have gotten these two jobs if you were NOT CERTIFIED. No matter how good of a host you are, (in YOUR words), you would not have been considered for the jobs, because the venues were looking for "certified" hosts. So, therefore, no matter how good your hosting abilities, OR selling abilities, you would NOT get those jobs, (without certification). BUT (any) Tom, Dick, or Harry with certification would have at least been considered, regardless of their hosting abilities. I see this as buying your way into the "hosting club", and I don't know what the certification looks lke, or consists of, BUT since US currency can be forged, I'm sure it's just a matter of time that certification "certificates" will be popping up on Craigslist, or ebay, or for sale fom one kj to another. Right back to the same old BS. Why can't people just learn to WORK for a living, instead of looking for ways to manipulate the system. DISGUSTING.....

Srnitynow

Now you get it Chris - how is piracy being stopped if everybody that gets caught gets "certified"? Seems counter productive to me "certification" is my edge in the market...
You can buy "certification" you can't buy talent.

@srnitynow - It is absolutely true that I would not have gotten the gigs without a certification. I don't see it as buying my way into clubs though any more than I see buying a bunch of props as buying my way in. We all have our own style and our own means of marketing ourselves. In my market, certification is still a differentiator and so I do use it in my markleting. Eventually, when the pirates get over their butt hurt from getting sued and settling, they will get smart and start marketing themselves the same way and I will drop it from marketing.

@rickgood - I have always seen it this way. I have been pretty clear that I don't agree with how SC in particular manages going after pirates. I just don't feel the need to air it all out in public. I try to focus on the positives of what they are doing and work with it.

-Chris

_________________
-Chris

Nice seeing you posting again also..........daycare ends for us June 1st.......talk to you then......johnny

What are they going to do with you on June 1, then?

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

However I doubt that real pirates or people that don't care enough about their shows would pay to get certified.

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

Lonman if SC keeps the legal pressure up as they say they intend, the pirates will have no choice but to settle and along with that comes certification.

What's really sad here is that:

1) Most in the forum are still mis-using the word "legal" for the word COMPLIANT (to the wishes of two ex-karaoke producers). Media shifted KJs are facing civil suits, not criminal charges ( though distributors of any sort are open to them). No one has put forth any question to the courts in regard to media shifting as a CRIME ( making media shifting illegal.

2) Most in the forum are still interchanging the word "pirate" ( one who STEALS tracks without paying for them) with "MEDIA-SHIFTER" ( one who has paid for his/her tracks but has merely media shifted the product, which includes an unrequested attached logo), who are the actual KJs targeted by the suits that have been initiated so far. Though I'm sure media shifters include pirates as well, not all media shifters are pirates, and the distinction should be made.

As a matter of fact: If that distinction had been made by SC in the beginning, we probably wouldn't be having these debates now.


These errors perpetuate much of the misinfomation posted here.

_________________
"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

True. I agree that the ones that settle should not be certified automatically. Maybe give them a year after setteling to be able to be listed as 'certified'.
Those that do settle are not listed in the volunteered certified section of the website, they are listed in a separate section.

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

Hey, I heard that.....

Sorry. When you tee it up that high, I can't resist....

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

Soooooo, it's one or the other?

_________________
KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

or as the stooges said while being census takers....."are you married, or are you happy?".....think it was moe or curley

I think that those who have settled have paid their dues and should be given the same consideration as anybody else that purchased a certification as long as those certifications are something that can be purchased.

I have earned many certifications in a variety of fields. Every one of those certifications have been awarded based on a level of knowledge and skill. Not one of those certifications can be purchased outright, but all who desire the same certification can aquire it by demonstrating the minimal level of knowledge and skill to meet the requirements of that certification.

When the requirements of a certification are nothing more than a monetary payment, then anyone who can meet the minimum payment should qualify for that certification because that's the only thing that separates the certified and the uncertified.

_________________
KNOW THYSELF

There are certifications that show skill level, and there are certifications that show compliance. They are distinctly different. Karaoke certifications denote compliance and that is all. Karaoke certifications are the equivalent of a vehicle inspection. You get checked out, if you pass, you get to drive your car without any risk of being pulled over for not having passed inspection.

-Chris

_________________
-Chris

Exactly correct Chris, except, when you bought the car, you knew IN ADVANCE that you would have to get the car registered etc., in order to drive it. When you bought your discs, nobody said, LATER, you will have to be "certified" to play those discs on your computer, it was ALWAYS as long as you had a disc for every song. THEN, the story changed, and a FEE became involved in the process. That's kinda like closing the gate AFTER the horses are loose. If it had been policy from day one, I don't think anyone would be complaining, because they knew "in advance", that there was a certification fee involved. No different than a car dealer saying that because we've had a rash of cars being stolen, so now EVERYONE has to pay extra to drive the car we sold you, and if you don't, we'll have your registration revoked. Would you agree to that? Just asking....

Srnitynow

And when you use a karaoke disc as it was originally intended, there is no issue. When we, the consumer, change how we use the product, why shouldn't the producer of that product be able to change their policies to address change in use?

-Chris

_________________
-Chris

Simple, because THEIR owner stated numerous times that he had no problem with a media shift, as long as there was a 1:1 ratio. Knowing this was the policy, hosts using computers continued to buy their discs, THEN , after buying all of these discs, they NOW have to pay a fee to use them. OTHERWISE, there would have NEVER been such a thing as a "commercial" karaoke show. "Technically" even disc based karaoke shows are not in "compliance", because the discs are for home use only. Had they said "if you want to use them commercially, there will be a fee of "x"number of dollars, I'm sure if people knew that was the cost of doing business, they'd have just chalked it up to "that's the cost of doing business". Without "commercial" karaoke, there wouldn't be ANY karaoke. It would have been a kids toy, and that's about it. How long do you think the manufacturers would have been in business. I don't know what the solution is, but it's NOT screw the people that were (and still are) good customers, go after the "criminal" who stole your stuff, not the guy who kept you in business....

Srnitynow