Karaoke Forums

Forgot to mention how cheap All Star is--they are still selling the cards so you can get 45 songs for $20. Quality if up and down but mostly very usable. For our area, the songs put out in the sets by the two brands you aren't considering are the songs that actually get done. For the money you have to spend, you could easily afford a rock and a country core with those two brands and fill in the newer songs with All Star. You can still buy Zoom if you go direct and they do have sets and packages but don't know that they are "budget." Their Eagles disc is much less than an EBAY SC, though.

Thank you, I will do some research on All Star.

I'm not ruling out Sound Choice and Chartbusters at all. I just need to spread my money around in the beginning. If I blow everything on the GEM series then where do I go from there?

I kick myself for not acting in the past when the good deals were available, but mentally I wasn't ready-sometimes you don't believe you can do something, you don't believe you have the money, you don't believe there are enough places locally that want/need Karaoke, you don't know or don't believe in??? . . .

I admit, I'm not a great business man-I'm just a regular guy who found out he could sing and fell in love with music. Maybe if I had pursued hosting from the beginning I would have been way farther ahead than I am now? We all make mistakes.

I wouldn't buy All Star collection in addition to the cores that are already out there as there would be massive duplication. But All-Star does offer several songs that i'd buy on custom discs - just got 2 of the 45 song cards for $40. I get their monthly releases - the ones I don't get via PHM - through All Star on customs. Plus there were actually a few songs I needed that they had when no one else did. But their 'sets' are pretty much rehashing everything every other manus already has produced.

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If I knew a song, but never sang a karaoke version of it......I would pick a Pioneer, because they seem to be the most consistant at creating a version, that sounds closest to the original......jmo

Lonman, I did mean the custom All Stars and not the sets--for filling in with the newer stuff as that is about the only good option right this second.

Stogie, I kick myself too, sometimes--SC Foundation II was temporarily out of production when we started and I bought an SGB set instead. I have spent the past few years re-buying the songs that get done off SGB and filling SC requests via custom CDGS--cost me alot more in the long run if I had just bought the II in the first place but there's your hindsight. I also happened to not have a day job when all of these later deals came up so couldn't jump on them, either. You do what you can do.

You can download Zoom from sites like Tricerasoft.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Thanks for the encouragement and kind words leopard lizard. I know in my heart that what I'm trying to do is the right thing for me and that my intentions are good. I see how people enjoy Karaoke and I know how much it has meant to me in many ways. I believe I'm a nice person and a good person and I try to be kind and polite to people. I believe this will come through when I host.

Alicia Bridges had a big hit song-I Love The Night Life-and that's how I feel. Maybe after hosting for a while I won't feel that way anymore, but right now I enjoy being out and among the people.

I would rather DJ, host Karaoke or perform my singing shows than doing just about anything else. For me it's fun, not work. I would much rather be at my table working the mixer or singing and watching people people dance and have fun than out in the crowd. Performing and being on stage is still fun for me and hopefully I will still get the chance to do some shows here and there, but hosting is all about the customers to me. I don't plan on singing at all if there are customers that want to sing. Hosting Karaoke isn't about the host, it's about the people who come to the show to have fun and be a star for a few minutes. I've done many, many shows where I have sung for 3-4 hours so I've gotten it out of my system so to speak. Most people never have that experience. I'm fortunate.

...Stogie, back in your other thread (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24214) I asked you what your Budget was for music? You replied with "I am going to borrow $5,000 and try to sell some sound gear to raise another $2,000. I hope that's enough to at least get started."

...In this thread, others have given you some ideas of what you might want to think about purchasing. A few post back I gave you my thoughts. I based it off what you said your budget was. I can tell you this, along with what I started with back in the late 80's until now (my buying habits) I would have definitely gone a different route but what's done is done. I have way too many duplicate tracks by the same and different Manufacturers. I went from 89-2001 and then came back in 2009 and in recent years I have bought more in bulk for much better prices. Eventually I'm going to weed out some of those duplicates.

...As far as a good core, I think you have a few choices. The example I gave you would run you around $3500 (give or take). That's below your $5,000-$7,000 music budget that you posted. But you still might want to pick up some odds and ends, here and there. Unless you sub the SC Foundations I & II and Bricks 1-5 with the GEM SERIES which would obviously be a more but more SC Tracks overall.

...If you decide to go fishing for certain tracks/cdg discs, I wish you the best of luck. Another thought, perhaps you could start a new thread here at KS titled "Looking for new or used discs to build my system." Awhile back, several others here, had acquired some extra discs while building/adding onto their libraries and were wanting to sell or trade their extra discs. Just a thought.

...My library has around 50 + different Manufacturers in it. There's so many tracks that I do not need. Once again, it's not quantity as much as quality with what is popular for your singers. Quality many times cost more than quantity (may sound odd but that's the way it is in the Karaoke World). Either way, I was just trying to help you. It's your money and time (TIME = especially if you're gonna rip them onto a computer), more discs you buy....more time spent ripping! Either way Good Luck!

MadMusicOne, your posts have been VERY helpful and insightful! I would absolutely entertain buying discs from people here who have way more than they need. I'm looking for awesome deals like $1 - $2 a disc so probably not many people here would be interested in selling them to me.

I do understand the quality vs. quantity you are talking about and the GEM series is what I would like to start out with, just not for $4,480. Not going to do that. Maybe I'm dumb and maybe I'll look back and wish that I had gotten the GEM series to start out with.

Right now what I plan to start with is the following: Chartbusters 450 song packs 1-10, Nutech 1,2,3, DK, Magic Tracks, ALL Hits, Super core, Stellar 2006-20012, Forever Hits, Killer 11 Disc pack, various Karaoke Kurrents, certain All Star custom discs and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff- also - possibly the Monster Hits collection. Total around $3,800 of which $2,500 is Chartbusters and Stellar. I'm going to allocate around $500 for buying single songs that are requested and for misc small disc collections and single discs here and there. So that's around $4,200, about what the Sound Choice collection costs, but I will own every disc with no strings attached, no stipulations, no licensing etc.

I still need to contact Zoom and see what kind of deal I can get and what is available. If I have no other option and I absolutely have to have Sound Choice I will probably buy the 2 Foundation packs and the 5 bricks for $1,200. That would put me at $5,400 without Zoom. That's within my original budget. Once I have some gigs and some money coming in I will continue to search craig's list and ebay for more discs to add to the library. I will also be using All Star for custom discs to fill requests.

I continue to welcome any and all suggestions, comments and ideas.

...Well, looks like you're on your way! Cool!

I have heard that the Nu-Techs are not very good. I was thinking about getting them, too. I came to find out that they are mostly MIDI crap.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I don't know who initiated this mythology, but allow me:


Zoom, Sunfly, and all other UK based mfrs. are still readily available to KJs. The U.S. "embargo" is only in regard to bulk buys for distribution, and has no effect on KJ singleton buys. In the last month I have ordered and received from Zoom, Sunfly, and Capital (AU). No problems at all.

Now, for the OP- If I were starting out today:

Zoom

I would find and acquire the DK 1-99 set

I would find and acquire the Music Maestro small sets ( 4-8 discs per)

Pocket Songs

Sybersound and Medacy ( Party Tyme and Karaoke Party)

Radio Starz

SuperCore / Karaoke Kurrents/ All Country sets: Virtually every single song on every single disc is one that is used.

Newer songs by Fastrax/Quik Hitz

Plenty more.......

Two brands mean nothing to me, though CB will always be tops for country.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Joe, if you would re-read my post, you would see that I said just what you said--okay for individuals to import but he won't (or shouldn't) find it at US distributorships--not "mythology."

This might be of interest to you, Stogie. 75 cdg's: Sound Choice, Top Tunes, Pioneer. ebay auction ending Friday at 10:30. It's a start. Good luck!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sound-Choice-To ... 3a76418859

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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 agree. They're just a tad better than Backstage imho, still at the bottom of the quality totem pole. I have a few because they have the songs I don't have in my library: I'll remember you by Atlantic Starr, I'm Alive by Jackson Browne, I'm so proud by Isley Brothers, Lately by Jodeci, Loverman by Billie Holiday & a few more.

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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 still have a bunch of DK discs for sale....

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Birdofsong