Karaoke Forums

In a perfect world, there wouldn't be any piracy. Manufacturers would be freely competing – trying to keep the prices as low as possible for us consumers – and hosts would be battling it out in the venue scene based on their ability to draw a crowd, people skills, etc. We all know that there are thousands of people that are freely downloading karaoke songs and then operating in commercial establishments for next-to-nothing rates.

Many karaoke hosts have lost jobs because of this, others find it difficult to compete and get work because of this, and there have been a few that have just given up. Some karaoke hosts will try to "educate" the venues on the evils of piracy, others will try to "convince patrons not to attend the pirate shows." but I think there is a double standard going on here:

While no host likes to get fired from a job because some pirate is undercutting them, I don't ever seem to hear about the karaoke hosts that complains about a supplier of karaoke songs committing that same act of piracy on the manufacturing level.
It seems as though karaoke hosts just don't care what happens at that level as long as they can "get the songs I need for my patrons." or they will turn a blind eye to it for the same reason.

In the accompanying poll, you can select 2 options that best describe what you think.

Remember.....these polls are not anonymous.

_________________
-Chris

And why would matter in this case?

It's not like I'm trying to sell you anything. Unless of course, you're not worried about me and you're worried about someone else.

The good people here are smart enough to know why.

_________________
-Chris

I believe by the meaning of the word piracy or pirate that at some point in time over some type of good provided that we all can be considered guilty and that includes corporations.

I siphoned gas once and I consider that thievery which is what a pirate does, right? I do have to say that I would not want gas out of my car siphoned on the sly. If I caught them in the act may their higher power save them.

Corporations get sued and people get sued. In a perfect world there would be no need for attorneys.
I do not like them. So many create animosity because it lines their pockets. Ever been in a divorce? Especially after discovery? Then they know just how much they can get by creating animosity.

They write the laws and the loopholes that benefit them.

How I wish for the Perfect World.

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You can never argue with a crazy mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind ----B. Joel
I have great faith in fools; My friends call it self-confidence ---- E.A. Poe
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity ----E.A. Poe
I don't know, I don't care, and it doesn't make any difference! ----A. Einstein
Double bubble, toil and trouble ----W. Shakespeare & Walt Disney
I hate it when I get on FaceBook ----Me
Karaoke might be Groundhog Day ----?
Of All the Martial Arts, Karaoke Inflicts the Most Pain ----?

F.U.D.

HUSBAND: What's wong? Did I do something wrong?
WIFE: You know what you did...
HUSBAND: No, I don't... Just tell me...
WIFE: You should know what you did...
HUSBAND: Okie, dokey....

Well, I would sort of agree with you, but in this case, it's not the "unknowing or accidental piracy" that I'm speaking of
Siphoning gas once, even though you consider it thievery and might have been the underlying motivation, or perhaps desperation, or tomfoolery, etc. is an example of a single act. I'm talking about those that do it as a general course of business, they get what they get free -- just because they can and don't have to spend a dime for it -- and they might even think they're crafty, or shrewed...

It's the occupational hazard of choosing that line of work. Most social workers have to deal with people that are desperate, uneducated, poor, abused, violent and so on. Other occupations like that are policemen (at all levels), prison guards, etc. Nobody is "happy" to see an IRS auditor... (Unless they're going into your neighbor's house.)

Some occupations by their very nature, place a person in "unhappy surroundings" for 1/3 of their lives or more.

All those freeware songs that have stopped being defended are very tempting since there is little to no risk........ however there is still the moral aspect which does not seem to bother a very large part of our profession.

I don't really care how you handle your personal relationships.

What is your motivation behind this poll?

_________________
-Chris

I'm interested in seeing how many people (and not who), choose to ignore the problem of piracy when it's at the manufacturing level (and they can benefit from it,) but find it only to be a "industry-wide problem" when it's at their level and directly affects them.

My personal prediction is that most will choose that:
(1) they don't care as long as they can get the songs their patrons want to sing,
(2) but do care if a pirate is trying to get their gig with a lower price and larger library.

Were you expecting some kind of "evil ulterior motive?"

I find this to be a fascinating poll question.

I can tell you that my personal preference, and that of Phoenix, is that all manufacturers obtain licensing sufficient to cover their activities. One of the more frustrating things over the years has been the difficulty in competing against producers who never bothered to get licensing of any sort, and against those who greatly exceeded the scope of their licensing.

Also, I'm glad you liked my quote enough to put it in your signature.

Not many will care, but the serious KJ's who do this as a career in most cases know where to get Licensed music and also know who to stay away from.

Our battle here in my area is the fight between KJ's and Live bands thinking we steal away their jobs.

Reputable Manufacturers of karaoke may have a hard time to get latest hits as fast as possible and if they were to release unlicensed tracks ahead of time, That's really not my place and believe it's our choice to follow that manufacturer or not.

If my favorite song of all time is finally released by ANY Karaoke manufacturer, I would buy it a heartbeat. I wouldn't care if they paid for any licenses at all. I just want the song. Just don't come to me at a later date and tell me that I can't shift it to my computer to make my job easier to perform. I'm only willing to pay once for the song. Don't tell me that it's okay to shift my songs one day and then tell me that I have to delete them years later because you have changed your mind. It's not going to happen. It's like telling me that I can't put wheels on a chair to make it easier for me to move around. I bought the chair from you and it's none of your business if I add wheels to it to make it a better chair. Same thing when it comes to trade dress. If you make a karaoke track that uses colors that make it difficult to read the lyrics; someone should be able to change the colors and or font to make the track easier for the person who bought it to use.That should be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Music Maestro and DK come to mind when they use white letters that change to a light yellow color or when Sound Choice uses a dark Blue color on a black Background. Some other companies use different colors for their duets but they have the distinctive color be the color that the words change to instead of having the distinctive color as the original color of the lyric so the singer knows ahead of time which person should be singing that line. Fixing those situations should be considered improvements and not infringements. Fixing what amounts to a defective product shouldn't be looked at as a negative thing. Some karaoke tracks just try to get as many lines on a screen as possible and the font ends up being so small that you can't read it. That is just another defect, in my opinion that should be fixed if possible. If the trade dress makes a track unusable; why not change it to make it usable? If the original Maker of the track doesn't want their logo associated with this new and improved version of the song they shouldn't complain if the logos are removed in the process.

Neither of these are available answers in the poll.

Yes, I do believe you have an ulterior motive. You said "evil", not me.

_________________
-Chris

These would be choices #1 and #3.

And what could that possibly be?
(just don't say; "the good people know")

No. These are... (#2 and #4 included just in case you try to change those too)

1) I don't care, I always buy in "good faith."
2) Licensing isn't my business, I buy what I need.
3) I think it's bad, but I can't stop it.
4) I don't/won't buy from a company I think steals music.

#wordsmatter



I am not going to pretend to know what your motives and end game might be, just that you have them. Regardless, I am sure you are making note of who votes what in the event you want to take someone to task at a later time. That is a recognizable modus operandi on your part.

_________________
-Chris

btw.....perfectly feasible for someone to feel all four.

_________________
-Chris

Paranoid little booger aren't 'ya?... but seriously, as much as you'd like to change my answer(s) they are still #1 and #3.

I chose #1 because "good faith" is used as an excuse to buy what you want for your patrons as the most important motivation and secondary importance is concern because it plainly states: "I don't care."

I chose #3 because no one likes to lose a gig to a pirate, but they feel powerless to do anything about it themselves.

But I will give you kudos for attempting to change my answers, but you lose points for your paranoid suspicions...

Paranoid suspicion #1:
Paranoid suspicion #2:
So don't vote... I promise not to be up all night worrying about it... (or maybe I will.... while I'm secretly making notes... and keeping score.... and whispering bad words.... with voodoo dolls)

C. Staley, I chose #1 and #3 like you . #1 was for the same reason as you and #3 because of #1. The ?'s were about the manu and an unauthorized reproduction, right, instead of a pirate.

I believe Authorization has to be on a legal doc and not just an email 'OK go for it'. Of that I am not privy to.

_________________
You can never argue with a crazy mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mind ----B. Joel
I have great faith in fools; My friends call it self-confidence ---- E.A. Poe
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity ----E.A. Poe
I don't know, I don't care, and it doesn't make any difference! ----A. Einstein
Double bubble, toil and trouble ----W. Shakespeare & Walt Disney
I hate it when I get on FaceBook ----Me
Karaoke might be Groundhog Day ----?
Of All the Martial Arts, Karaoke Inflicts the Most Pain ----?

I picked number two. If i want a song, I am going to buy it. As the question states, "Licensing isn't my business". I won't buy from Karaoke Channel, because James has already told us that he is a rat, and could possibly file a suit because of trade dress, if we are caught using those songs.

I HAVE bought from BuyKaraokedownloads. Why? They have had songs that I needed, that I couldn't find elsewhere. Sorry, but I do not feel any remorse for this.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE