Karaoke Forums

To my mind, the very appearance of a SC logo on the screen should an PEP representative be present is enough
to trigger an audit or legal action. I therefore have a VERY STRICT no sound choice policy. I am assuming that if a PEP
representative was present, they would not inform the KJ or Venue at all.
This means to me that at the risk of losing customers I must not permit even original client supplied SC disks.
In other words: Sound Choice from any source = Instant Liability Problem probable legal risk.

I already know the first answer. Buy 10k worth of soundchoice, lease the gem series, get a certification, and spend
2+ years paying it all off (assuming you don't use any $ from karaoke for things like gas or equipment maintenance).
$150 per show 1x per week = $7800 yr max. Typical bar rate which is dropping due to online services.

OR??? Is there any other method that would allow client supplied disks without a legal hassle?
Seems obvious that you would have to either have the PEP representative identify themselves at the end of show
and ask to quickly scan your drive on the spot, or ask the singer who just sang, or just sue everybody constantly until they
either buy Soundchoice or audit till you find a Soundchoice or American Idol on their drive.
I really don't see how one can prove that a client supplied disk was used after the fact (post legal notice), without
the hassles of an audit therefore there is no defense should a KJ play a client disk.

Please Advise as will affect legal sc customers going to non-soundchoice shows with their original SC disks.

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"

this was asked before at least on another forum and there was an answer (i Believe Chip asked it).
the response was
1) hold the disc up overhead so all can see it before playing
2) announce "this next song is being played off of *singers name* original Sound Choice media
3) then load and cue the song to play

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

The less flip answer to this is, "if you're playing from a disc, be open about it." Our investigators are trained to spot the use of discs, but if you're being surreptitious about it, it's harder for them to pick it up. We wouldn't sue over a single logo anyway.

By the way, it's not necessary to spend $10k on SC materials. The $129/month HELP license is $1548 per year and it covers everything ever made to this point, no discs required. Even the GEM series is only $4250, or around $5500 if you finance it over 2 years.

The guys at Pep were very good with granting me a "Help" License along with Payments for the Gem Series. I get many people bring in thumb drives and sc cd's at my venue. Having the "Help License" while paying off the Gem set is what sold me.

Thank you Pep for providing me 6000+ songs for just under $0.80 cents per song.

Knowing the investigators are trained to spot disks is re assuring. I've considered the help license before dumping most of the SC disks I had. I'd have to repurchase and rerip or worse the SC catalog. There are only a handful of songs I personally would need as only soundchoice has them so I have no intention of going hard disk based with SC.
I assume this applies to me too if I choose to pull out my headbangers set for personal use or is the KJ exempt?

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"

i simply stated your response to the question, if your response has changed so be it, but that is where we last left the issue.

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

You can ALWAYS play from your original discs knowing that we will never sue you for doing so.

Context matters. I believe that was a response to Mr. Staley, or perhaps his wife, when they were trying to get me to commit that we wouldn't do something that we never do (but that they believe we try to do whenever possible). But my memory isn't as good as it used to be.

Thank you, that clarifies things a bit.
Cheers

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Purple Frog Karaoke Cuz we all feel odd and love to "croak"

Also, if you already have SC discs, you can simply get Certified for what you already have and continue using it.

$250 and done.

https://pep.rocks/certification.php

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-Chris

$250 Certification sounds good but it's not... because by the time you acquire SC disks from third parties averaging 5.00 - 10.00 per disk. turns out to about $10,000.00 over a time.

Gem set on sale $4250 for 6000 tracks ($0.71 cents per track) is very affordable.

Go for it!!!!! Sell your CD's Go digital and pat yourself on the back.

Do you ever think before you post? You really should because the information you post is at best woefully inaccurate and at worst could cost someone a lot of money if they take your advice.

If one already has the discs, certification is the absolute cheapest way to get right. Period. (short of dumping the brand). A one time payment of $250 will always be less than a GEM and will always be less than recurring monthly HELP payments.

$10,000? Are you suggesting that a single OP KJ needs 2000 Sound Choice discs at $5 (or just 1000 at $10/ea) to run a show? That would be a crapload of duplicates!

Furthermore.....If you are buying a LOT of discs at $5 to $10 each, you are paying too much. Buy in bulk, sell the extras for profit (or use the profits to buy the GEM).

Finally, buying more music down the line is the cost of doing business and will happen whether you use SC or not. Whether you certify or not. Whether you GEM or not. The cost of Certification is $250. Period.



How many KJ's do you know that have collections large enough they could sell them for $4250? Not what they paid for their discs, but what they could realistically sell them for? Even if they sell the discs individually on eBay (that's 425 discs at $10/ea)!!

I certainly have not run across a collection worth buying for that price. Especially if they don't have a substantial amount of SC already in that collection.

I am begging you!!! PLEASE THINK before you post!! At least do some basic math first!!!

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-Chris

A "convenient memory" to say the least and yes, "context matters."

We asked you for an "ironclad guarantee" from your client in writing that if we used discs your firm would not ever sue us or the venues.... and you refused.... over and over again. Search for it because it's still in these forums....

I don't care for your bullsh*t excuse that it would be "something that we [would] never do" or because your "memory isn't as good" because you're just full of it. You don't have a problem searching these forums to shove words in other's faces when you want to, but you just seem to have a convenient memory loss now?

Yeah right.... You're suing a KJ now.. who owns the discs.... and your suing his venues. What happened to your "moving quickly to audit and dismiss" those you call "technical infringers?" Yeah, it ain't happening is it?

You're just out to pimp as much as you can from the venues... Keep right on "poisoning the well" because now even your own "certified KJ's" who have paid you twice, can't find work at these venues. They just drop karaoke altogether and who can blame them?

I'm sure you and Kurt are laughing all the way to the bank.... to cash the venue's final settlement checks for your trademark trolling operation.

I'm laughing too... because "I told you so."


Words mean things.... Too bad you and Kurt don't have the integrity to stand by yours unless the words are "scortched earth policy."

Poison away! There's lots more venues you can sue.

BTW, how's that "getting the band back together" project going?
Did you use those remaining advances to purchase the CB trademark so you can sue the venues and put the KJ's out of work? (It's working marvelously isn't it?)

I'm laughing because you got too anxious, Chip. Jumped over here way too soon!

The KJ in question, lawyered up. Instead of reaching out to resolve, he chose another path. It's on the KJ.

The KJ knows even right now that it may still be an option. A pretty way out if you ask me since the venues already paid up. It's on the KJ.

Personally, if I was one of those venue owners, I would be looking to recoup my costs from the KJ as well since it appears he willfully ignored the consequences and potentially put the welfare and livelihood of my business and my employees in jeopardy.

You jumped over her hoping you would be able to use me as the example of the KJ that can't get into these venues, but you jumped to soon. This guy isn't even in my state.

This KJ knew what the policies were.
This KJ knew he could - in fact probably would - get sued.
This KJ knew that if he got sued that it was a guarantee that every venue he worked would get sued.

He allowed it to happen.
He let the venues settle.
He lawyered up.

Let's just say you get your way, Chip and this KJ beats PEP down and Kurt and James and all the rest of the PEP employees (there are a few more now than a few years ago and they are real people you !@#$%!) lose their jobs.

Was it right for that KJ to screw his venues to make that happen?

I am sure you will somehow justify it.....please dazzle us....

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-Chris

I don't mean to pinch your nerv... but maybe you're not comprehending what I am talking about.
I do not want to repeat myself but in short I beg to differ that all you need is $250 period.

when you break down the actual cost, it's only 70 cents a track PERIOD. vs. $250 + Cost of SC disks. You're missing that part.

Please don't get upset but that's what it is. It is what it is.

You are not factoring the "Total Cost" of CD's

I am not miss-informing noone. I'm just stating the fact that SC Pro tracks are 70 cents each.
The "Help" program is just an option and is not necessary. I get the "Help program because many singers like to bring thumb drives to my show containing their favorite SC tracks.

I have 1000 SC discs already. Probably not going to buy any more. Then I choose to get certified. $250. Done.

I have 10 SC discs. I choose to get certified. $250. Done. The additional discs I buy, whether SC or not, are the cost of doing business. They are covered under the same certification.

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-Chris

Chris it's early morning... get some sleep and read your posts when you wake up the next day... after a nice fresh cup of coffee... and maybe a bagel... and maybe after a second cup of coffee.

Question... you have 1000 SC disks... Chances are you purchased many of those back in the day when I did at $59.00 a pop... whatever it is... take the value of each disk and x it by 1000 then + $250 for certification.

YOU ARE CORRECT IN SAYING THAT THE $250 IS A GOOD WAY TO START YOUR DIGITAL CERTIFIED COLLECTION.

Cheers!!!

Every SC disc I own was purchased in the past 6 years. I estimate that I spend about $2 each for the roughly 5000 SC discs I have.

Do that math.

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-Chris

I can believe that because I sold many disks at .50 cents each and still have a personal collection of 1200 cd's in Sony players.

But what I am trying to say to you in conclusion... your initial investment is 1000 x $2.00 = $2000 + $250 for certification. done deal. $2250 for SC certified collection is pretty good.

In honesty, I paid more than $45,000 for karaoke cds over the past 25 years. I sold most of them on this forum. I new about the SC certification but felt it was better to view other options such as Subscriptions.

Thanks to many members on here I decided to rethink my options and the best option of all is PEP.ROCKS + Gem Set + Help license. total cost 5K thats it thats all.
4 weeks of karaoke pays for it all. No subscription and I own the product.

Here we go again.

You don't own the GEM. You lease it. I am leasing 3 of them myself.
You don't own anything with HELP. The moment you stop paying, you can't use it any longer. and you pay for as long as you are using it......which could end up being way more than what I paid for my discs.

But anyway.....tired of correcting you.

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-Chris