TheMetalChick wrote:
I have a few basic questions about karaoke tracks. These are probably really basic questions for most of you but I would appreciate if someone would indulge me and clear things up a bit for me.
If I want to sing certain songs at karaoke that the DJ does not have, what are the legal steps I would take? How does one obtain legal karaoke songs that do not infringe of the rights of the musician/label? Must they themselves release karaoke versions of their songs? Are 'in the style of' karaoke songs legal? If they are legal, can they be purchased and used at karaoke if they are only used by me?
In short.....MOST karaoke music produced up to about 7-8 years ago was ONLY available on CD+G (also DVD and LaserDisc, but less common). If you can find karaoke on a disc, for the most part you can expect it to be licensed for use.
Since 2010 or so, most karaoke music has be produced as MP3+G and is purchasable and downloadable though licensed distributors. THIS is where things get confusing because **some download sites are not licensed to sell to the US**.
YouTube karaoke, karaoke music downloaded from sharing sites, iRC, Torrents, etc, is not licensed for use (and may even be illegal to possess).
Buy discs to be as "safe" as you can.
Buy downloads for music produced after 2010.
Sharing sites - Never.
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