Need more...

[LuanaR]

Music for my shows, are there any sites online that I can subscribe to and bring in any song for my clients to immediately perform ...and are the files compatible with Hoster without any converting, etc.?? I'm such a newbie here..

[ddouglass]

None of the download sites are legal at all and I don't know of any that use subscription methods. You would have to pay for each song. As far as format it would depend on what they download in. This really is not the way to go.

[LuanaR]

I'm totally confused at how these KJs around here have 55,0000 songs, and I know they didn't pay a dollar or three a song to obtain them, can my Micro studio work for a few at a time , or how can I get going on enlarging my library legally

[bryant]

Originally Posted by LuanaR

I'm totally confused at how these KJs around here have 55,0000 songs, and I know they didn't pay a dollar or three a song to obtain them

Simple, they stole them. It is illegal, of course, but people do it all the time. There are some around here like that that openly brag about it.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by LuanaR

I'm totally confused at how these KJs around here have 55,0000 songs, and I know they didn't pay a dollar or three a song to obtain them, can my Micro studio work for a few at a time , or how can I get going on enlarging my library legally

As Bryant said they are illegal or have been collecting for many years. Many get them by buying pre-loaded hard drives with 30 -40 thousand files. This too is illegal. Sound Choice and Chartbuster are working toward downloads which would be legal since they are the producers.
I have been at it for about 6 years and now have a collection of about 19,000, but it has taken a while to get that many. We have bought every single song file that we use on either CDG or SCDG disc and imported them into Hoster keeping the original discs protected in cases. To be "legal" as far as the production companies are concerned is to have the original disc for everything you have in Hoster.

[RIKKI TIKKI]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

As Bryant said they are illegal or have been collecting for many years. Many get them by buying pre-loaded hard drives with 30 -40 thousand files. This too is illegal. Sound Choice and Chartbuster are working toward downloads which would be legal since they are the producers.
I have been at it for about 6 years and now have a collection of about 19,000, but it has taken a while to get that many. We have bought every single song file that we use on either CDG or SCDG disc and imported them into Hoster keeping the original discs protected in cases. To be "legal" as far as the production companies are concerned is to have the original disc for everything you have in Hoster.

Also note that these Pirates, Arrg! Are also probably operating multiple shows without having original sets of cdg's or scdg's for each show... also quite illegal!

There's a court case pending here in Arizona that will be a precedent on piracy and copyright infringement... stay tuned... but stay legal!

Custom cdg's are the route I'm taking in order to fulfill clients requests, as soon as they become available! ( Sound Choice, Chartbuster, etc. ). I've been at it about 15 years now and have a collection of 12000 song's, and hate to think how much I've spent... probably in the neighborhood of $20,000, amd thats conservative!

[billyo]

i've been doing karaoke ( private parties ) for a # of years and i was using cassette tapes and a thick binder of song lyrics( i know most of you remember this )and vhs tapes yes vhs which is very popular in asia which i have to directly order in china , i was also in a band for 10 yrs. ( played guitar ) prior to doing karaoke, i started buying /using cdg's when they first came out and most of them were Music Maestro and i had to order a player in Japan which cost me an arm & a leg this was before 2002 ,and i never heard of Hoster till 2005 when a friend told me about a kj who was using a computer to do a show,ever since then my collection grew, i started buying them in packs, spc's, sc. mh, chartbuster etc. up i have about 30k-50k song's ( inc. dupes), mind you this was just a hobby and can't even tell you how much i invested...

[Musicman51]

Wow, i guess i pale in comparison to the 50,000 plus guys,with my meeger 12,000 song collection. But i seem to have almost everything i need for a good evening of fun, that is what it's all about right? Making money? what's that? But i have watched the big kj 50,000 song guys. And my hat is off to them. But after spending a while watching, and learning, as i still do at my age. They have nothing on anyone else. It takes more then a lot of songs, it takes charisma, experience with people, and something called a personality. Some of the folks that visit my shows at the VFW, are like family, call me by my first name. I have seen 2 generations of singers in many case. I have DJ/KJ'ed one of my customers daughters wedding in fact. Her daughter started singing with me years ago as a child. If you know anything at all about what you're doing in this game, you can walk into the clubs and tell which KJ/DJ are in it for just the bucks. And more power to them. Now i'm not calling everyone with 50,0000000000 songs a theif or bilker. But i rather enjoy the many wonderful folks i've met during this ride. I wonder if those who steal alot of songs, just to say they have them, or to throat cut, even notice their audience. I've seen these "Karaoke Song Mills", and i find them disgusting. Like a bunch of cattle in a row. And the KJ's main line.."next we have brenda coming up" "next we have john coming up" "next we have...... Oh well.....just my 1cent worth.{todays inflation}. You can't stop the losers from not playing by the rules, but in the end, you will feel better knowing that you did. Have a great day, god bless.

[billyo]

the # of songs that i have, i could say that 1/4 of them i hardly play, so having all those songs to me is just wasted money, when i first started buying those disc i didnt care if it had some dupes in it as long as it has the songs people were asking for, just like when i bought the complete set of hot stuff (1-3) 12 disc per pack , i think they were only 3 disc that doesnt have a duplicate on it.and the rest were all the same, just diff. tract #..i believe that people whose been doing this for awhile can have 19/50k songs..and kj's that has that much songs and only been in the business less than 2 yrs, now that's something to think about..

[marklwood]

Just another suggestion, I built my song collection by buying CDs in the used market. Everyone thinks they can just throw some money out there and make a million dollars. What it takes is perseverance. I have seen a lot of KJs come and go around here. The nice thing is, they can easily sell the PA. The CDGs on the other hand, I'll give you a dollar a piece for as long as you sell me all of them

[JNS02]

Like Billo, I don't play a fraction of the music I have. I have been collecting (buying) music since I was 15 (now in my 50's). And buying up karaoke from Chartbuster and Sound Choice for 12 yrs. along with buying libraries of Karaoke from people that have given up on doing shows. Had to convert all of the music from vinyl, cassettes, and CD's to mp3's on my laptop. I worked hard for my music and karaoke songs and paid good money for it all. 21000 karaoke and 22000 music files. Until Hoster came along I had to carry all of this music in many binders to do a show. The amount of music is not as important as the personality of the host. Just my (as someone said before) 1 cent worth.

[ddouglass]

Luana,
I hope you understand now. There is no way to legally build up your library instantly. I am sure that all these helpful guys here have started out with a small library and usually in a small establishment and built up their systems, libraries and clientele (fans, groupies, etc.) to the point to make it a going business. We all are having to fight off the fly-by-night pirates who come in with an instant library and undercut you price. The way to fight them is with a quality show, getting to know your customers, and the venue owners.
We have built up from a small bar and 5 -10 singers to a large VFW where we pack them in every Friday and Saturday night. When we take time off and someone else does our show then everyone is asking when we are coming back. That is when you know you are doing a good job.
It all boils down to stay legal, build your business up at a speed you and your customers can handle. If someone wants a song tell them you will look for it as soon as you can and do so. Research it and if you can afford to get it and legally do so. We all do it this same way and we will all be in business long after the pirates are gone.
Whew! I am getting as long winded as Musicman51!!

[billyo]

you can also get used quality cdg's on a respectable karaoke store for half the price, just make sure you're getting the original disc,manufacturer brand printed ( silk screened ) on the disc, not the duplicated paper label on it. and also the way i did to expand my disc collection was buying then in packs..it's cheaper that way ( for me at least ) the drawback was that you might have some duplicates and songs that you'll never gonna play..

[billyo]

Originally Posted by marklwood

Just another suggestion, I built my song collection by buying CDs in the used market. Everyone thinks they can just throw some money out there and make a million dollars. What it takes is perseverance. I have seen a lot of KJs come and go around here. The nice thing is, they can easily sell the PA. The CDGs on the other hand,

i would sell you my disc collections, but that would make me illegal

[jake7471]

I started my very first karaoke show (djed long before) with a mere 1200 songs and me and my crowd had a blast.....now 7 years later I have just about 15000 songs...paid dearly...helped that my husband has OCD when it comes to spending so my collection grew at a rapid pace...but like others have said...I don't use a fraction of the music I have. Be a little choosey when buying your music. Go for the majority rule on what songs to get. It isn't about how many you have, it's about the quality of what you have the personality to back up your show!

Happy Karaoking!!!

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by LuanaR

Music for my shows, are there any sites online that I can subscribe to and bring in any song for my clients to immediately perform ...and are the files compatible with Hoster without any converting, etc.?? I'm such a newbie here..

Your PM is blocked. You can PM me for info if you like.

Sam

[tnscottie]

There is a website where you can buy individual songs for about $1. It is http://www.buykaraokedownloads.com/. It is a Canadian company operating out of Las Vegas, NV. It looks legit. The only thing I have found with this site is that you cannot tell who the manufacturer is before you purchase. I have only purchased a handfull of songs from here but it beats spending $20+ for 2 or 3 good songs. I wish that companies like Sound Choice and Chartbuster would stop re-releasing the same songs over and over. This is one reason why there are so many kj's out there that are pirating. How can us honest guys compete with them? I only do this part time so I can get away with not having every song. I re-invest a part of my income to buying new songs and keeping my equipment up to date. I just broke even at the beginning of the year after 3 years of part time work.

[Beavis]

Originally Posted by tnscottie

There is a website where you can buy individual songs for about $1. It is http://www.buykaraokedownloads.com/.

oh no here we go again !

[admin]

If you consider how many songs you have that are REALLY REQUESTED, it will probably be under 1,000... IMHO.

Generally speaking, I would estimate a good "party" karaoke setup has 250 discs (to get started mind you), which on average of 12 songs/disc is 3,000 songs. A good professional will have around 6,000 songs to start with.

Consider who you play for. If they are the young and restless, you need the pop songs coming out now. If your audience/singers are folks over 50, then the oldie goldies are what you want... 60's and 70's typically.

It is a rare Host that needs tens of thousands of discs... again , IMHO. I expect some of our users would take issue with me.

Shop wisely for your audience/singers. Write down what they request if you don't have it, and go buy or make it.

Another way to round out your library of songs is to create your own from music. Our Vogone does the best possible job (not total removal mind you) of vocal removal, and our Karaoke Home Producer allows taking your music and the lyrics text and sync'ing the lyrics to the music just by playing the song and tapping the space bar where each word should start. It truly is very easy. Many Hosts use KHPro to redo songs they bought where the "commercially placed" lyrics are out of sync. Sweet Georgia Brown is notoriously bad for this.

[Beavis]

wow admin, im shocked you didnt go into download mode