KIAA Membership

[billyo]

this is what i learned and i have posted this in another thread, i learned that , it is legal to play an original cd that you paid for in any places, you can do whatever you want to do with it, you can use it as a coaster if you want, for every cd that you buy, a portion of that money goes to the artist, producers or to anyone that help made that cd, producers and artist wanted you to go out there and play that cd in public so people can hear it and maybe they'll like it and buy it..

[RandyMcCharles]

But what about songs that you buy that are downloaded and then burned to CDG? I have examined the FAQs and emailed questions to all of the producers that offer downloads and have only seen vague and unclear responses that can be interpreted as anything from "you can only use the original download at home" to "you can convert to another media, such as CDG, but can only use it at home" to you can convert to CDG and use in public" (though I don't know any KJs who would play a homemcade CDG even if you have a receipt for the download). I did not ask or see any info about KJs purchasing and adding downloads to their play book as I am not a KJ. Karaoke downloads are a booming business in the UK and Canada. Chartbuster now has CDG downloads as well (in Beta).

Because of the lack of clarity, I (as a singer) have not purchased any downloads, but the market is certainly moving in this direction.

[billyo]

i don't download karaoke tunes, so i can't answer that question, but i do download my dj tunes from itunes, 6000 tunes to date,and paid .99 for the earlier tunes and $1.25 for the latest and i do use it in public

[Musicman51]

(though I don't know any KJs who would play a homemcade CDG even if you have a receipt for the download).

I know many many who do. That is the whole idea of a pay to use karaoke download site. And if the site is sat up correctly, the quality is every bit as good as a store purchased pressed CDG....every bit as good. Most of the download sites that i have read about on various karaoke forums, have a "Digital Locker" if you will. Where the CDG's that you have purchased from that site are stored for you if you need to download them again for some reason. That is your proof of purchase. Remember, if you purchase something that is sold online for a specific purpose. And that site says it paid all royalties, and rights for your use. You may under the law...{and i hate this word} assume, they are legal. You must have crimminal intent of fraud or illegal use, for you to be held liable. If you paid for instance .99 for an older DKK download of a frank sinatra "My Way" track. You are free as a bird to use it at any karaoke show you are running, providing.....that site says they are legal. How would you know any different..intent is the key word here...stop worrying about it, and enjoy singing your songs in canada...

[RandyMcCharles]

I would be that confident if the maufacturers were more clear about it. Same with the KJs here in Calgary who won't take the 'risk' of playing singers downloaded songs. I find it very amusing that KIAA continues to claim that there is no legal download site even though Chartbuster (a founding member) now has one. I took a quick peek around Chartbuster and could no longer find their KIAA logo. And the KIAA website continues to not list members or 'approved' karaoke sources.

[Musicman51]

Yeah Randy those henchmen at the KIAA have just about ruined any hope for a decent legal download site. They have all the working paying legal kj's running for cover. I know many on this forum alone wouldn't even give them or sound choice the time of day now, moreless dare purchase a sound choice disc. And look..i don't blame this all on sound choice either. They made a decent disc, just poor management decisions, and possibly...possibly greed. So i would say, personally..now this is just my own opinion. From the emails i've gotten from around the country from working kj's & entertainers. Sound choice is just too hot to touch right now. I wouldn't purchase a sound choice disc if it was pressed in gold...like i said. From the emails i have recieved from my kj friends and entertainers who use backing tracks in their single club acts, they won't touch a download site or sound choice. They pretty much have had it with both the KIAA henchmen, threats of legal suits, forced organization fees, forced search's..i mean come'on. There are just too many other ways to go...again, good luck up there in canada. Here on the lake michigan shoreline, in the absolute middle of nowhere...it's 11 degrees, and -3 below wind chill..schools closed the whole bit. I most generally git my mail by 10 AM...it's 2:16PM now, and the neighbors are calling to see if the mailman has been through yet...burrrrrrrrrrrr

[RandyMcCharles]

Yeah. I don't envy the KJs in Arizona and other parts of the US where they are being persecuted. I know here in Canada everyone is just keeping a low profile. As I said, the KJs here won't touch downloads because they don't want to get involved in the dispute. Anyone I know who does buy downloads uses them at home. Period.
Canada was and still is to some extent a battlefield for regular music downloads. Bringing music CDs through customs is even iffy as customs may sit on them for months and then demand a long list of fees that exceed the cost of the disks just to make sure that anyone who possibly may have missed being paid gets paid again. Much worse for karaoke CDs ans they usually don't know what to do with them.
If I were to buy downloads, the disk I would burn them on would pay artist fees again. Canada assumes that when you buy a blank CD that you will burn illegal music on them, so they include licensings fees for the presumed music in the cost of the CD. Those fees then get divided among all artists and manufacturs. The fact that they don't know who to pay for a given illegal song doens't matter as most purchased CDs are not used for illegal music. They collect and distribute at least 1000% of additional license fees.