KIAA Membership

[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.

[Musicman51]

I was going to mention. That i have a few active musician friends that still live in nashville TN. Some like myself do karaoke on the side mostly for something to do. I also played on the road many years, and i have backed a few nashville stars years ago. Grandpa Jones, and Jan Howard just being a couple of them. Anyway...they told me that during DJ convention in nashville, these KIAA clowns were down there snooping around during DJ Convention in nashville. I know for a fact the Oakridge Boys use Chartbuster CDG's during some of their club dates. Anyway...wrong thing for these dudes to be doing. Pushing around a local kj is one thing, go sticking their nose down there..they are lible to git spanked real good.

[RandyMcCharles]

Oh, man. Nashville is a force to be reckoned with. I think now I am just watching the clock for KIAA to make a big misstep.

[billyo]

talking about downloaded songs, i did a show last. Sat. and there was an this lady that came up to me and asked me if i could play her cdg's i asked her if it was the original disc, or if it was copied , she said it was a dowloaded disc that a friend made for her, when i said i couldn't she flatly told me that i was rude, and she walked out, so i asked the owner who let her in, i was told that she came in with someone earlier to have dinner and was asking for me and the owner thought that she was one of my regulars.