mp3

you likely don't have the rights to distribute the mp3 (you are not the copyright holder) and snap doesn't have the rights to host & share them... snap ONLY has the rights to host the karaoke files that are offered here on the site....

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actually quite a few ppl upload custom-mixed tracks... not that that totally falls within the guidelines of what is allowed, lolz... and rumor has it that snap is working on a new recording system.... dunno any of those details yet... *waits in anticipation*

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You, nor singers showcase, kantstopkaraoke, dare to sing, paltalk, etc. have the rights to distribute your mp3's of the CDG recordings you make. These sites are leaving themselves wide open to a lawsuit.

Read the news about the current lawsuit Viacom has against Youtube/Google... It will be quite the defining case if it goes all the way down to summary judgment... I doubt it will ever get that far though, Google will make a deal before it comes down to that, because it's pretty damn clear Youtube would not be the success that it is if it didn't offer up tons of copyrighted content, which includes plenty of folks singing songs that neither they, nor youtube have the rights to sing publicly.

http://news.google.ca/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=&q=viacom+google&btnG=Search+News

Edited on July 7, 2008 at 8:06 PM Quote

why the friggin hell can I never get http links to work right?

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agamoto wrote:

http://news.google.ca/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=&q=viacom+google&btnG=Search+News

why the friggin hell can I never get http links to work right?

CLICK ON AGAMOTOS LINK

This was in our newspapers over here....
I know they have to turn over every video ever been deleted turned down for viewing by them too . They know youtube has no money but they know Google doth!

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mykey1 wrote:any KJ worth his salt records his singers on tape or cd. then gives them a copy to take home .

yeah, until they get busted & fined... then they tend to stop...

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Just because DTS, KSK and SingersShowcase do this, does not make it right. They are in someway violating some law. I am surprised they are still in business. With everything that is going on with YouTube, such karaoke sites like DTS, KSK and SS will be next on the chopping block. I believe that since SingersShowcase does not allow a download, just upload of recordings, they are still within copyright laws. Tho even if they don't offer the download, people can still record them with their own recording software. Also, if you are a free member of those sites, you have to make your recording files smaller so that it will upload it. I think it has to be under 3MB's. That totally changes your KPS to anywhere between 60-90kps to fit a song under 3MB's. That makes the recordings sound crappy. So not all recordings sound great, as you say. Not everyone has recording studios or recording studio equipment in their home. Karaoke is just for fun. They come here for fun. Some take it more serious than others but mostly for fun in the end. Why would some want to spend so much money on studio quality recording equipment when it is just for fun. Not only that, sometimes a simple set-up is all they can afford. The point of these sites is to have fun. If recording a million songs in one hour is fun for them, then so be it. They had fun, they enjoyed it, all that matters. Soon, Snap is going to have stereo sound and if they want it, they have to pay. Sure we would all like to have a good quality recording studio mix but not everyone can afford it as I stated before. I have a simple sound blaster live card with a CAD condensor mic. I am happy with that. Don't expect to have studio quality recordings, I'm not in a studio. I am in the comfort of my own home.

I have a friend who is a KJ, here in my hometown. He wanted to record his singers but he was told he had to pay the karaoke manufacturers a fee to do so.

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The selection of LEGAL downloadable karaoke tracks is actually pretty small. I'm confident to say that if there are many of these sites you know of, 90% or more are illegal.

Also owning a CDG does not give you any legal rights other than for personal use in your own home. There is no guarantee of any other rights, especially not for copying, with or without a person's singing. Go ahead and read the FAQ on Sound Choice's site for verification. While there is nothing there specific about recording someone and giving them a copy at a show, making a recording at a karaoke store would be the same.

http://www.soundchoicestore.com/karaoke-licensing-amp-duplication-faq-pg-23.html

Edited on July 16, 2008 at 12:10 AM Quote

karaoke is like shooting hoops.... ppl do it because it's fun... it doesn't require an official NBA court to be enjoyable... you don't have to play like michael jordan to be proud of hitting the goal a few times... yeah, pro b-ball (even college b-ball) is dog-eat-dog... but that means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to the rest of the ppl that find enjoyment in sinking some hoops in their driveway...

honestly bro... if the music here is crap, most of the singers are crap, and you know other sites that are better, then why are you still here dogging it????

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mykey1 wrote:if you can use you karaoke dick only in your home as people say on this sight why are there karaoke clubs? you people need to get out more .....

those clubs HAVE to purchase special licenses to be able to use them for public performance.... much more costly than just purchasing the cdg disks for private use... i know, a local club was almost shut down because they had some small-time kj coming in there, and neither he nor the club had the proper licenses... they didn't get fined, but had to agree to buy the proper licenses... they almost have it all straight now... but in the meantime, no karaoke... they can't even have bands that play cover songs at the moment....

in contrast, i went out to a redneck (and i mean REDNECK) bar about 15 miles from civilization friday night where they were having karaoke... i went to sign up to sing, and noticed on the list that one of the other singers had listed "own cd" as his selection... i asked the kj about the legality of that & he said he didn't give a damn, somebody had to buy the cd, lolz....good thing, cuz even tho he had a decent selection, most of the stuff i like to sing was missing... next week i think i'm gonna put down "own cd" on the list beside my name...

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mykey1 wrote:if you can use you karaoke dick only in your home as people say on this sight why are there karaoke clubs? you people need to get out more .....

I like to get out and whip my karaoke dick out every chance I can get.

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agamoto wrote:

mykey1 wrote:if you can use you karaoke dick only in your home as people say on this sight why are there karaoke clubs? you people need to get out more .....

I like to get out and whip my karaoke dick out every chance I can get.

in public??? you got the proper license???

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agamoto wrote:

mykey1 wrote:if you can use you karaoke dick only in your home as people say on this sight why are there karaoke clubs? you people need to get out more .....

I like to get out and whip my karaoke dick out every chance I can get.

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Oh man! I didn't know you needed a permit to handle that thing in public!

In that case, go ahead, I permit you.

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hehehe;))
in that case: you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent(no SINGING DICKS !!)

*put's cuffs on*

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http://www.karaoke-tutor.com/karlicense.html

"Do You Need A License To Perform Karaoke?

This is a question that you will find many different answers to from many different sources. Well, this is one more source so take it as you will. When publicly broadcasting any type of copyright protected media, someone must either possess a license or pay royalties in some way. Karaoke is no exception.

As a KJ, most of your performances will be in bars and clubs. In virtually all areas these businesses are required to carry a "blanket license" to cover their entertainment. This includes bands, DJ's, karaoke, and even a jukebox. You are covered by this license when you perform in these places.

For other public agendas such as county fairs, street fairs, malls, etc., you should consult with the organizer on "per event" licensing issues."

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mykey1, yes you do need permission from the copyright holders for everything you've mentioned... What your experience may be is irrelevant.

If the answers above haven't been good enough for you, you can educate yourself by visiting the site below which is an agency that represents the producers of karaoke content in the USA and abroad.

http://www.karaokeantipiracyagency.com/faq.html

Questions answered specifically about the public performance of karaoke, the right to record singers, the right to copy disks, etc. It's all in there.

if that doesn't confirm things for you, I suggest contacting the karaoke manufacturers directly for an answer.

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That's not the point, their are laws in place for a reason. Wether you choose to abide by them; it is your choice. Just 'cus they don't have someone checking every watering hole in sight, does not make it right.

Most of us here have been karaoke many a time. I have been doing it since 1994 and I also sing with bands. That I have been doing since 1990 and my dad has had his own band since 1970. I know my way around the music business from what my father has taught me. I may not know it all but I know enough to know better.

Just cus you choose to break the rules, does not make it right. It does not make it legal. That's like telling an illegal alien( for example someone from Mexico that just crossed the border), oh sure, it's ok you can stay cus you have hundreds of fake social security cards, that's all you need. Have fun, you are legal *wink, wink* LOL.

Eventually, it will catch up to you. I hope it doesn't but what comes around, goes around.

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mykey1 wrote:no one is saying anything about breaking laws .

The original question regarded whether you can upload your own mp3's.

The answer is no.

Why? Because you don't have the legal right to use the music on your CDG's, whether you paid for them or not, for the purposes of a public performance, and Singsnap doesn't have the right granted to it by the karaoke producers to broadcast that music to others.

There's no debate here, the law is the law. Continuously reminding us that "It's just people singing karaoke", or "I know people that KJ that don't pay", or "I'm in the business myself, so I know the score" are not substantiative arguments in your favor.

You've been presented with authoritative arguments citing representives of the karaoke industry detailing why what you're talking about is not allowed without the proper licensing.

Sorry if I seem condescending, but your opinion is common amongst those who don't understand how copyright law works, it's important that people understand these issues in order to keep the site safe from liability and it's increasingly annoying to keep fielding these sorts of questions.

Take care.

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WOW...it seems there are a ton of armchair lawyers in here....actually there is nothing wrong with recording or burning your karaoke songs, the legal issue comes into play when you are selling them, then it's copyright infringement. Go to Sims Onstage Karaoke site, the sound quality is by far better than Sing Snap, you can also burn your karaoke onto CD and it's completely free. The only thing is Sing Snap has a much larger song selection. P.S. to the person who said that Karaoke bars get fined for recording and giving cds to patrons...YOU ARE WRONG, stop making things up.

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LOL @ making things up. Why would I want to do that? I got that from an actual KJ. I also read it at SEVERAL, not one but SEVERAL websites that cater to KJ's. I may not be perfect but I have no reason to make things up. Sure, not everything you read is true either but I DIDN'T make it up, someone else did LOL.

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First off, TheJazzSinger, you are making the very common and very incorrect assumption that copyright is simply about money. Copyright is exactly what it says it is, the right to copy, and profit if so desired, from an original work. The law deals primarily with the rights regarding how a product is distributed and/or used and what relief one can expect if violated. There are many examples of lawsuits where copyrights are violated, but not for commercial gain. The only difference in such lawsuits, in North America anyway, is that the plaintiff can only sue for court costs and actual damages instead of punitive damages. Certainly you've heard of the thousands of RIAA lawsuits settled and still underway in the USA against individual file sharers right? A perfect example of what I'm talking about. Violators are simply transmitting to one another via peer-2-peer at no cost for the content, yet it is deemed an act of unlawful duplication in the eyes of the law, and the RIAA is winning settlement after settlement.

Just as there is the RIAA representing the recording labels and ASCAP/BMI representing publishers rights, there is also a similar organization representing karaoke producers. They are called 'KAPA', and I referred to their website in an earlier post. Each artist, karaoke producer and music publisher is different and they certainly can and some do prefer to be negotiated with separately, but usually they leave it up to agencies such as ASCAP, RIAA, KAPA, etc. to deal with day to day matters of collection and enforcement of their rights.

As posted before, feel free to check the FAQ at KAPA with regards to what your rights are with copying, distribution, and private/public performance of karaoke tracks: http://www.karaokeantipiracyagency.com/faq.html

Since you're making a copy of a published work that also enjoys copyright protection entirely separate from the karaoke track producers rights, you may also want to check with the original publishers of the music or with a representative agency like ASCAP/BMI as to what you can and cannot do with their product.

Third, I checked simsonstage, there is no function that I could find anywhere on the site to "burn your karaoke onto CD". Nor is there any mention of such a feature in their FAQ or the forum. If you're doing that with third-party software, it's not a "feature" of the site, it's called a violation of the site's terms of service as well as a violation of the copyrights of the karaoke producer and the music publisher.

Finally, you snapped at Cheeky, when she's ABSOLUTELY RIGHT about bars being taken to task... Help yourself to a sampling of proof:

http://www.google.ca/search?aq=f&hl=en&q=karaoke+lawsuit+bar&btnG=Search&meta=

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I <3 Trent! :)

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