How to start Karaoke, music wise?

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Thunder,

I agree with you totally... on your assesment of SGB and others... I was just pointing out that while you can pay a lot of money for certain brands you can also pay a lot less for others and still come away with good stuff....

It really boils down to singer preferences and for me I like singing Dragula... but, hate the version from SC and prefer the one from Ameri-Sing... but that's just me... also I prefer the song Roadhouse by the Doors on SGB over any other version I've tried... I can't say a SC version on this one as I've never tried it from them yet...

Point is... don't get stuck on brand there are craploads of brands one of which has as yet to be mentioned here and they are everybit as good as SC IMHO... and they are Zoom.
 
jokerswild said:
Just remember ebay is our friend....

http://stores.ebay.com/HIP-2-KARAOKE_Sets-Collections_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZQ2d1QQfsubZ8QQftidZ2QQtZkm

This guy usually has Foundation II for the same price as I... 288.88 x 2 plus 88.00 x 5 ok so I was off by about 17.00 plus shipping. At one time he also listed a complete set FI & II plus all 5 bricks for 900ish.

Honestly search ebay you'll find great deals... some better than others but you need to know what retail is or you might over pay.
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If you find a set of Foundation II for sale on ebay, I would ask whether they are new discs, because as I have said before Soundchoice no longer makes the second set.

If they are used, then it becomes a question of what kind of condition they are in.. Although, I suppose you could pay to have them polished/resurfaced. :)
 
jclaydon said:
If you find a set of Foundation II for sale on ebay, I would ask whether they are new discs, because as I have said before Soundchoice no longer makes the second set.

If they are used, then it becomes a question of what kind of condition they are in.. Although, I suppose you could pay to have them polished/resurfaced. :)
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That could very well be why I couldn't find Foundation II there anyway and I'm kicking myself for not getting them when I could. I just checked www.rotations.com as well and they don't list it either.... or even at sound choices own site.... which sucks.... but frankly Chartbuster's is a better value for the same amount of music in their E-450 sets..... E1-7.
 
Ya chartbusters is pretty good. A little bit of everything, and no repeat songs by title altho they have quite a few different versions of the same song by artist. Well i guess everthing has its drawbacks.


I have 1-6 and really want to get 7 + 8.

When set 8 came out, it was a karaoke first for me. The ENTIRE disc of 14 contains songs that I LOVE and can sing extremely well - i just about died from shock! :sqlaugh:

-James
 
chaz said:
Yall' crack me up... ^^^ reading posts above.

Sirdj: Thunder gave you the best advise, If you want to buy cheap, you get cheap:
If you want quality then buy quality disks.
Sound Choice, (anything you can find)
Top Hits, Pop Hits: (anything you can find)
DK (original 1-99 the best, but millennium is good too for oldies)
Music Maestro ( if you can still find some... Older country.. good)

As for Chartbuster, they have a nice collection but just not fond of the music or graphics:
As for most of the rest listed.. they are cheap.. Lemme say that again CHEAP:
You get what you pay for, and unfortunately I have paid for alot of Cheap CDG's
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You would be in error regarding SuperCore. I carry all the brand names including Sound Choice, and in my venues ( 7 of them ) the SuperCore versions are by far the most popular.

Our personal taste in versions or manufacturers is really a non-issue. The "best" versions are the ones most popular with our customers.

Also, when beginning, and unsure of venue tastes and preferences, spending a whole lot of money for a minimal amount of titles- many of which may never be used- just doesn't make good business sense. Once he's rolling, and customers start requesting titles and versions, he can start building his collection with other manufacturers a bit at a time.

This way he can invest in quality equipment from the outset, which he needs NOW.

Chaz, one other thing. Though I like many name brands, they ALL have clinker tracks. Elvis himself couldn't sing the Sound Choice version of Devil In Disguise, and Sweet Georgia Brown's version of Son Of A Preacher Man is way better both to me AND my customers, as well as All Hits version of White Rabbit.

Cheap isn't in the price, it's in the quality- and they don't always match.

Yes, I carry Sound Choice, Chartbuster, Zoom, Priddis, Top & Pop Hits as well, but the majority of requests are for SuperCore - even YEARS after I started with it.
 
Jon Tuck said:
Joe I am doing this very thing with the Supercore just wanted you vets to speak out since Im getting back into it after many yrs of doing one or two here and there. Supercore has many of the good songs with minimal garbage and the orchestration of the discs are very nicely done. SGB is added on with some of the supercore deals for around 150 then you get the 2008 update and you are on your way. I then add each event a number of discs to keep up.
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Jon, I may be wrong, but I don't think that includes the entire SuperCore set of 38 plus the 1?? series? if it does can you tell me where? I have the 38, but am looking for a deal on the 1?? series....
 
jokerswild said:
I like Music Maestro but here again they can be gotten cheaply and contain many clunkers too....
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Thanks Rob, I forgot to mention Music Maestro. They may have their ups and downs, but I prefer them overall for Doo Wop and oldies. Dam shame they closed up shop....
 
Wow! And excuse my ignorance, but Karaoke seems like it costs way more to get started and pays less than most mobile DJ events.... is that true? If so, you guys who do it must have a real love for it.
 
hey whaddya mean Music Maestro Closed Shop? My Good Friend Steve Milani is still doing shows here in the lower mainland. Long Live my pal Music Maestro...... ohyou meant the Karaoke Series. OH well. As stated and Steve uses alot of the crooner discs mostly Frank Sinatra. He could have been a professional. Ask him about his Hair Band Days.
 
Thunder said:
Rob,

1) Not to bust your hump, but I bought the SGB set and I found 5 useable songs in the set..

2) I also started to pick up some of the zoom disc as well they aren't too shabby, but for current music the Pop Hits Monthly can't be beat.
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1) Steve, I don't know your venue music preferences, but from SGB I have a lot of customer preferences over anyone else's like:

War Pigs, Son Of A Preacher Man, Caberet, The Joker, all three of the Jazz Discs, some-not all- of the Sinatra disc, Heart Over Mind, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, and many others. I HAVE the "higher end" versions available, but the customer is always right..... Also, SGB has some titles unavailable elswhere.

Believe me, I'm not pushing SGB as top end by any means, but I believe the set can be very useful to a starter.


2) Love Zoom and think their quality is the equal of Sound Choice, just not enough titles yet. Pop Hits is probably the best for keeping updated, but when a popular title is found, especially country, I would find the Chartbuster version. :sqcool:
 
I do have some Supercore and and some songs are good. but as a compilation I would not start out with it.
If you are going to invest in karaoke I say do it right and get quality. Why buy something that 1 of every 2 songs is of quality. Some companies 1 of 5.
Yes sound choice has some mess ups too but not anywhere close to SGB etc...

I guess the questions would be if Sirdj is planning on doing only 2 events a year, then I would only spend $500-$1000. Then buy as many cheap sets as you can, but you get what you pay for.
TopTunes Zoom, SGB Supercore all have titles that other companies don't have.
Zoom music quality is great on most but graphics are iffy sometimes.
Stardisk I like for new country

I have been doing karaoke since 1991 and it used to be the classics always getting sung in the 90's but now since around 2001 everyone want's the new stuff as fast as possible.
 
chaz said:
I have been doing karaoke since 1991 and it used to be the classics always getting sung in the 90's but now since around 2001 everyone want's the new stuff as fast as possible.
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Hence a Pop Hits Monthly subscription. I think Ace Karaoke offers it at a decent price. The offer subscriptions from others as well, but PH seems to have the new stuff quickest and the quality is fairly consistant - meaning just OK
 
Papa Deuce said:
Wow! And excuse my ignorance, but Karaoke seems like it costs way more to get started and pays less than most mobile DJ events.... is that true? If so, you guys who do it must have a real love for it.
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Can't talk about everywhere, but in my market ( Bergen County,NJ), or at least I, make at least compatable fees to straight DJs. Admittedly I work upscale restaurant bars now, but I did saloons too.

I'm at the top end for bar shows, and I guess mid-range for events, but still DJ compatable. By top end, I mean for the types of places that I do. Those that work the huge clubs in our area can make as much or more than a wedding DJ for a night.

I also have a real love for what I do.......
 
sirdj said:
I live in the Bay Area and there are a lot of vietnamese, chinese and pacific islanders including corporate events that usually ask for the capability of Karaoke.
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That throws some added light. For non-English karaoke, Sound Choice probably IS your best bet for the Asian languages......:sqwink:
 
chaz said:
I have a standing order with a company out of Canada that just sends me the new monthlys, but I have had my problems with PHM as well... Sometimes I wonder when companies put out songs if they realize how bad they are and just put them out as fast as possible to get $$$
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Agreed, but people subscribe to these for the same reason SGB is a helpful starter- just to HAVE the titles. Once you see what's popular you can always upgrade....
 
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