Best of Love Songs DVD #4 Released by Promo Only

Promo Only Announces the Release of Hot Video Classics Best of Love Songs Volume 4 - A Collection of Romantic Ballads for Every Occasion

Orlando, FL (January 5, 2009) - Promo Only, Inc., the industry’s complete source for music and music video, is pleased to announce the release of Hot Video Classics Best of Love Songs Volume 4, the latest in its series of music video classics on DVD.

Spanning five decades of romantic hits, Best of Love Songs Volume 4 offers a sweeping collection of pop’s greatest ballads designed to instantly set the perfect romantic mood while bringing back the fondest of memories.

Available individually as a Promo Only subscription addition, Best of Love Songs Volume 4 includes such favorites as My Love, Lionel Richie; If You Don’t Know Me By Now, Simply Red; Drive, The Cars; Forever and Ever, Amen, Randy Travis; Leave A Tender Moment Alone, Billy Joel; and My Girl, The Temptations.

No matter the occasion, no matter the event, Best of Love Songs Volume 4 offers pure DJ gold — an instant library of classic love songs, both old and new, on a single DVD.

For more information concerning Hot Video Classics Best of Love Songs Volume 4, or any Promo Only audio or video product, contact Promo Only by phone at 407-331-3600 or by email at customerservice@promoonly.com.

No dealer inquires, please. Subscription to Promo Only required.

About Promo Only

Promo Only offers 18 different formats of music on CD and 8 different formats of music video on DVD, each designed to meet the specific needs of music professionals and entertainment venues. Subscribers to Promo Only enjoy the widest variety of the newest releases, access to turnkey audio and video libraries, and a suite of custom audio and video programming services (hospitality and retail establishments only).

Ron Dante Interview - The Voice Of The Archies - At MBLV09!

Mp3 audio of this interview is available below the text of the interview here.

Ryan Burger: Hi, this is Ryan Burger, the publisher of Mobile Beat magazine. We’re here with Ron Dante, known as the Mr. Archies or — how shall we know you, I guess?

 

Ron Dante: They usually call me the “Voice of The Archies.”

Ryan Burger: The Voice of The Archies. That’s what I saw. Fantastic. Introduce yourself, and then I’ll just ask whatever comes to mind.

Ron Dante: My name is Ron Dante. I’m a singer. I’ve been singing all my life. I was asked to be the voice of a group called The Archies years ago for their TV series that was on in the late ’60s-early ’70s, and we did all the music for it. I sang all the music. Every time you saw that red-headed, freckled Archie singing on the TV show, it was me, every Saturday morning for four years. I was lucky enough to do a lot of great songs and some of them became huge hits.

Ryan Burger: Fantastic. I watched the show a little bit; obviously I’ve heard the music and everything like that. So you’re sort of just the singing voice. You didn’t do the voice in their silly adventures and stuff like that that they did. You’re just uniquely the singing voice of Archie, then?

Ron Dante: Right. I was the voice that every time you heard the music. We did all the music on the East Coast; all the acting for the character voices were done on the West Coast in Los Angeles by character actors and things. But they supplied all the music. They actually animated to our songs. So whatever the song was, “Bang-Shang-A-Lang,” “Jingle Jangle,” they would animate to those lyrics, and you’d see The Archies dancing and singing.

Ryan Burger: So it wasn’t the other way around; sort of like — I was a big fan of the Monkees. I was watching when they came back in the mid-’80s. It seemed like their songs were written to fill the script, to a degree. Yours was the other way around.

Ron Dante: Yeah. Ours was the dance of the week or the song of the week or the Giant Jukebox would play a song that everybody could dance to on the show and at home. We tried to once in a while get conscious. We wrote a song called “Mr. Factory” about the factories polluting things. We got a little ecological on some of our songs.

Ryan Burger: That was what people did during the days. Yours was probably a calm version of what other people were writing and singing at things. It’s a way of getting a message out, too.

Ron Dante: Yeah. We tried — we knew they were young viewers; mostly pre-teens and early teens. So we tried to write and sing for that generation, for that group of people; not hit anybody over the head. Mostly it was fun music, good old-fashioned rock and roll that a lot of the kids, it was their first exposure to pop music was through The Archies’ TV show. We would have a song and a dance every week, and before they were even listening to radio, they were watching TV as young kids.

Ryan Burger: Yeah. And “Sugar, Sugar” being the biggest one that hit on there, what other were the big ones in your Archie portion of your history? We’ll get into all the things you’ve done since then, but what else were the ones that really punched?

Ron Dante: Well, the very first single we released with the very first series of shows was called “Bang-Shang-A-Lang,” which went Top 10 and sold almost a million records. People really responded to it. It was written by this great songwriter, Jeff Barry, who wrote “Be My Baby” and “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Leader of the Pack”, “Hanky Panky”. These are all his hits. So they brought in one of the best writers of the ’60s to write for The Archies. So “Bang-Shang-A-Lang came out. The next one was, of course, “Who’s Your Baby?” And then a big one for us was “Jingle Jangle”, which was a follow-up to “Sugar, Sugar.” We sold two million records, “Jingle Jangle”, and it still gets played to this day right behind “Sugar, Sugar” on some stations.

So we had some really big ones, and it went on for four years. We had six albums out over those four years; our Greatest Hits and stuff. And every day, Archies gets played two or three hundred times a day on oldies radio stations around the country. It’s in the heavy rotation, which I’m very pleased about that.

Ryan Burger: It’s still shooting out there. Since I’m looking a little bit through your bio, which everybody can see on your website, RonDante.com, you didn’t stop after The Archies, by any means. Your history with The Archies continues on and you still come back and do more stuff with them and everything, but you moved on to more behind the scenes a lot more. Did you go straight into the producing side or did you continue to release other stuff after that?

Ron Dante: I did go into the production aspect of it. Before I did The Archies, I was a jingle singer, and I sang lots of commercials. I sang thousands and thousands of commercials. I was the voice of McDonald’s and Dr. Pepper. And on one of those spots — I did The Archies, of course, so people wanted the voice of The Archies on those commercials — I met a singer named Barry Manilow, and I ended up producing him. And through that connection I became Mr. Producer all through the ’70s and early ’80s, producing of course all the Barry Manilow hits, from “Mandy” to “Copacabana.” But I also produced Irene Cara, the “Flashdance” and “Fame” girl. I worked with Pat Benetar. I did “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Heartbreaker”, “You Better Run.”

I’ve worked with wonderful classic people. So I really got behind the scenes a lot after that. I really loved the idea of being in the studio with musicians and great singers. I actually produced and worked with John Denver and Ray Charles, at one point. So I had a very, very eclectic career, and I was very pleased to be able to actually perform sometimes and other times be in the studio, producing.

Ryan Burger: The flip side of the equation. You always see actors that move into the production side of things, producing their own movies, stuff like that. So it’s a natural progression, because you know what the artist wants in a production value and then you also know what the record label wants, you’re able to connect a lot more. So I can understand the move into producing, definitely.

Ron Dante: Yeah. Producing is cool because as a singer, I produce records from the singer’s point of view; which is great because a lot of producers are very technical. They know the board; they know the amplifiers; they know the technique. But they don’t remember that the most important thing is the song and the singer. So I produce from the song and singer point of view. At least people get the impact of the song and the vocalist.

Ryan Burger: Wow. You still production-level stuff? What have you been doing the last –?

Ron Dante: Yeah. Over the Christmas time I produced a brand-new Archies album called The Archies’ Christmas Album featuring Betty and Veronica. I bought in two teenage girls to be Betty and Veronica. Danielle Van Zyl and Kelly-Lynn were Betty and Veronica. I, of course, sang the voice of Archie on our Christmas album and it did really well this Christmas. People rediscovered The Archies from the Christmas album, especially the High School Musical group and the Hannah Montana gang, because that’s what I kind of aimed that album for.

So I went right back in, and this summer we’re probably be putting out The Archies Go Country. We’ll be doing a country album in Nashville with The Archies again. So I do that, and I get called to do different commercials and different production things. I’m always working with new and up-and-coming artists. I like to keep my hand in the production. Even though I perform at least two or three times a month, I still like to come back and produce in the studio because that’s really where I love to be, also.

Ryan Burger: Well, coming up, you’re going to be performing with us at the Riviera Hotel at Mobile Beat Las Vegas that will be occurring possibly before some people hear this. But for those that are coming to the conference, tell us a little bit about what to expect of your time on stage with us.

Ron Dante: Well, I am just so excited to be a part of this show. It’s going to be so hot. It’s going to be a great, great night with lots of different types of music. I’m pleased. When they see my show, they’ll hear some of my Archies music; they’ll hear a couple of rock and roll tunes. I even had a group in the ’60s and ’70s called The Cuff Links, which we had a big hit record called “Tracy”, which a lot of 30-year-old girls named Tracy were probably named after my song.

So I’ll be doing “Tracy” also that night. It’s just going to be a very cool night. We’re going to be at the top of the Riv, in Las Vegas, with lots of people who love music and want to have some fun. So I’m really looking forward to that night.

Ryan Burger: That should be cool. You’ll be there signing autographs. We have copies of the new Christmas CD and some of the other stuff for people to pick up if they want to, I assume?

Ron Dante: I will be bringing all that stuff. I’ll be bringing CDs, The Archies new Christmas album, my classic album, the Best of The Archies with all our hits on it. I try to bring those things along because inevitably people also would like to find it. They see the artist; they would love to get something to remember the night by. So those things will be right by me.

Ryan Burger: Very cool. And then I understand you’re going to hang around a little bit with us on Wednesday; probably give us a place to sit and talk with people, anyone wants to sit and reminisce about stuff. It sounds like you really enjoy just talking with the average person. We were talking before we even turned on the Record button with this stuff; you just enjoy what you’ve done and your impact on things, and you like to talk about life in general, it sounds.

Ron Dante: Well, I’m really pleased that I was blessed to be able to do what I love all my career. And to meet the fans of the music or people that were impacted by something I did, it’s great. That really is the icing on the cake. It makes it all worthwhile. Because you go in the studio, you don’t get to meet the people that are enjoying the music. So I love to meet fans. I love to meet the people that play the music. It’s something I enjoy a lot.

Ryan Burger: Okay. Well, for those that are not going to be coming out to the conference, give us one short phrase or something, if they’re to remember who you are, who you’ve been, how would you describe yourself to the average person, or the mobile DJs out there that are probably listening to this, if they don’t get to meet you and find out your vibe and everything?

Ron Dante: Well, music has been my life totally since I was 14 years old, when I formed my first group. Of course, Archies, Cuff Links, and all my artists that I’ve produced are part of my legacy and part of what I do. But I love to keep current and I keep on top of things that are happening now. So if it’s happening in music, I’m on top of it.

Ryan Burger: Very cool. Thank you for joining us and make sure to come on out to Mobile Beat Las Vegas to check out Ron, Otis Day and the Knights, Vanilla Ice, our whole smorgasbord of styles of music, going through the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and even a touch of ’90s at the Mobile Beat show. Come and meet everybody and find out what the DJ industry is all about.

Thanks for joining me, Ron.

Ron Dante: Pleasure being here.

Check out more information on the conference at http://www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show/ and Ron’s appearance on Tuesday night.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jim Barnhart Interview For MBLV09

Mp3 audio of this interview is available below the text of the interview here.

Ryan Burger: This is Ryan Burger, the publisher of Mobile Beat magazine. As part of our ongoing series of finding out about the artists that DJs play at their weddings and other events they do, we’re here with an up-and-coming Christian artist, Jim Barnhart, who’s going to be joining us at the Mobile Beat Las Vegas show coming up in just a few weeks.Tell us a little bit about yourself, how you got into the business.

Jim Barnhart: Well, I started playing some guitar when I was about 16 or so, and from there — I never really thought about playing guitar and singing at the same time. It took me forever, or felt like, anyways, to start actually playing the guitar and being able to actually strum chords good. And then after a while, I just began to progress and progress, and then I began to write some songs, some different words down. So then I just put one and one together and got into doing this. It kind of just all happened.

Ryan Burger: Everything came to you as blessed by the gifts that you had, and you had to tell people about it; thoughts in my mind. Did you used to play other people’s music, then just started having a feeling in yourself that you wanted to create on your own? How did that come to you?

Jim Barnhart: Really, I started playing in church. My grandpa’s a pastor in Arkansas, and he allowed us to just jump right in there. And from the very beginning, as soon as I started playing, he just let my cousins or whoever jump up on stage, turn our guitars all the way off, and just act like we’re playing. And really, just kind from that. That’s what I learned, really, was just following other people; like following the other guitarists and stuff.

So really it just kind of went from there. Then I began writing my own stuff and playing my own stuff. Then I led worship for a while, and still do that now. But mainly, it really just all fell in place. I really feel that God has blessed me and called me to do this. It just kind of all fell into place when the time was right.

Ryan Burger: Well, obviously people can check you out on the Web. What’s your Web address, if you could just mention it for everybody so they can check you out a little bit in advance of seeing you at the show?

Jim Barnhart: It’s JimBarnhartMusic.com.

Ryan Burger: Very cool. And I was listening to the music myself, I’ve got a little bit of a vibe as to what your style’s like. But describe it for all the people that are out there, compared to some other artists, either in the mainstream or in the Christian realm, as to what your music is like, what your feeling is like, and what you’ve written and sang.

Jim Barnhart: I really can’t compare much. I don’t compare myself to anybody else. It’s kind of like an own style. It’s more acoustic stuff. I write all my stuff with my guitar. Like whenever I do shows, right now it’s all acoustic. So as far as like comparing it, though, to anybody else, I don’t really know who to compare it to. But I would just say it’s acoustic, felt stuff, like a lot of worship type. So it’s real intimate lyrics.

Ryan Burger: It just comes straight from the heart. There’s no doubt about that.

Jim Barnhart: Just from the heart, yeah.

Ryan Burger: How’s the word getting out about you? Are you getting out there to a bunch of different churches? I can’t even remember how we found out about you.

Jim Barnhart: Actually, the Internet’s been helping me a lot. I’m really still just getting started and just getting going. I’m learning this whole music business. Like, once I got into it, it just kind of all happened again, just like playing guitar and writing and everything; just happened with the music business and everything. Whenever I recorded my album, it just happened. So really I’m just starting to get out there.

I’ve been touring around. I live in Vegas now, so I’ve been going around to the churches around here, and then I’m planning some stuff back in Arkansas, where I’m originally from, for later on in March. So really, the Internet’s been helping me a lot, and then just word of mouth, really.

Ryan Burger: Wow. So the word is spreading. A question for you actually just popped into my head. I’ve heard a lot of people say that contemporary Christian music is God’s music. But at the same time, God created all music; it’s just what the message is about. How does that hit you, as the difference between what’s considered regular Top-40 music and your style and similar people that have extra meaning in their music?

Jim Barnhart: You know, I personally listen to all different kinds of music, because like you just said, music itself is of God, and it’s God’s music. It’s like a lot of the lyrics and a lot of the words that people have put to go with the music has actually just kind of turned and went away from the actual music. I personally enjoy all different types of music, and really I don’t condemn anybody for not listening to just Christian music or anything like that. It’s just like a personal preference, I feel.

Ryan Burger: Cool. Jim’s going to be joining us at the non-denominational Christian Fellowship coming up at the conference; just to try to get a bunch of Christians and non-Christians that want to hear a little bit more of your music and of God’s word. I assume you’ll be playing a couple songs for us at [inaudible], so I’m actually going to talk about it after this interview.

But you’ll just basically be sitting down with your guitar? As you said, you’re totally acoustic with everything and playing from your heart, right?

Jim Barnhart: That’s what I do. Whenever I play my music, it’s just sharing straight from my heart. And so whether I’m playing my guitar and singing or just speaking, it all comes directly from my heart. That’s why I do what I do, is because my heart is over-full of love and compassion.

Ryan Burger: Fantastic.

Jim Barnhart: It’s who I am, I guess. It’s just me.

Ryan Burger: And you’re able to express it through musical talents given to you by Him. Understood completely.

Well, if you want to find out more about Jim’s music, check out JimBarnhartMusic.com. And you’ll find out more information and hopefully a lot of people see you at the show and somewhere down the road. When you’re a superstar and everybody’s hearing your music, we’ll hopefully be talking some more then.

Jim Barnhart: That sounds good. I look forward to it very much.

Check out more information on the conference at http://www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show/ and Jim’s appearance on Thursday morning

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Accurate Two-Way Monitoring Loudspeakers Feature USB Audio Connectivity

Cumberland, R.I. (Jan. 15, 2009) - Alesis, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional audio equipment and studio electronics, announces M1Active 520 USB studio monitors with USB audio connectivity. M1Active 520 USB monitors will be on display at the 2009 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., January 15 - 18, 2009 at the Alesis booth, number 6400.M1Active 520 USB is a pair of active, bi-amplified, two-way reference monitors that faithfully reproduce frequencies from 20,000 Hz all the way down to 56 Hz, covering nearly all frequencies audible to human ears. Engineers can send audio directly from their DAW via USB to the speakers for extremely low noise, low-distortion signal flow. Priced attractively for any studio’s budget, M1Active 520 USB monitors perform with linearity, clarity and neutrality typically reserved for monitors that cost much more.

The M1Active 520 USB monitors are designed around a five-inch polypropylene low-frequency driver for full, smooth response in the low end and a one-inch silk dome high-frequency driver for absolute clarity in the highs. The low-resonance bass-reflex cabinet features beveled edges to reduce edge diffraction and a tuned port for bass extension. M1Active 520 USB’s bi-amplified design delivers 50W to the woofer and 25W to the tweeter. The monitors are magnetically shielded so studios can place them near computer screens and hard drives without concern.

When multitasking, engineers will appreciate the M1Active 520 USB’s large, front-panel, bi-color display that indicates presence of signal in blue and clipping in red for instant feedback on system status.

In addition to USB playback capability, M1Active 520 USBs boast a pair of TRS-balanced 1/4″ inputs, enabling them to be used as a high-quality computer audio interface. Users can connect a stereo source or two mono sources including a mixer, keyboard, sampler or tape deck and record directly to their computer through the speakers.

“The new M1Active 520 USB studio monitors make getting low-distortion signal from your DAW to your monitors simple,” said Adam Cohen, Director of Business Development, Alesis.

M1Active 520 USB studio monitors will be available from musical instrument and pro audio retailers in Q3 2009, at an MSRP of $299.99 and an estimated street price of $199.99.
# # #

About Alesis
Alesis manufactures a full line of professional audio and musical instrument products capitalizing on its strengths in digital, analog, semiconductor, and transducer technologies. Alesis delivers revolutionary product solutions to the music and audio production industries. For more information, visit www.alesis.com; images are available at http://www.alesis.com/media.

Digital Karaoke, Copyrights, and the Disc Manufacturers

My last post had a response from Bill Smith who stated,

“SoundChoice and Chartbuster came out and stated that they have no problems with a one for one copy of a legally purchased disc, I think I would be moved to initiate that. I also believe it would clear the air one and for all.”

Bill said he was looking for some clarity.

Let me explain the problem a step farther. Stellar Records (Pop Hits), Chartbuster, and SoundChoice have all been sued repeatedly (and some still have pending lawsuits) by various music publishers. Since they are the only pockets deep enough to go after they keep getting hit. The problem is that Karaoke has never been specifically addressed. There is a rule allowing anyone to put out a remake of a song and sell it. The section of the law defines a procedure for what is called “compulsories”. In the early days all the Karaoke companies (the ones trying to be legal) were paying these fees and registering their songs. However, since CDG’s combined active graphics the publishers pointed to a section of the Copyright law stating that it was combining the music and a visual production and thus did not qualify as a “phonograph” recording and compulsories did not apply…? This was the beginning of the end of many Karaoke disc companies. They now must get a compulsory license and for lack of a better term a “Karaoke sync” license. They must get every writer, composer, performer and publisher to agree to allow the track and after that negotiate a contract with each one prior to releasing the track.

The problem is this. SoundChoice, Chartbuster, Stellar etc, get the license and it is defined as for use on the particular Karaoke CDG and it has an expiration date. It is not in the scope of their license to tell you that you can make a copy of the disc in digital format. If they say you can do so, they open themselves up to more lawsuits. There is a great deal of disagreement among the remaining companies as to how this needs to be handled, but the bottom line is they all understand technology and acknowledge that digital copies are going to happen.. They have agreed that as long as you have 1 for 1 copies of the original for every show you do that they will not pursue any course of action. This is the same as with DJ’s using digital tracks and what the RIAA has stated.

After years of very intense discussion and quite a bit of animosity I was able to get Bill Becker, current General Manager of Sound Choice to release this press release: http://www.uskaraokealliance.com/images/SoundChoiceKaraokePressRelease9-08.pdf.  Bill and Sound Choice have been more than reasonable to deal with of late and they are trying to move forward proactively.

However, they can not state it is okay to go digital as it would put them in legal jeopardy, but they have stated that if you have one for one copies for every set of gear that they will not come after you.

So the answer is once again, that we all live in the gray area as digital DJ’s always have and that until it is addressed SPECIFICALLY, there is no hard and set rule. SoundChoice has discussed it with me and the USKA can act as an intermediary for a KJ member and negotiate a way to pay for license certificates for digital content that you do not have discs to support. We have spoken to Chartbuster and Stellar and they are both working on similar programs, but theirs’ are not in place yet.

If we can get even a small portion of the people to pay to make their illegal copies legal this will create a revenue stream for the disc manufacturers and help them to survive and hopefully as we police our own industry we can bust a few people and create awareness that gets the ball rolling.

See http://www.uskaraokealliance.com/Karaoke_Legal_Talk.htm for more info on all of this.

Ron Dante of the Archies to Open For Otis Day and the Knights

The schedule keeps on filling up.  Another opportunity for entertainment came our way with Ron Dante wanting to perform for the Mobile DJs at MBLV09.  He will be doing a 15 minute quick set before Otis Day and the Knights hit the stage.

Ron Dante’s Site is at http://www.rondante.com/

Pop music fans know Ron Dante as the voice of The Archies who performed the legendary hit song “Sugar, Sugar”. His hit number one single topped the charts for over 5 weeks and was the “Record of the Year” in Billboard Magazine for 1969 selling over 10 million copies. His hit “Tracy” also was a million seller and topped the charts a year later. 

Lots of music lovers hum Dante’s tunes without every knowing it. Dante was the singing voice on hundreds of popular radio and TV commercials. It’s Dante’s voice you hear on spots for Coke, Dr. Pepper, McDonalds, American Airlines and even today Dante is the voice of Yoplait’s TV campaign singing “Itsy Bitsy Yellow Poka Dot Bikini”.

Dante is also known for his work as record producer for such artists as Barry Manilow, Pat Benetar, Cher, Ray Charles, John Denver and other major recording artists. Dante produced all the huge million sellers for Barry Manilow including  “Mandy” ” I Write The Songs” ” Could It Be Magic” and the Grammy Award winning ” Copacabana”.

Dante is currently featured on the new PBS Special “My Music Part 2″ airing this month. He can also be heard singing “Sugar,Sugar’ in the Jerry Seinfeld hit film BEE MOVIE.

Check out more info at http://www.mobilebeat.com/las-vegas-dj-show/

Why is Piracy a problem for Karaoke?

Hey everyone! Before getting started, I am new to this blog and new to blogging altogether so please bear with me.

I am Eric Godfrey,  President of the US Karaoke Alliance www.USKaraokeAlliance.com and I am on the advisory board for KIAA (Karaoke Industry Alliance of America). Www.theKIAA.org. I am owner of Starz Entertainment, (www.StarzEntertainment.net) and Starz Karaoke (www.StarzKaraoke.com). We do about 600 to 700 Karaoke shows per year in bars and clubs and about 50 more private shows.

We are going to be addressing all issues Karaoke on this blog and will deal with any aspects you want to deal with. So all that said let’s touch on this topic which is Why is Piracy a problem for Karaoke?

With the development of computer technology, copying of discs was available then later ripping of songs and playing of songs from hard drives. I am an advocate of this as a trained computer engineer. There are many benefits to hosting with digital Karaoke files and that will be another blog topic up later today.

Problem is this… in addition to copying of Karaoke discs, the technology has allowed easy copying of Karaoke files and those have been put up on peer sharing technologies like RealmWorld which advertised by KaraokeInfo and has allowed people to download massive collections which they have used Ebay, Craigslist and a host of other sites to sell content they downloaded illegally with no costs at all.

We run 3 bar systems and 1 private system and since 1998 we have spent over $140,000 on Karaoke music. I can not compete with someone who obtains all their music at no cost and is using untrained hosts on home quality Karaoke systems for the price of a bar tab. That is my side of the problem.

The music industry gives little or no respect to Karaoke and Karaoke technology has never been specifically addressed in any legislation. Therefore contracts and agreements have been loosely based on the US Copyright Law and many disagreements have resulted. The record companies have not gone after small disc companies who are totally infringing on copyrights and paying nothing in artists and publisher commissions… They have gone after the larger companies that are trying to do it right and make ends meet. So all of the major companies have been getting sued and buried in legal fees and settlement fees while the worst of the infringers march on.

End result of all of this… Major companies like NuTech, Music Maestro, DK, Priddis, Legends, and Pioneer are now gone… They are out of business. Top Hits Monthly went out of business with several other companies that were putting out discs, but never did it legally. Reasons vary, but end result, they are all gone! The only remaining companies that are doing it right and paying fees in accordance with the existing system are Pop Hits Monthly (Stellar), Chartbuster, Sound Choice, Disney, All-Star (makers of most of the brands you see at Wal-Marts and other chain retailers), and Sound Choice. All of these companies have watched fees go up, legal costs sky-rocket, and sales go down as more and more of their music is being shared and copied instead of purchased. All of them have extremely questionable futures and even these companies that were once extremely successful have cut back to the bone and are still watching revenues drop to nothing.

Why is all of this a problem? Do you love to sing songs, like I do? Do you enjoy having your favorite versions of songs? Do you share my desire to do things the right way and do it legally while making sure artists are compensated? If you said yes to any of these questions, you must realize if these companies go under, where are your new Karaoke songs going to come from? What quality will they be? The cost of putting out a legal Karaoke disc with 10 to 12 tracks is somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $12,000. 15 song discs can run up to about $20,000. This is including licensing fees, sync fees, administrative documentation fees, production costs, etc. It is NOT including overhead of the company, costs of the disc production and distribution. So, if they go out of business will anyone be putting out any legal music or is the entire industry doing to go underground and be the land of computer geek, hackers and file sharers using illegal content? Meanwhile, legitimate Karaoke hosting companies are going under because they can not support paying for music, properly trained hosts and professional equipment because of extremley low cost competition by the the myriad of people doing shows with no costs in exchange for beer money.

We all need to come together and work together or the Karaoke world we love is going to go away.

Folks, I apologize for the bleak first post, but I want everyone to understand the dire situation we are in… This is all written from my personal perspective and from my opinion… I am on the advisory board for KIAA and my opinions do not always coincide with their stands on issues. Any companies mentioned are from my memory and any omissions are not intentional.

All that said; go to USKaraokeAlliance.com if you want to get involved in the effort to fix these problems before it is too late!  Look forward to hearing from all of you and chatting at Mobile Beat in Las Vegas!

Double Derby X with LED Technology Debuts at NAMM

The Double Derby^TM X may look like a classic derby effect with rotating, crisscrossing multicolored beams. But this DJ mainstay has been transformed into a modern icon of LED technology.

With just three high-powered 3-watt LEDs, this workhorse provides DJs with preprogrammed shows using the crisp red, green and blue beams in different combinations: green/blue, red/blue, and red/green/blue, with an astounding 132-degree wide floor coverage, enough to blanket an entire room.

Strobing is built in to the automated program. Blackout is controllable using a DMX controller.

Thanks to LED technology, the Double Derby^TM X is light weight — just 6 pounds. That’s also due in part to its lightweight case. Its size is just 11 inches X 11.7 inches X 10 inches.

As with most LED-fitted lights, the Double Derby^TM X is ideal in settings where heat must be avoided and where energy consumption must be minimized. And because of the low heat, there are no duty cycles.

The Double Derby^TM X provides the ultimate level of versatility and can be used virtually anywhere due to its acceptance of a wide range of voltages, from 100-240V. The autosensing feature automatically triggers the unit’s adjustment to the voltage supplied.

Add more effects to the show by linking with the other X products, which share the X-Bracket, in a master/slave configuration. Mount multiple units on top for an amazing array. Since each unit draws just 24 watts, up to 37 fixtures can be daisy chained at 120 volts.

With the new Double Derby^TM X, CHAUVET preserved all the classic effects of the traditional derby while boosting the value and productivity of this popular luminaire.

http://www.chauvetlighting.com

SCS Mixer & Deck professional controllers herald a revolution for the digital DJ

HOLLYWOOD, FL - January 14, 2009 - Stanton DJ, an industry leader in the design and manufacturing of professional audio products for DJs, announces the official release of the SC System into retail locations worldwide. The SC System is an innovative set of digital controllers for the professional DJ, comprised of the SCS.1d deck and the SCS.1m mixer. Both units are advanced control surfaces that give the laptop DJ new performance abilities and functionality within the MIDI-compatible software of their choice, while preserving the familiar feel and layout of more traditional equipment. The components of the high-end system can be used standalone or together, allowing for multiple configurations and diverse functionality that goes far beyond the parameters set by traditional DJ gear.The SC System is the result of years of research in new technologies and user interface design, and unites these elements in an ergonomic and intuitive package. “As a company, we made a commitment to invest in technology that would take DJ performances to the next level,” states Tim Dorwart, CEO of The Stanton Group. “The SCS-1 deck and mixer show our commitment to this market, to the DJ controller paradigm and to our customers, who have been instrumental in providing feedback and input into these products.”

Several new technologies are found in the SC System. Among these are HSS1394, a proprietary high-speed communications protocol developed by Stanton Magnetics and Bome’s Software for the SC System 1 family of products. This groundbreaking innovation allows MIDI messages to be translated and rapidly exchanged via FireWire. HSS1394 solves the need for extremely fast communications from control surfaces to DJ software, and ensures the fastest messaging achievable with hardware while still maintaining the appearance of a standard MIDI device.

To support the hardware’s diverse software compatibility, Stanton has developed a preset library for the System, including a preset for Traktor Pro^TM as well as a general preset that applies to other popular software applications. The presets will be updated regularly, and are available for free download off the Stanton website.

For more information on the SC System 1, other products in the SC System family, and Stanton’s full line of traditional DJ equipment, visit www.stantondj.com and www.enterthesystem.com.
About Stanton Magnetics

Founded in 1946, Stanton Magnetics is an industry leader in the design and manufacture of professional audio products for DJs, Live Sound Reinforcement and install applications. A member of the Stanton Group of companies, Stanton DJ products include turntables, high-performance cartridges, CD players, DJ mixers, accessories, and digital controllers. With over 50 years of innovation, Stanton is the name DJs trust. For additional information, visit the company online at www.stantondj.com.

Wedding Ceremony Mini System from Samson

Hauppauge, NY - Samson makes public address a breeze with an all-in-one portable sound system that provides everything you need to deliver a professional and memorable presentation or performance. The XP40iW is perfect for a number of PA situations and settings, including tour groups, classrooms, conference/meeting rooms, health clubs, outdoor events and even small auditoriums.

“Thanks to comprehensive features and accessories that are also quite practical, the XP40iW truly is a single system solution,” says Mark Wilder, Director of Marketing for Samson Technologies. “We brought all the most useful features possible in terms of sound applications and we incorporated that into one portable, great sounding system.”

The XP40iW includes an iPod dock with level control and a built-in VHF wireless microphone system as well as bass and treble control all running on a rechargeable battery. Because of high-quality components and convenient portability, the XP40iW provides a consummate all-in-one solution to a wide range of public address applications.

To ensure pristine, full-range sound, the XP40iW employs a 6-inch woofer and a titanium dome compression driver. The unit is powered by a 40 watt Class D amplifier that is perfectly matched to the drivers for high efficiency and low current draw. Since this amplifier is also lightweight, it enhances the portability of the system. The XP40iW even has a convenient integral top handle to make it easier to transport.

Samson Technologies Corporation designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance wireless, audio and music accessory products in the United States and 106 countries abroad. Samson is also the exclusive worldwide distributor of Hartke products and the exclusive U.S. distributor of Zoom recording and signal processing electronics. Samson Technologies is based in Hauppauge, New York.
samsontech.com

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