“There’s an APP for That!!”

We’ve all heard the newest phrase hitting all generations, young and old — “Theres an APP for That”. There’s probably even an APP for breaking 90 on the golf course. Well regardless, if you’re one on trying out new iPhone Applications – here’s one you’ll want.

I was recently alerted to DJ E Motion’s (Rob Nadigel) “DJ Sampler” APP he designed that is now available. This particular APP is a sampler that helps with transitioning from one song to another whenever we’re performing. Most of the samples are 2-5 seconds long and range from “Swooshes” to “Sirens.”  These can be looped and downloaded straight to your computer if you’re into DJing digitally.

Phoenix, AZ Takes Center Stage in Karaoke Piracy Battle:

Sound Choice, a leading manufacturer of karaoke discs has filed a federal trademark violation lawsuit against 15 karaoke venues and Karaoke Jockeys (KJ’s) in the Phoenix area.  Alleging use of illegally obtained and unauthorized copies of karaoke content on hard drives, Sound Choice is asking for a jury trial to determine damages for lost revenues, “statutory damages per trademark infringed by counterfeiting”, and all profits realized by the defendants as a result of their unfair business advantage from counterfeiting of the trademarks.  Intellectual Property lawsuits have been prominent in recent news with the RIAA winning a nearly 2 million dollar verdict for willful infringement and a Blogger being sentenced to a year’s probation after leaking a Guns N’ Roses album to the internet.

Local Phoenix establishments and companies listed as defendants in the suit include karaoke hosting companies; Dennis Gorrel d/b/a Big D Productions, Abraham Cortez  d/b/a Carousel Karaoke and DJ Company, Dan Dan the Taxi Man (actual identity unnamed),  William Ludlow II d/b/a Dirty Goat Productions, Greg Kimble d/b/a Dynamic Sound Production,  Debbie Simmons d/b/a Karaoke Fever, Trey’s BadAss Karaoke (actual identity unnamed),   Ernest McCullar d/b/a Wired for Sound, and restaurant – bar establishments; Boston’s Bar and Grill located in Tempe,  the Breakroom located in Phoenix,  the Grapevine located in Scottsdale, Hazelwoods First Place Sports Grill located in Phoenix, Hurricane Bay Nightclub located in Phoenix, Lighthouse Sports Bar located in Avondale, the Regal Beagle Sports located in Chandler.  Representatives of Sound Choice with assistance of United States Karaoke Alliance (USKA) members conducted investigations and amassed evidence in the months preceding the lawsuit being filed.

Sound Choice is a leader in the karaoke community and has invested nearly 20 million dollars in their karaoke music catalog.  In the mid 90′s Sound Choice routinely put out up to 5 new Karaoke discs per month and employed 75 people.  With the actions of those pirating their music, they now employ less than 10 people and  their last disc release sold under 800 copies, yet can be found on thousands of karaoke systems across the United States.  As stated in their suit,  “Sound Choice has been forced to undertake this litigation in order to ensure that it survives and continues to produce the high-quality karaoke music its fans demand, and to level the playing field for the legitimate KJs.”

US Karaoke Alliance President, Eric Godfrey, stated, “As legitimate KJ’s, we support Sound Choice’s endeavors.  Due to piracy we can no longer get a fair price for our services as a substantial majority of karaoke jocks are using illegal content.  Almost every disc that comes out is now being shared on the internet or sold on hard drives.  As a result of this piracy, all legitimate karaoke disc manufacturers already have or are in danger of going out of business”.

Bobby Brooks, Vice-President of the USKA added,  “While KJ’s buying music legally have spent tens of thousands of dollars, KJ’s using pirated content have no cost and therefore have offered services for much lower fees, driving down the actual fair market cost for KJ services”.

Sound Choice started these actions, but other Karaoke publishers are watching Phoenix as the test case for legal action.  Asked what the future holds, Kurt Slep, CEO of Sound Choice, responded, “We hope to set a precedent in Phoenix.  We have already finished investigations in several other markets and those actions will follow in time.”

KIAA (Karaoke Industry Alliance of America) joins in helping Karaoke community!

Advisory Board members of the Karaoke Industry Alliance of America traveled from across the United States to serve as judges at the finals of the Chicagoland Karaoke Olympics.  Sound Choice President, Derek Slep from North Carolina, Stellar Records President Tom Viveiros from Massachusetts, Stellar Vice President Tony Walstra from Connecticut, and US Karaoke Alliance President, Eric Godfrey from Arizona all traveled to the south side of Chicago to a club called Trio in Palos Heights, IL for the crowning of Chicago’s Karaoke Olympics medalists.

1^st Place Winner Kristen D’Andrea of Orland Park IL won $5,000 cash with her renditions of I’ll Be There by Mariah Carey and No One by Alicia Keys.   She worked the crowd into a feverish pitch with her performances.  2^nd Place Winner Don Grillo of Countryside IL won a complete DJ / Karaoke Rig with Sound Choice and Pop Hits Monthly Library, worth over $6,000 with his performances of Piano Man by Billy Joel and At this Moment by Billy Vera and the Beaters.  3^rd prize was won by Hard Rocker, Kevin Benson of Indian Head Park IL and included a Budweiser Prize Pack and $1,250 worth of Pop Hits Monthly Discs with Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy by Big and Rich and Plush by Stone Temple Pilots.  A crowd of over 400 packed the club for the entire event.  The Karaoke Olympic Finals was the climax to 12 weeks of qualifying and then club finals and wild card semi-finals.  The even was co sponsored by SingChicago.com, Nitelife.org and www.chiliskaraoke.com.  The host and MC for the event was Ron Larson, owner of Chili’s Karaoke.

KIAA board members used the event to help the local Karaoke community and pitched very expensive disc collections as prizes.

Mobile DJ to Club DJ

So you have your gear all set up and your ready to play, this time for a Bride and Groom, next time a corporate retirement party.  You’ve got your music and lights and a plan.  The entire event rests on your shoulders because your a DJ, your the DJ.  Now what if your Bride and Groom or retiree was at a Club and just hanging out looking to dance and have fun; is this really any different than your weddings and parties?  Being a mobile DJ allows you the luxury of having crowds of strangers, all with the same goal, have a good time due to your ability.  Welcome to a mobile DJ that can easily work in a Club.

This blog is to open the eyes of mobile DJs to trying and ultimately working in Clubs.  With the new economic challenges that we must face in the mobile market, the Club world opens up as another source of revenue.  Yes the tough times will affect the Clubs, so having DJs who can read the crowd and deliver a great performance will be a huge asset to the owners.  The gigs that we do on a weekly basis require more preparing and time than any Club event, so we are already in a position to succeed in that environment.

I will be discussing the old and new music that gets played in the clubs.  The mix skills that will come into play, and the gear used.  All the various things needed to be a Club DJ coming from a mobile background.  We read the crowd and make the night fun through our track selection; that’s exactly what a Club DJ does.  I will also be interviewing club DJs who have done mobile gigs and asking what differences they have seen and encountered.  I want you to be open to making more money based on your talent and love of being a mobile DJ; it is that simple.

djjay