Serious karaoke hosts know that it is important to buy original music to run your karaoke shows. Until recently, the manufacturers have been hesitant to agree to format shifting their songs onto computer. With all the illegal downloading going on, it's hard to tell who is doing it the right way and who is not. You can't tell the difference once the music is on the computer. Some manufacturers have taken it upon themselves to police the industry and take karaoke pirates to court to force them to buy legal libraries of their music once they are caught. Until recently, some, like Chartbuster Karaoke, have simply said that if you don't use the original media, then you're not legal.
Chartbuster Karaoke has finally changed it's strategy. As one of the leading manufacturers of karaoke tracks, Chartbuster has realized that the digital age is upon us. And even legal karaoke hosts have found that the use of a computer is a no-brainer when it comes to running a show. Those that have accumulated 1000's of discs over the years know what I'm talking about. They are heavy, easily scratched or broken, and even get stolen on the job. By ripping all those tracks, there is only the weight of the computer to now contend with. And the benefits available in today's computer hosting programs make running a karaoke show easier so you can mingle with the crowd and still get the next singer up in a flash.
While other manufacturers have created discs in the MP3 format to make it easier to shift the tracks to computer, they have not relieved the burden of having to store all those cumbersome discs. Chartbuster looked at the problem and used a much newer, much simpler method to get the tracks to the host - SD Cards. You know - the cards they use in your digital camera. Measuring in at about 1" X 3/4", these small digital cards hold a wealth of information.
The use of the SD card (or the MP3 discs for that matter) has made the transformation to computer karaoke some much simpler. I buy a lot of discs in the old CDG format. I just received 50 of them. When they arrived, I spent two days ripping them down from CDG to MP3+G files (many use a zip file). When I got my first SD cards, I plugged one into the card reader on my computer and hit copy and it was done 30 seconds later. The cards don't cost more to purchase than the discs. The manufacturer is saving on the production cost of one card vs. 3 discs and a large case. And everybody is happy (except maybe those that worry about how to store the media for safekeeping).
Each of the 50 pack song selections from Chartbusters is now available on SD for $39.95 retail at your favorite karaoke store or on-line retailer. They even have the 450 song Essentials available on SD. About 16 SD cards will fit in the same sleeve as a CDG. As of yet, I haven't seen a SD holder for karaoke, but you can purchase SD wallets that hold up to 24 cards to store and protect these tiny digital wonders.
I might mention here that the jury is still out on whether format shifting is violating any laws as far as the songwriter or producers are concerned. Chartbuster and the other karaoke manufacturers are quick to inform you that they are only sanctioning format shifting of the karaoke track from their point of view. There may still be issues with doing it. But for now, another top producer of great karaoke music has seen the needs of the professional karaoke host and are addressing their concerns. Thumbs up to you Chartbuster!
