Frequently Asked Questions - Hosts

What is a karaoke host?
For the purposes of this program, a "karaoke host" is a person or company who uses its own karaoke equipment to put on a commercial karaoke show. The terms "KJ," "karaoke jockey," "karaoke operator," and "DJ" all mean the same thing as "karaoke host."

What does "for commercial purposes" mean?
A "commercial purpose" means that the karaoke host is being paid, or the purpose of the karaoke show is to attract paying customers for another enterprise, or the karaoke show is being used as (or as part of) a fundraiser.

What do you mean, I might be sued?
Karaoke hosts who use pirated material are committing infringement of Sound Choice's intellectual property rights. Sound Choice has spent millions of dollars creating the accompaniment tracks that karaoke hosts use. When a host uses our material without paying for it, that host may be violating the law. There are three possible ways that you may be violating the law: copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and unfair competition. Sound Choice has the right to protect its intellectual property by going to court.

What are the penalties?
For copyright infringement, a court can impose damages of up to $150,000 per infringing song. For trademark infringement, the court can impose damages of up to $2 million per mark infringed. There are no set damages for unfair competition--the court will decide how much damage Sound Choice has suffered and make an appropriate award. Regardless of which type of action Sound Choice brings, the actual award depends on a number of factors.

I only use original Sound Choice discs to put on my shows. Am I legal?
If you are playing directly from original Sound Choice discs, you are operating legally, from Sound Choice's perspective. We can't speak for other parties, such as other producers, music publishers, or ASCAP/BMI/SESAC.

I'm using a CAVS system (or another kind of dedicated karaoke machine) with Sound Choice tracks on it.
If you purchased your dedicated karaoke machine preloaded with Sound Choice tracks, and you did not also receive a set of original Sound Choice discs that cover those tracks, your system is illegal. Please contact us immediately to discuss a resolution to your problem.

I'm using a laptop, a desktop/tower, an iPod, or an external hard drive to run my shows.
Please see our Staying Legal page for a description of our media-shifting policy, to determine whether your system is running legally.

I have one disc for every song on my hard drives, but I'm running two (or more) hard drives.
That is a violation of our media-shifting policy. You must have a disc for each hard drive you have in operation. Please contact us to discuss a resolution to your problem.

But I bought my system from a reputable dealer and paid thousands of dollars for it.
We are aware that there are numerous dealers who sell hard drives or CAVS systems, preloaded with Sound Choice tracks, and claim that all of the music is licensed. Don't be fooled: Sound Choice has never licensed anyone to sell preloaded hard drives. Those systems are illegal. You may have a lawsuit against the dealer. We will help you get legal and give you some tips for getting your money back from the dealer. We are also working through law enforcement and through civil actions in the courts to put these pirates out of business.

I downloaded Sound Choice tracks through iTunes or eMusic. That's legal, right?
Tracks downloaded from iTunes, eMusic, and other similar sites are not licensed for commercial purposes. They are there to serve the home use market only. You are not authorized to use those tracks for any commercial purposes. Check the Terms of Service on those websites for more information.

I bought my hard drive preloaded with 80,000 songs for $400 from a guy on Craigslist.
Sorry, but that system isn't legal. Think about it for a minute. That's about half a cent per song, not counting the cost of the hard drive itself. Do you really think the "guy on Craigslist" is paying anything to Sound Choice? At that price, you'd be lucky that the hard drive wasn't stolen to begin with.

I used to buy all my music on CDs, but my illegal competitors have driven my pay down by 75%. I just can't afford it.
We understand. One of the big reasons we are suing the pirates is to help legal operators compete on a level playing field. But that understanding only goes so far. If you're running illegally, we have programs to get you legal and stay that way. If you contact us before we contact you, it will be easier and cheaper to get legal.

I heard that you sold all your music a couple of years ago and don't have rights anymore.
It is true that Sound Choice sold its song catalogue to another company. But Sound Choice did not sell its trademarks (the other company rebranded the music under another trademark). Also, Sound Choice licensed the catalogue back from the other company to make CD+Gs. Plus, Sound Choice has continued to make music, and it owns that newer music outright. So we do have rights, and we're working to protect them.

Isn't this all about making more money?
It is about making money. Sound Choice spent a lot of money creating those accompaniment tracks and paying for the right to do so. We make money by selling CDs to karaoke hosts and enthusiasts. If karaoke hosts steal our music instead of buying CDs, we can't make a return on our investment, and we can't make more music for your patrons to enjoy. So it is about money. But it's also about fairness and honesty.

What is the Verified Compliance Safe Harbor Program?
VCSH is a program that allows karaoke venues to provide us with information about the hosts that they hire, in exchange for immunity from being sued by Sound Choice for infringement. The venue will ask you to fill out a form with information about your system, which we will then review and, if appropriate, investigate.

Why should I give my information to the venue, or to you for that matter?
Your participation in this program is 100% voluntary. If you don't want to provide your information to the venue (or to us), you don't have to. But the venue is 100% within its rights not to hire you, if you don't cooperate. We figure that legal hosts won't mind filling out a 2-page form that helps us verify their compliance.

How will you use the information I give you?
We will use the information you provide us to verify that you are operating legally--or, if not, to help you get legal and square with our policies. We may also use that information against you in a lawsuit, if that becomes necessary. We may also use your information to notify you about developments in the karaoke industry that you might be interested in, or, with your permission, to tell you about karaoke products you might want to buy.

I play at a lot of venues, and all of them want me to fill out this form. Is there a shortcut?
Yes. Whether you play one registered venue or many, you only have to fill out the form one time. The first time you register with us, we will assign you an account number. Just give that number and your contact information to each venue, and they can send that to us instead of a fresh form. Of course, if your information changes, you should update it, either with a new form or online.

Can I sign up before any venues ask me to?
Absolutely. In fact, we recommend it. That way, you can tell your venue that you've signed up with our program and that they should, too, to take advantage of the safe harbor.

How do I sign up?
You can sign up in one of two ways. The easiest way is through our Registration Page. Just answer a series of questions about your operations, read a few disclosures and representations, sign, and you're done. If you'd rather sign up on paper, we also provide a form that you can fax, e-mail, or mail us.

Does signing up guarantee I won't get sued?
No. The safe harbor applies to non-owner venues, not to hosts.

What happens after I sign up?
Your information will be reviewed by a member of our anti-piracy team. We may ask you for additional information. We may also determine that your system is not being run legally. In that situation, we will contact you and ask you to work with us to get legal. We have programs to help you get legal.

How much does this program cost?
The program is 100% free to venues and karaoke hosts at this time.

I want to do more to fight karaoke piracy. What can I do?
If you're running a legal system, you should consider joining the Karaoke Industry Alliance of America (KIAA). More information is available on the KIAA Website (http://thekiaa.org) (page opens in a new window).

To learn more:

Information for Venues | Venue FAQ
Information for Hosts
Lawsuit Information
Contact Us With Questions

To sign up:

As a Venue
As a Host