Karaoke Forums

Please bear with me...I'm a TOTAL newbie just trying to get into the karaoke business....

I got a hard drive (Iomega 500GB) with about 25 karaoke CD's ripped onto it. I was told these were CAVS files (CD+G?) but the hard drive is split into folders by disc & each contains a few ".dat" files.

So I'm wondering where do i go from here? I'd like to run my karaoke from my laptop- that was the plan...but I might buy a stand-alone player so I can rent it out. I've noticed a lot of these players have USB to connect a "thumb drive" but don't say anything about a hard drive...is a hard drive too large to process or what?

How do I convert these files? or burn them back to CD? or how would I play them directly from this hard drive? (if that's possible)

I've tried looking for info online to do this myself but I'm coming up short. I feel stupid. PLEASE HELP!!

~Sarah
EasyStreet Entertainment

.DAT files are typically linked to VCD (Video CD) files. The VIDEO part of the karaoke is in the VCD file, and the AUDIO portion is in the DAT file as a MPEG.

These probably originally came from DVD karaoke discs, NOT from CDGs.

Do you own the discs?

It looks like you are a working KJ/DJ, correct?

You should be aware that if you do not own the discs, it is illegal to use these digital files in a commercial show, and there are currently 3 large CDG manufacturers that will hunt you down and sue you for using these files.

If you do own the discs, then no problem, just re-rip the discs in MP3+G format instead of the format you have.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

we're currently just working as a mobile DJ...haven't started karaoke yet.

thanks for letting me know about the legality. I didn't realize it was an issue since they weren't the original songs. I got the hard drive from a guy who said he was selling off his equipment. I'm thinking now that he was probably just ripping & copying the cd's to make a buck. Now I feel completely ripped off since I paid for these tracks & can't even use them. stupid. That's what I get for uneducated buying on craigslist i guess.

Is there a place where I can legally download karaoke files? I'd like to run the karaoke digitally from my laptop if that's possible. I found a site www.karaokeinfo.com Says it's a completely legal file sharing portal for like $40. I assumed it was some sort of scam. Know anything??

All KaraokeInfo.com is is a site that teaches you how to get files from sharers. Highly illegal.
You might want to check out the GEM series from Sound Choice. 6000 songs for $4800. As unduplicated as you can find.
I'm in the midst of renaming my copies so that they are uniform with the other files I have.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Don't feel stupid. You have been ripped off by the seller. Having the files rippped on a harddrive without having the original discs makes the files useless for commercial gain. If any of the files are the creation of Sound Choice, Chartbuster or Stellar you will be the target of possible lawsuits from them for copyright and trademark infringement since you don't have (own) the original media they were sold on. Go get your money back or get the discs. If the seller tells you you don't need them, he is lying and a crook or better yet a pirate!

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

The proper way (and legal way) is to buy cdgs then rip them to your hardrive and you must keep the cds (you cant sell them off and use the digital files) so you reamin 1:1 (1 cdg song to 1 digital file)

Stay away from download sites, most if not all are located outside of the USA and are out of the reach of US law therefore they will say their files are legal but in truth they are just commercial pirate sites. Sorry for the bad news!

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

Thanks man it makes more sense now and I think I can get closer to what I 'm looking for.

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