Catch A Falling Star

In what prosecutors claim is the first karaoke-related copyright-infringement conviction, a 43-year-old Burnsville, MN. woman was found guilty yesterday of illegally distributing pirated karaoke music. According to the Associated Press, Tracy Ann Brock faces a $250,000 fine and five years in prison:

Prosecutors claimed that Brock, as president and co-owner of Star Music Inc., distributed hundreds of thousands of illegal copies of karaoke recordings that were loaded into computer hard drives and then sold on eBay and other online auction sites.

Prosecutors alleged that Brock conspired to sell the infringing copies of the music from April 2004 to July 2006 -- when the FBI searched her house in Burnsville. Special agents seized large numbers of compact discs, computers and other equipment to copy, store and distribute the pirated music.

The case was part of the Department of Justice's broader initiative to prevent online computer piracy, the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota said in a news release.

Apparently Star Music put on shows by a group called The Singing Stars, whose MySpace page can be found here. A blog post put up late last night—presumably by Brock—reads as follows: "Dont believe all the hype in the media. I got stung for the wrongdoings of my FORMER Business Partner SONNY FREEMAN...those of you who know him know what he's like....shows rock on as normal as usual!!!!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Burnsville karaoke owner guilty of copyright infringement

Dimpin' Ain't Easy

Took a trip yesterday to Burbank's Dimples, the 25-year-old karaoke bar that purports to be the first such location in the U.S. (and, for that matter, the Western hemisphere). I didn't see any celebs while I was there, though one patron mentioned that Dennis Haskins (a.k.a. Mr. Belding) is a regular, as evidenced here. I also met with owner Sal Ferraro, who noted that he was first turned on to karaoke in the early '80s, when he saw the machines being distributed by (I kid ye not) Our Gang creator Hal Roach.

Just Like Karaoke, Dude

I haven't watched American Idol since season one—not for any nose-in-the-air reasons, but because the premiere episode of season devoted a quarter of its running time to mocking its lesser-talented applicants, which struck me as not only mean-spirited, but wayyy easy. So even though I'm out of the loop here, I was sure the "k-word" was essentially banned from the show, or at least never spoken aloud, lest it give the program's critics more ammo. So imagine my surprise when, at the 2:15 mark of this clip, Randy Jackson compares Sanjaya's losing performance to "just like karaoke." Dogg! Dogg?

Hanging With A Wild Bunch

This week is the one-year anniversary of the music-critic throw-down at Seattle's Best Karaoke, which was held after during the annual EMP conference. I remember talking up my Neneh Cherry skills beforehand, only to choke a bit due to some technical difficulties (though that may be selective memory at work). Some blogger lady took this photo, which I've always admired; I'd like to see William Eggleston so expertly pair a lone Japanese tallboy with overlapping verses of "Buffalo Stance."

Of Montreal Karaoke Report, Take Two

Aquaman does "Moonage Daydream" here. Paul Rudd sings Boston here. Karaoke-blog editor looks even more psychotic and red-eyed here.

UPDATE: Not to simulcast, but here's the post from earlier today on Idolator.

Of Montreal Karaoke Report, Take One

There will be about a half-dozen or so YouTube clips and Flickr galleries of last night's Indie Rock Karaoke in Brooklyn, but for those who missed it, the show's highlight was when Paul Rudd and Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain performed Boston's "More Than A Feeling" (they were accompanied, of course, by Of Montreal, who knocked out a dozen or so karaoke songs after already playing a full set, and therefore must be lauded for their patience and endurance). There was some minor side-stage drama before Rudd performed, as one eager singer had already signed up for the Brad Delp homage, and had to be bumped when the actor showed up (Rudd seemed unaware of any of this). Luckily, everything was resolved when she and I got to duet on "Raspberry Beret."

Other memorable moments included former Shudder to Think lead singer Craig Wedren performing "Suffragette City," and Of Montreal lead singer Kevin Barnes (above) maintaining an icy, Klaus Nomi-style stare for the entire set, even while wielding a giant lobster claw. More info and pictures TK.

(Photo courtesy of Texto Sonoro)

Starbucks Karaoke: Like Regular Karaoke, Only Two Or Three Dollars More Expensive

Racked is reporting that a Starbucks location in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood is about to get crowded:

The Greenpoint Starbucks already exhibited signs that it's a little different than other 'bucks outposts. Now, we have a piping hot rumor on our hands: namely, that this location of the coffee-shop giant will be offering karaoke. A tipster emails us these images, saying "I was told by the baristas today that they are looking to do karaoke on a regular basis there sometime soon." Karaoke without the courage-building of alcohol? A frightening thought, but if anyone can get a handle on that concept, brand it, then sell it to customers across the nation, it's Starbucks. Pour Some Sugar On Me...and my half-caf soy latte, please.

There's got to be a catch, so I'm guessing that patrons will only be permitted to perform songs from the chain's Hear Music label. Who's down for an Antigone Rising medley? Anybody?

RACKED: Greepoint Starbucks To Offer Karaoke?

The Party's Crashing Us

Cable & Tweed has a write-up (complete with MP3s) of Monday night's "Indie Rock Karaoke" session in Athens, GA. Singers were backed by Of Montreal, who will take the show to Brooklyn Saturday night; Stereogum has the band's proposed set-list, which includes Journey, Marvin Gaye and ABBA (for some reason, I assumed it would consist of indie-rock songs, though I'll gladly take any opportunity to sing "September Gurls"):

Of Montreal's Master Karaoke Playlist

ABBA - "Dancing Queen"
Big Star - "September Gurls"
Boston - "More Than A Feeling"
Buzzcocks - "Ever Fallen In Love"
Cheap Trick - "Surrender"
Clash - "Train in Vain"
David Bowie - "Moonage Daydream"
David Bowie - "Starman"
David Bowie - "Suffragette City"
David Bowie - "Hang On To Yourself"
Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - "Islands In The Stream"
ELO - "Don't Bring Me Down"
Fleetwood Mac - "Little Lies"
Foreigner - "Hot Blooded"
Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
Guided by Voices - "Motor Away"
Guns N Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine"
INXS - "Need You Tonight"
Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'"
Kinks - "All Day And All Of The Night"
Marvin Gaye - "Let's Get It On"
Pavement - "Cut Your Hair"
Pixies - "Here Comes Your Man"
Prince - "Raspberry Beret"
Spinal Tap - "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
Steve Miller - "The Joker"
Violent Femmes - "Blister In The Sun"
Rolling Stones - "Rocks Off"

Love Hurts

Last night, The Sopranos became the umpteenth TV program to incorporate some sort of karaoke reference into the plot (the show now joins a long list that includes the CW's Veronica Mars, NBC's The Office and 30 Rock, and Brooklyn Public Access' Dudes Be Singing). But am I the only who suspects Carmela's musical selection was some sort of subliminal Easter shout-out?

Let's Just Keep, Keep Singing

Lord help the poor soul who enters the search term "karaoke" into YouTube, for he/she is doomed to spend hours upon hours plowing through such shakily shot entries as "ME AND D DRUNK @ KARAOKE SINGING GNARLS!!" But those who dig deep enough will find some especially well-made karaoke videos, such as this entry for Bright Eyes' 2002 lament "Lover I Don't Have To Love." While many amateur k-clips simply take a photo of the artist and splash some words across the bottom, "Lover" is notable for its verisimilitude: The creator took great pains to re-create the look of Sound Choice's karaoke videos, even going so far as to insert the company's logo at the beginning; meanwhile, the random stock footage of mountain streams and beach-side strolls plays up the absurdity of such a dark song being turned into a group sing-along.

And Afterwards, You Can Walk Across The Street And Hook Up With The Big-Ass Giraffe From Toys "R" Us

Tomorrow marks the arrival of Spotlight Live, a new Times Square restaurant/bar/wish-fulfillment center that allows patrons to re-create the experience of being a pop star:

With the motto "Eat. Drink. Be famous," the four-floor restaurant, on Broadway between 48th and 49th streets, boasts a large stage and private recording booths where diners can cut their own albums. Guests will be greeted by "paparazzi" that will snap their photos in the lobby. The pictures will be posted to the restaurant's intranet, accessed via flat-screen televisions on each table. Diners can vote for singers on the television screens, communicate with other tables and select their "stage names."

And just in case that's not a substitute for 15 minutes of fame, performances will also be broadcast on the Times Square Jumbotron, and friends and family outside New York can watch your moves on a Webcast. Also, Epic A&R talent scouts have been hired to visit the restaurant periodically.

But the pop-star simulation doesn't stop there! You'll also be able to experience the boredom of back-to-back-to-back phone interviews, the shame of reading about your bathroom habits on TMZ and the heartbreak of realizing that cocaine can't be FedExed to P.O. boxes. Live the dream!

NEW YORK POST: Sing For Your Supper

Karaoke Wishlist: April 2007

1) Mario feat. Rich Boy - "Kryptonite" If it weren't for Rich Boy's third-act cameo—in which he complains that too many BJs make him sleepy—I honestly believe this infidelity-apology slow-jam could be one of the most popular sing-alongs of the year. Granted, Mario needs to be fitted with a restraining bolt at times, but when he sings "these girls my kryptonite" over that springy synth line, all of his over-theatrics are forgiven.
2) TV On The Radio - "Wolf Like Me" Almost a year old, and still nowhere to be found in the song books. Maybe Of Montreal can make it happen?
3) The 1990s - "See You At The Lights" I'll probably have to travel to Scotland to ever find this at a karaoke bar, though it would be worth the trip: The "ba-da-ba-ba-ba" bits are perfect, and the "get out to a bar/light a blonde gets out of a car" line deserves to be immortalized in bright yellow text.
4) Timbaland feat. M.I.A. - "Come Down" There's really no way to convey the disappointment of listening to Timbaland's upcoming Shock Value album; it's a 16-song, 58-minute testament to why Americans need to adopt the four-day work-week and stop overextending themselves. Anyhoo, this M.I.A. track was cut from the U.S. release, which is mind-boggling, as it's far better than ninety percent of the record, and she actually finds a way to sing about text-messaging from her Sidekick without sounding completely forced.
5) Hüsker Dü - Something I Learned Today Why hasn't the classic SST catalog been preserved in karaoke form? Surely, there are enough nostalgic fortysomethings who'd like nothing more than to scream the words to "Turn On The News" and "New Day Rising." And I'm guessing Grant Hart wouldn't kick the royalty check outta bed.