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?