Karaoke Music Options

Back in the dark ages of karaoke, or what some would call the beginning of the 1990's, karaoke music was available in one format... the laser disc. Big 12" double sided video discs that contained karaoke videos. Man were those things a pain in the a... you know what I mean. Soon the CD+G format arrived and took over thus making the laser disc obsolete. This simple CD based format that displays synchronized lyrics against a plain background is still the industry standard karaoke format and has remained unchanged since its inception. Its simplicity is its appeal.

Yes, karaoke music has evolved into the computer age like most other types of media. Audio CD's have given way to compressed audio files like the MP3 and others. The CD+G format has given way to its compressed version the MP3+G. CD players have given way to computer software and mobile devices. Karaoke disc players have given way to computer software, hard drive machines, and handheld "magic microphones".

These days there are a variety of sources for obtaining karaoke music. CD+G discs are still widely available in stores and online. There are several "pay per song" MP3+G download websites. MP3+G song chips are available for the magic microphone type systems. There are song streaming services like the Karaoke Cloud that are integrated into hosting software and provide instant access to thousands of popular karaoke songs.

It has become commonplace for those who own many karaoke CD+G discs to move the songs from them onto a hard drive. This is done with specialized karaoke ripping programs that automatically formats the ripped song tracks into MP3+G or zipped MP3+G files. Free online databases are accessed to name the song files. Once the song files are on the hard drive a karaoke program is used to play them and the discs can be stored away for safe keeping.

Proprietary brand discs like the SCDG from CAVS or the NEO-G by RSQ are based on the CD+G format. These are basically DVD discs that contain compressed versions of CD+G song tracks. The only karaoke machines that will play these discs are the ones produced by their associated company. There are karaoke programs that will rip the songs from these discs to the MP3+G format.

So why is the MP3+G such an important format? There are several reasons. First of all it is the compressed version of the most popular karaoke song type CD+G. It is also supported by virtually all karaoke software players and hosting applications. It is perfect for backing up a CD+G disc collection because of its reduced size and the fact that it can be used to create CD+G discs at any future time. Lastly, it allows you to purchase individual karaoke songs instead of having to buy CD+G discs that may have only one or two songs on them that you actually want.

If you are just beginning to build a karaoke music collection you might first try the auction sites like eBay for used CD+G discs. Check the online karaoke forums for people who are selling off their collection. But heed this advice. Never buy a hard drive that is pre-loaded with karaoke music unless it is from a long standing reputable company. There are many illegal hard drive being sold and you do not want to get caught with one.