Karaoke Forums

No dilemma at all with hoster - It's so easy to know when to cut off slips as the program keeps track of how long the rotation is. When I know I'm down to minutes before closing, I run a marque that says, "Not taking any more slips - thanks for singing with us tonight." I will NEVER cater to people who've spent their wad up the street, decide at 10 minutes to when I'm done that they're all going to come and do us all a favor and sing...they're usually too inebriated to serve. I just tell the bartender they're not singing...He is usually thrilled because once they find out that their incredible talent is not wanted they'll roll out and find the next bar willing to serve them and he doesn't have to explain why he isn't serving them.

Of all my pet peeves about hosting after all these years is the situation I describe above. I see them coming, get ready to tell them they can't sing, and gird my loin for the onslaught of reasons why they HAVE to sing...it's usually because they're better than everybody there, they should have been on idol, etc., etc.

Okay, dead horse...[schild=1 fontcolor=FFFF00 shadowcolor=C0C0C0 shieldshadow=1]expired equine[/schild]

I actually don't recall you posting you have this happen time and time again with repeat offenders. If their regs of yours and they're sitting waiting they don't really fit this mold of the karaoke sing 'em and leave 'em group that is so often stated as the root cause of the problem. It sounds like a typical group who wants to wait less. Do they leave after they sing to go to another venue where they'll get moved to the top. Seems if they're that type they'd simply not stick around.

As for the last group you mention it seems like the other venue got their money's worth from them. If they were all drunk so it doesn't sound like the the nefarious crowd who just sings a song, hops up and leaves to avoid the rotation. People leaving a bar because it was busy to try their luck somewhere else sounds like something anyone would do.

Someone coming in late to sing isn't a crime. Just because people don't want to sit 5 hours at a bar doesn't mean they shouldn't get to sing at all. Just because they weren't in the bar hanging out with our crowds doesn't disqualify them for the night. I get around 14 singers an hour singing. However that last hour I can never tell who's going to be there and who isn't. I generally lose 4 to 7 people from that final rotation because they left. If I didn't slide new singers in who I knew were around I'd spend a lot of time calling names of people who might have left in a pack.

I find it funny to have the regular who complains about inserting new singers coming in late and giving me a song when I have a 30 person rotation. When they get to sing in 45 minutes they're cured of any misgivings.

Of course Your Mileage May Vary. If we all did it the same we wouldn't have the same variety of folks coming out

Oh, I never said it was a crime to come in late! !

But I'm just not going to make my paying regulars be mistreated and favored LESS than those that are just walking in, no MATTER the reason. Legit or not.

I will say I spoke with my wife about this, just to get a singer's perspective. I really wanted to make certain I hadn't lost track of this ball. She said one reason she supported me over the years with this 2nd career is I DID have the pulse of the community, and I was a success, alibet a small one. I'm still contacted years later by regulars of mine, practically begging me to come back to Portland. It's flattering, and I know my method worked... at least for me!

Cheers m'man!

There's only one way to handle a rotation:
1st come 1st served and then you get back in line. Whatever that line maybe
Could be 5 singers one time and then people come in and you sing then you go to the back of the current line. Singers who come in late or hand in their slips late should have to wait the AVERAGE WAIT TIME. Whatever that is .. If someone who came in earlier has been waiting 40mins to sing a song ... Why should somone who JUST came in be inserted so they wait only 20mins .
Be consistant and be Fair unless someone hands you a $50 get to the head of the line pass ....

Both Lon and Knightshow have successful long running businesses. The key to this is knowing your crowd and adjusting to your own special circumstances. I don't think either of them are doing wrong. They are doing what keeps them successful. I can't say the way I do rotation is best because it simply may not work in another enviroment.

In my mind if you find the right mix for your rotation you'll have the least amount of complainers and I'd say for most of us that brings sanity to our lives. I think most of us manifest a way to do rotation that makes the majority happy because it's just simply easier on us. If it works why change it.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

well, I'm not in the business any more, other that a fill in here and there. The market is just too saturated. I was going to go after this one place that just opened up down the street from me, and it had already signed on with a company from St. Louis... FOUR HOURS AWAY!!! Just amazes me!