Karaoke Forums

I recently did a wedding reception (outdoors) that got shut down by the police and recieved a fine for a noise ordinance.

Yes they had warned us and I did turn down the volume considerably to the point that the unamplified chears of the audiance was far louder than most of the singing or music. But the police returned and wrote up the fine.

My question is that while the person who paid for the event is legally responsible for the fine, how many KJs would pay the fine themselves as a good business practice.

I wouldn't. There is a non-zero possibility that this is a neighbor feud, and I feel you should bear no responsibility for that type of thing. If they can't time the event to be legal, it isn't really your problem.

It might bear mentioning in the future before booking an event.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Were you told upfront that you were going to be playing in an area with a noise ordinance? Were you generally keeping the volume reasonable or were you really cranking it?

Assuming you weren't told about the noise ordinance up front and that you were playing at levels that allowed people who weren't dancing to engage in conversation without having to scream I'd probably leave that matter between the person who booked you and the local law enforcement.

How do you feel about your own performance? Do you think you were unreasonably loud for the conditions?

Well, just last night, I was hosting a "block" party for a very good friend. She got the permissions from the police ahead of time. That is the key. Permits sometimes are needed, check your local laws. Even tho she was prepared with the permissions, we DID get shut down, too. There definitely is some negative vibes between someone on the block and someone behind them. The neighbors called right at 10, the cops showed up, told us to turn it down, which I did to about a third less volume than I had it. Apparently it wasn't enough, or the neighbors are just anal turds (ewww). Cops showed up again, and I had to shut it down. No tickets because we had permission beforehand. The police were really cool.

As far as your question of whether you should be responsible??? NOT A CHANCE! their party? their ticket. they pay. Thats how I feel about it. Simple

I wouldn't pay either, for the same reasons as mrscott. Their party. What if this were an event that charged an admission? Would you pay then? (I wouldn't.) Why should it be any different for an event like this?
I chalk it up to a cost of throwing the party, much like hiring you, paying for food, paying for a venue rental(if applicable), etc.

The first time...Did the police tell you to just "turn it down"? Or to "turn it off"?

This has only happened to me once...and I was told by the police to "turn it off". So I did, instantly.

No fines and everyone went home mad at the police...not me!

HA! This happened to me just a few nights ago. Second time for me all together. My new motto is "If the cops don't show up, then I wasn't there." Seriously, hosting any show in a public area, or house is bound to have noise complaints. And you were hired to be the entertainment, so it is the hosts responsibility to pay any fine.

Weird thing was, I was told to stop karaoke at 12:00, but was able to DJ music for another 2 hours, at the same voume level. Guess the neighbors just hated karaoke. Suckers.

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Wam bam thank you m'am.

The event was hosted at an old house on the local fraternaty row that can be rented out for such purposes, it had a large garden for the wedding ceremony. It is in an area that people probably regularly violate noise rules, and some of the locals are probably fed up with the problems. Of course the people involved in the party were not responsible for past problems. All permits had been obtained.

As for the song that got us busted, it probably was in part due to a 5 year old girl who sang "I wanna hold your hand". Unfortunately she whispered most of the song and yelled the "I wanna hold your hand" part. Right after that I had a person who had a backing track from his own band that was on an I-pod and of course I had to fiddle with the volume a bit to get it right. In neither case was it excessively loud, but it could be "heard" at the boarder of the property. The last two songs right when the police came up were the two that were a bit problematic, but I would not characterize them as "Loud".

At the first warning when the police told us to turn it down I did cut the volume by about 15-20 db on average. If It was up to me the "best" sound for the event would have probably been even louder.

I am leaning to paying the fine mainly because the people in the wedding party are friends.

If your name is on the ticket pay the fine, try and take up a collection for it or pass the cost n if you were paid for the gig. Outside events that run past 10 are such touchy things. About the only way to make sure the neighbors aren't a hassle is to have them shuckin' and jiving right there with ya.

Never got a ticket but have been shut down on occasion. I will say if *I* was cited and it was my name on the ticket I'd simply pay it and take my lumps on it. Better to stay clear of the law. If all it had was an address I'd leave it for the property owner to square it away, and if it had any name other than mine on the citation then it's their problem.

I've been pretty lucky and haven't been shut down yet, but I was at a friend's show outdoor show when the cops came to shut him down. The biggest problem in his case had more to do with the songs some of the people were choosing to sing than the actual volume levels. Profanity just sounds louder than music.

I helped a friend at an outdoor job in a neighborhood with some unhappy neighbors. The police did get several calls, but in that town, there was no specific noise ordinance, only a 2am county law. So we turned the volume down once the police stopped by so the police could try to appease the person who complained, but we did continue to play ... until my friend's hap-hazard, unsafe light setup dropped a PAR can on his laptop and broke his hard drive. That ended the show a little early. I think it might have been bad karma for keeping the neighbors awake at 1am.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

I ran an outdoor show last summer, June 1st to Labor Day weekend, on Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. We had complaints, yes, but as it was 'legal' for us to be playing music until 10, we did, and I respected the stop time. Sometimes down to 20 seconds to 10 but we did it. I didn't take advantage, either - I ran it with volume down. On the up side, it brought people from all over the area who were outside on their decks, walking through town, etc., who heard music and took the time to find us. It was a very successful show all in all.

I have a db meter for such occasions. 9 times out of 10 I have proved the police wrong. We are allowed 68db at 75 feet from the property line.

I would never pay anything nor discount my fee if stopped early. It's something in my contract for outdoor events.

[quote="lyquiddye @ Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:08 am"][/quote]


Hey Liquiddye... I dropped you a pm about 2 or 3 weeks ago... Please respond.