Karaoke Forums

Since I'm new to the bar scene , hosting that is I was wondering what other kj's typically charge. Flat fee , hourly, etc. thanks for reading.

It's all dependant on your area & what the market in your area is allowing - if there is ALOT of karaoke in your area, lower prices typically, no karaoke in your area, you can generally get a little higher. No set price works in every location! I would never work for commision, nor a low price to 'get my foot in the door' as most bar owners won't raise the price when the time comes. Some kj's get alot more while others get considerably less. Your selection (nice rounded out quality 'core' selection with main songs people are going to want to sing or just a few sets of Sweet Georgia Brown discs, mostly junk quality) & quality of your system and how you run it & hosting skills are also going to play a factor.
Being new, you are not going to be able to command a higher price - no established precident or following you can deliver.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

$150 to $225 in my area. I do more private parties now, a lot more profitable and less drama.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

What Lon said is dead on. If you are new, chances are it will be hard to get top dollar, whatever that might be in your area. Around here its $125-$150 on the average for bars. You can eventually command more money than the average KJ when you get a good following, great sound, quality music selection etc.

We take what we can get. I always work with a hard min and % of sales now.

Me personally, I will not work for less than $150. My average night is around $200 these days.

Good equipment and hard work pays off.

Still depends on the area. Guarantee you couldn't get over $150 in this area!

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

When taking a percentage, what proof do you have of sales? Seems to me there would be significant opportunity to fudge those numbers and not get paid a true percentage.

-Chris

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-Chris

I agree with "not working on a percentage". However, my best gig ever was based on 10% off the drink sales in the 4 hours of Karaoke plus a $100 "base pay" regardless. It was a Friday night in a huge sports bar (150-200 people average). On my best night, I walked with $480, never under $300.

Regarding your question Chris. This particular bar I mentioned was using a POS system and the manager and I calculated my pay together directly from the sales screen at the computer. So there was no cheating or anything. Now a bar with a regular register, that might be hard to do and would require the owner/manager to be honest.

Here in Tampa Bay, FL, here's the breakdown:

About 50% of KJs are either pirates or the bar owns the PA system and the KJs just host. The latter is very common here, maybe because it's a tourist/beach town? These guys make $75-100 a night plus tips. I find these shows ANNOYING, mostly because even the good ones are ALWAYS begging for tips over the mic, because no on wants to work for 6 hours until 3:00 a.m. for $75.00.

About 30% of the KJs own their own average equipment, show up on time, and do an average job. These guys make about $125-150+ a night here. I think this is pretty much the average nationwide, and even the average for a mid-week show for plenty of higher-quality KJs.

About 15% of KJs care about their equipment and sound, show up a bit early, stay a bit late, know how to mix, and do a really good job. I pretty much fall into this category. Anyway, these excellent KJs make about $150-200 a night here. Just note that I've seen plenty of REALLY good KJs in REALLY bad bars, and it doesn't matter how good you are, if you expect to make this kind of $$$, you better be able to pretty much pack the house on a weekend show! Working at a crappy bar isn't worth it, even at these rates, because there is only so much a good show can do.

There are a few KJs that are outliers that make $200+ here. Honestly, of the 2-3 I can think of making that kind of money, they are really just KJs that fall into the 15% category or even closer to the 30% category, but happen to be working at places that have deep pockets and would have a full bar even without karaoke. Honestly, there's nothing these guys are doing to EARN more than the 15% KJs, they just got lucky and found great situations. These guys also all work at places that have karaoke 4-7 nights a week, so KJ is their full-time job, and these bars are "Karaoke bars." Not many full-time KJs here in town (some full time wedding DJs that also have KJ shows).

What it all boils down to is that there is a MARKET there in your town and at any given bar you are going to work at. Ideally, you want to find that fine line where both you and the bar are making enough money to be happy. You should be able to gague by the size of the bar and the business they do on a Friday/Saturday night if that bar can support a $100 karaoke night or a $250 karaoke night. Do your homework, though, NOBODY wins when the KJ is making more money than the bar. It has to be mutually beneficial, or it will end pretty quickly, and reputation is everything in this business!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I charge $75 an hour for private parties and $50 per hour for weekly house gig.

My gigs are are open-ended. As in; we schedule the show as 9pm-midnight, but if it's still busy at midnight (and it always is) I stay til 1am and get extra $.

In the winter (the "off-season" where I live), these gigs net me $150-200. Summer I get $200-250, though I can't remember the last time I got less than $250 for a gig.

One particular gig nets me $250-300.

All other karaoke hosts in this area should be paying me a tribute as I am the one who set the bar on pay.

My situation is fairly unique; I had about a 12-year relationship with the area (Cape May, NJ) as an actor, singer and newspaper columnist. Sang with my band for years in most of the local bars and maintained good relationships with all when I left the band. Couple years later I called up about karaoke gigs and they all snapped me up. Developed my pay scale with several of the bar owners I knew well, who gave me honest assessments.

Started in the $175-225 area, slowly bumped it over the years. But I am always, always fair with the owners. If it is a deadly slow night yet I work the full 4 hours, I'll take the 3-hour pay as a show of good will, which they appreciate.

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Terry O'ke--- Fake Music for Real People.

Maybe we should "sticky" this topic too. Seems to pop up monthly!


$100 an hour (three hour minimum) for a private party. $50 extra for gas if beyond 50 miles.

50% discount on the above for a weekly bar gig, minimum four hours (IE: $200).


Bazza

I charge $200 per show, with a decent-ish following, and 22,000 songs. I can be haggled down to $150.

South Florida gets hit HARD with pirates who charge like $50 a show, so work is tough around here, but bar owners (as scummy as they can be) seem to be pretty savvy to the business, and avoid pirates like the plague. You just have to find the right people.

Not sure how being a pirate translates into charging $50/show.

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Terry O'ke--- Fake Music for Real People.

Terioke1
those who dont pay for music can afford to charge much less as they have a much smaller investment to recoup. Music tends to be the largest part of starting/maintaining a karaoke business.

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Pirate KJs in my area charge the same thing as everybody else. They see no reason to discount, plus they have more songs.

Yup, Rick's got it. Undercutters can be pirates, or they can simply be gig whores that will take whatever is offered, or retirees just keeping busy, or whatever.

There are pirates that are terrific hosts, and legit KJs that suck.

All that's really being said is that South Florida has a bunch of KJs and the competition is fierce.

As for the OP, charge a straight fee. I don't ask for more on a great night, nor accept less. No percentages or cuts.

I would also add that I specify a few things before accepting a gig:

1) A minimum of 6 weeks is required to get the ball rolling, and they must agree to that.

2) They run the venue (their business) and I run the karaoke show (my business).

3) Though I'm primarily a restaurant/bar host I occasionally take on bigger and more....um.....lively clubs. When this happens I require the venue to be responsible for equipment damage that might be caused by patrons- and I require it in black and white.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I hope this is just bragging, and not your advice for the OP, looking for his first bar gig.

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Hate is like taking poison, hoping the other guy gets sick

I have the same comment. I've said this many times before that I have seen many Pirate KJs in my area get paid just as much as (and sometimes more than) legit KJs in my area.

The fact that they paid practically nothing for their music has had NO BEARING on what they have charged a Venue... at least not in my area of NY. In fact, the UNDERCUTTING began LONG BEFORE the days of the HD KJ became popular.

And, I have seen this too, that some of them run a better show than the Legit KJs that I know of.