Karaoke Forums

perhaps I can elaborate.

If there was a club that was considering karaoke I wouldn't have any problems with competing for that spot. That's part of business

But if the only reason I knew that club was interested in karaoke was because the other host TOLD me they had been actively persuing the place for three months, and I went ahead and tried to get the job, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.


-James

Yeah, that's pretty crappy too.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

We will drop promo packets at ANY club.....even if they have karaoke. You never know when/if they will make a change and if they don't know about you they will hire someone else. We do not push however if they are using a legal host.

We have booked other nights at venues that had weekend shows (we are booked solid weekends) if bar customers(that come to other shows) have suggested we talk to the bar owners.

We can and have booked birthday / just because / reunion parties ect at venues that have karaoke on other nights as a way to show a particularly good venue what a great karaoke show should be. (this seems to be a strangely popular way of throwing parties around here). About a 3rd of the time we end up booked after they see a show. (If it is a particularly good venue we will even discount the rate to the party.)

We have booked MANY venues at twice the price(or more) of the KJ's we replace.

I will pitch regularly for a viable venue that is using a pirate host with no guilt.....however most of those gigs end up booked by (referred) legal but cheaper local hosts...a bar used to paying under $100 a night needs to realize that WE are worth 2-3 times the money.

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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

Have to agree with Athena on this.
I would not touch a legit host either.
However bad they are.
Gosh, I don't come across many legit hosts.

According to many sources on this forum, karaoke pirates make up 90% of hosts. So it should be a wide open field out there for taking venues away from other hosts.

I am pitching to 3 different venues this week currently staffed by 3 different pirates.

-Chris

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-Chris

There is no BUT!!! You are presenting a double-standard here.
Legit or pirate,
Great or crappy,
Friend or enemy (or even total stranger)...
IF you are willing to do it to the latter of each I just listed, then it is no different than doing it to the former. Justify it any way you want, but anything else you may say about that just makes you a hypocrite.

Now, me personally, I do not believe in attempting to solicit my KJ services to a venue if I know they already have a show there. I will walk in, ask if they are interested in having karaoke there. If they say that they already have it, I will say, "Thank You anyway.", and then leave. However, if they do stop me and ask for my card, I will give it to them (I just won't offer it up front under those circumstances).

Cueball,
Just my opinion, but, if you don't at least drop cards you are doing yourself a huge dis-service. Things happen regularly and venues do change hosts or need fill-ins or want to book other nights with a different host to draw a different crowd. If you do not at least leave a card they will never think of you. Dropping cards/packets is not trying to poach a show...it is just getting your name out.

_________________
"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

Well, in my case, things are a bit different. My regular full time job work schedule interferes with my being able to do a regular steady gig. Thus, a main reason I have hardly done any shows during the year. As for a place needing a fill-in, usually the KJ who is already there has people they know that are willing to fill-in at the drop of a dime. I have also filled in for other KJs, and I never bring my business cards with me when I do that. I feel that I am representing that KJ, and should not be selling myself in the process. I did have one venue ask me for my card when I was filling in for another KJ, and I told them that they should contact the person who I am filling in for, and that person would get in touch with me.

I have picked up a few private gigs because the card was passed on to someone.

My current 3 night gig is the result of leaving a card at a place that had karaoke already. The contacted me 4 months after I dropped it off when their current host screwed them over then walked from the gig.

I consider it marketing and advertising similar to a billboard or an ad in the local karaoke magazine.

-Chris

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-Chris

Mate, I want what you are drinking.
I can not get "Legit or pirate" equate to itself or any of the above.

Re read your post.
Apologise. You are correct.