Karaoke Forums

WHy blame the 'jerk' dart palyer that came in to drink & shoot darts?  The bar should put a sign on the dart board staing that karaoke will start at a certain time & the dart board will be shut off at that time to not put any more money into it.  We have a sign like that on our jukebox & anyone that puts money into it that will run past 9 just donated to the bar!  I wouldn't blame the 'jerk' player, they just came in to do what they came in to do - play darts!

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That's not what happened.  She told the league shoot there and wants to add another board where he sets up for karaoke and it holds up the start of karaoke.    Why do bar owners think they can be all things to all people at once.   It's karaoke night then do karaoke.  Dart night do darts.  Pool night do pool.

I blame the jerk bar owner.   You know as well as i do that a good karaoke night is worth it's weight in gold.    Darts holding up the show won't help the KJ and the singers won't like it too much either.    If they came to do karaoke, they don't want to watch dart throwers hold everything up. They are spending money wasting their time.   They can easily do it somewhere else.

She'll build her dart business at the expense of the karaoke crowd.  Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not good business sense.

I would VERY MUCH promote the fact that your new place gives dedicated space for karaoke, make a point of saying that you don't share the stage with a darts team!

Loyalty is all well and good, but it needs to be 2 ways.  They have used your professionalism (not sharing a stage) against you - so turn it round on them!

But don't get involved in any "wars".  It can only ever hurt your professional reputation.

Start my new gig tonight.  Dropped off my equipment last night and the owner was there and excited as a dingleberry to see me.  Her sister was there and unsolicitedly said the same thing I have been saying.   I want to grow, and I have to try, or I'll never know.  Do or die trying.

The old bar only has room for one board.  Darts are huge in the Sea-Tac area, but aren't so much where I'm at (the valley is a forgotten land to most, but our town has exploded entertainment-wise).  The old bar owner is very loyal to her friends, and she makes decisions (good or bad) based on those friends.  The whole 'I make more on that dart team then on karaoke nights' was her way of saying 'what you do doesn't matter to me'.  She's been to maybe two shows in the two years I've been there and both were good nights.  So she didn't see the growth or the consistency.  Plus, when I took over the show, I took over from probably one of the three best KJs in this area, so she had an established crowd to begin with.  I brought back many of the people he chased away.  I've had a bunch (and I mean that) of people tell me they'll come to my show NOW, now that I'm not at this old place.

What I truly think happened here is I've spoiled them for the past two years.  So many people started coming into the place on my gig nights, that they (owner and bartenders) forgot exactly why they were coming.  I had a conversation with one of them after a gig, and was told that I was crazy for thinking all of these people came to see me.  It's the bar they come to see.  Funny, because if you go in on a night when nothing is going on, there's maybe a handful of people in there.  On league nights, the place clears out after the leagues are done.  They do okay on Saturdays with a pool tourney, but otherwise it's the place drunks and users go because the other estabs have cut them off or are too sophisticated (if that's possible for a bar) for them.  I brought some class and style to that place, and they would never give me the satisfaction of realizing that.  It was all about them.  

One of the bartenders posted something on my Myspace yesterday about how 'people are hurt over this' and 'it doesn't help with the way I'm going about it'.  I'm not sure what she meant by that, I've taken the high road, and even offered to come in and help Anna (bartender/new KJ) get set up and started.  I deleted the post because I took it as a direct attempt to draw me in to the drama that is unfolding at the old joint.  Trust me when I say, I want no part of it.  I had one person tell me they'll never go back there because of the way they're going about this (but I expect many more just won't because the reason they came in has moved).  I understand a little about business and the need to stay neutral; to stay above the back-stabbing and poop-smearing.  I won't get involved in people's lives to the extent that it spills into my shows.  I don't have the stomach for it for one thing.  Hell, I don't even want my girlfriend at my shows.  I am a DJ/KJ and that's all people want out of me when I'm working.

My followers will follow because I give them a good show.  I treat them fairly and consistently.  I engage the crowd - make them laugh, sing, dance, cry, riot, and most importantly spend money.  People are drawn to energy, I energize.  I'm not a KJ as much as I am the MC of a party.

It'll take a few weeks before everyone realizes where I'm at (it's less than a block away on the same street).  But they'll migrate as word spreads.  I'm a little anxious today because personally, this is a big step for me.  For all I know I could blow this whole deal out my xss and fade into obscurity, those close to me keep telling me I'll be fine.  I'm a little insecure like that.

My new place offers (that my old one didn't):

- No conflicts with pool/darts
- A real menu (old place had a pot of chili, a microwave, and chips)
- Drink specials (for my Wed gig - it's $1 off Coronas and Tequila - and Taco night)
- A stage (bandstand) - That I can grow my show on
- A dance floor (at least some semblance of one)
- clean restrrooms
- At least double the seating capacity
- higher-end clientele
- A good reputation (old one is considered the dump of the seven in town)
- Right next door to an explosive live entertainment venue (and they do their bands on Fridays, so I'll reap huge from that)

Call me crazy.  

You hit the nail on the head - WE SPOIL THEM....and they don't get it. You'll do fine...



k

These are the types of places i consistantly play.  I'm not looking to get into redneck bars or low end cliental dives.

This will add to your reputation and show quality or the preceived quality.    Your are taking a step up.  You never want to go backwards just to get and keep jobs.

The drama will play itself out.  If they are hurt business wise by their stupid decision, then they may try to blame you.   Laugh it off as their stupidity.   Too many bar owners listen to their friends instead of doing what's good for business.

You should get a pool table and have a bike night.    Bring in the dart league and have karaoke contests.    At the same time they will do wet Tshirt contests and still want to be a family oriented bar and restaurant.    You can not be all things to all people all the time.  You need to figure out what you are going to do and then make it work by making smart business building decisions.

I don't think you should have deleted the post. I would have responded to it instead and mentioned AGAIN how you're being treated. Would the bartender put up with things going up that interfere with her business? HARDLY.

Its the same thing... the bartender just doesn't see it this way!

NUMBER ONE ITEM ON ANY BAR OWNERS LIST OF QUESTIONS:

DO YOU HAVE A FOLLOWING??????

"followers will follow because I give them a good show.  I treat them fairly and consistently.  I engage the crowd - make them laugh, sing, dance, cry, riot, and most importantly spend money.  People are drawn to energy, I energize.  I'm not a KJ as much as I am the MC of a party."

Karaoke followings are EXTREMELY LOYAL to their KJ's. They will follow them around for YEARS AND YEARS.

You will do FINE at your new place. Your old bar owners sound like really imcompetent smucks! You made the right move---just stay out of thier OLD DRAMA!.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Sometimes owners FORGET the little fact - FOLLOWING.... Means they WILL FOLLOW the host to the next gig. Makes me laugh sometimes - "No, they come here because of ... (anything but karaoke)..."  Six months later - EMPTY.  Mmmhhh....

Take care of your singers and they will follow. Interesting concept. Something for bar owners to really seriously think about before they make dumb decisions.

k

Most bars are not the attraction.  Usually it has to do with what's going on.

All the bars i play in are empty on the nights when there is no entertainment.

Unless it's a real novelty bar the attraction is the nightly entertainment.

Don't underestimate my power to bring in a good crowd.

Yeah, the drama will fade.  Two nights at the new place and people are starting to migrate.  It's hard, in a small town, when people feel loyal (and those you're loyal to are guilt tripping the hell out of you).  :)  They're kind of back and forth at this point, but they can't seem to stay away.  I've even won over a few in the new place.  It's coming together.  :)

People are coming from the old place saying the new system sucks, and they're using two KJs (one on Wed and every other Friday, and then another on the other Fridays).  The Wed/Fri guy is a monotono.  Blah!

Coolest thing happened last night.  The guy that queued my first gig came in last night totally by chance.  It was later and I had my DJ hat on.  He has the same powered JBLs I have, and he completely whacked my board.  Made those things sound so much better, and efficient too.  He had the place jumping (I had 'em hopping til then ).  It was weird.  I love that guy.

I'm liking the new gig.  I believe I made the right call.

You will work for other stupid bar owners too.   You can't let it bother you.   Move onward and upward.   Consider it a lesson on how to run your business.