Karaoke Forums

It was getting pretty bad when I left in 2006! I can only imagine how bad it is now.

A real well known local host began selling pirated hdrives... I was just speachless.

What I always told the venues I approached was, "hey, it's YOUR butt if they ever catch up the laws on this kinda piracy!"

NZ brought in non-smoking laws a few years ago... when we were there a few weeks ago, we stayed a night at the Sky City hotel and popped over to the Casino to check it out. They used to have karaoke there every Monday from 7:00pm till 1:00am and it was very popular (you'd be lucky to get 3 songs in most nights). Now, they have removed the stage from the bar and filled the whole bar area with "pokie" machines. A small stage has been set up on one side of the main hall where they have professional entertainment... no more karaoke!

Now, the Sky City casino used to be filled with smoking gamblers... the whole place was one big tobacco cloud. Since the smoking ban, it it still filled with gamblers... even more so now as they have more machines... and now we can get back to the hotel without our clothes reeking of tobacco stench!

Like Odie said, our town is not noticing any difference. I've been to all 3 bars here a few times since the new year started (mostly Denny's and Spinning Wheel) and haven't noticed any difference- and no big complaining by bar owners or the crowd. (the smokers tend to bring a warm jacket along, Lol, but they're still coming)

But, with our crowd, it's more about the singing and socializing, not gambling and chain smoking... I don't think making people smoke outside is going to change that. And the bars here had put up an outdoor smoking area by Jan. 1, so that was helpful I imagine.

Perhaps in PDX it's different, but not so much in this small town. And I don't think the Indian Casino's are going to steal many of the "regulars" from anywhere around here, cause you have to drive a couple hours to get to them.

I gotta tell ya, being a non-smoker, it's pretty awesome to go out and NOT come home with my hair and clothes reeking like an ashtray.

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

Funny thing is I work in a tribal smoking bar, but still watch some people go outside to smoke just out of habit or they want a 'breath of fresh air'.

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

You got that right! I've never seen so many hoodies in the bar! Practically everyone is wearing them, and keeping them on. Even the non-smokers go out with the smokers to keep socializing. At any given time as much as half the bar can be outside. As a KJ it's becoming a problem!

I'm kind of enjoying this aspect of the new law's effect too. There's definitely two sides to this coin.

To clarify, there's no problem in my home room. If anything business has actually been up for this time of the year. Last night was packed. But... it's a young group, they accept the new law, and most of them don't gamble on those machines anyway. Gambling on a machine is solitary anti-social behavior that mostly done by old people. And that's not my home room.

The Elks room is another story. Gambling revenue is greater than bar sales most nights. But if it fails it's not a bit deal to me. There's other things to do with those Fridays I've been thinking about anyway. But it would be a shame to see that beautiful lodge go under. As these rooms go it's a nice one.

I do think that Oregon may have to do a "New Jersey" and revisit this law. Almost 20% of their state budget comes from gambling revenue. And the state, even without a reduction in income from those machines, is in pretty bad financial shape.

I used to do a smoking bar and decided I didn't like it after a point and simply went somewhere else to work. Pretty good choice as the municipality went smoke free, the one next door still allowed smoking and all the bars in the border zones ended up closing about 6 or 7 months later.

I still haven't figured out that if non-smoking is the way to go with Bars why so few of them go that route. If the non-smoking drinker is so prevalent and it was so profitable why that niche hadn't been exploited.

Last week I went to a bar in Gladstone (north part of Kansas City), where the smoking laws don't apply.

Should have SEEN how crowded it was!

and yep, came home smelling like a dirty ashtray.

Gryf, no such thing as laws differing from "municipality to municipality." Washington State, entire state, is no public smoking. Of course the exception is the tribal casinos, where there is smoking.

People go outside and smoke, come back in, sit for a while, then get up and go outside to smoke again. Bit of a pain when running a karaoke show if people aren't paying attn to the screen to watch for their name coming up, but they always rush back in if it is their turn. Younger people don't mind anymore, as Bill H said...part of their life. Nice for the nonsmokers.

Just a bit of an update. I did last night at the Elks lodge. They have three poker and three slot machines. It was spooky to go in the gaming room and see only one or two people on the machines. On a Friday night there used to be people waiting to get on because they were all taken.

Now you can blame their business model - relying on gaming revenues as their primary source of income - but the fact is that I doubt they will be in business by the end of the year. As a private lodge they will never be able to raise their drink prices enough to cover these losses.

There are quite a few bars physically set up like this, where the machines are in a separate gaming room. If Oregon would just allow smoking in gaming rooms if they were sealed off from the main bar it would solve the problem. After a month with the new law I'm not sure I'd want smoking to return to the main room. It's been nice!

The fun part is when a smoker goes out to do their thing, two or three of their non-smoking friends go out with them.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

It has very much changed the audience dynamic in places I have seen, that is for sure. Worst is when the singer is right in front of the pathway to the outside....

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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.

No smoking law just went into effect in Iowa last July. The whole town is in an uproar! I quit smoking over a year ago so I enjoy it however, constant stream of customers outside smoking, cig butts all over the place. 2 local bars basically told the state to piss off and got busted so they have challenged the law which I'm sure they won't win. Casinos (riverboat and non) are exempt and that is just more fuel for the fire. I personally think there are less people out, they hang out at home, smoke inside and drink cheaply. I probably wouldn't protest if they abolished the law.

My Thursday night gig has been non smoking for about 2 years now and they have weathered the storm. It was much more difficult for a bar in Oregon to do it when it was not the law. It took a couple of months and then the business went through the roof.

Now that the law is in effect we are completely packed and getting busier. That is difficult as my venue is small. The owner is smiling from ear to ear.

I have asked the owners in several karaoke bars that I go to and they say that business is slightly down but they expect that due to economic conditions.

I belong to the Gateway Elks here in Portland and their business has not been affected so perhaps it is a small town thing.

Frankly I'm surprised at how well everyone is doing with the smoking ban. The attitude is actually quite positive and those that smoke are dealing with it way better than I expected. I'm very impressed with Oregonians and their ability to adapt.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

Wish I could say that about Iowans but they are being a bunch of babies about it. I too wonder how much the econmy has impacted the bar business vs the no smoking law.

Matt

I know who you are talking about. He began selling Cavs machines and hard drives with 33K titles to bars. I guess he figured if they won't hire me then I will make sure that nobody else gets hired either. Meaning that the bar will hire a KJ for $8-$9hr to run the system. He sold quite a few of those machines. One of them is at the Rivershore in Gladstone/Oregon City area. They do 7 nights a week on it now.

This same guy was also a major supply of burned discs as well. He would buy Sound Choice discs as they were released and then rip and copy them for about 8-9 KJ's in the area and charge them $15 for it. Then he would keep the original for his "LEGAL LIBRARY" Several of the KJ's he burned them for are now advertising that they have over 80K titles and bragging about it.

I confronted this man about it and he just laughed in my face. One day he will pay for his criminal activities. At one time he was considered a pioneer in the area for Karaoke. He has lost every ounce of respect I once had for him.

I too was completely shocked when I discovered his activities.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I agree COMPLETELY! Tig introduced me to him, told me about the lonnnnngggg history of his successful shows. He was even featured on one of the Radio shows put on here on Karaoke Scene.

Sheesh!

Yep that's the same guy!

oh yeah. He will bend your ear alright! He actually thought he invented Karaoke here!

That brought about the demise of his shows here in Portland. His ego was bigger than most of the venues he hosted in.

Anyway I could not believe someone with his credentials in Karaoke would be involved in this type of activity.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

Sorry I did not mean to Hijack this thread. It is just something that I have not been able to talk about on here as I did not know who else from this area knew about his activities. Then Matt mentioned it in one of his posts above and I had to say something.

I give you your thread back now

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

You're fine Scott! I was waiting for you to check in. We've talked this one out pretty much anyway.

Glad your gigs (and lodge) are doing well.

I am a non-smoker and I love that there is no smoking allowed in the bars. Here in Upstate New York smokers don't seem to think twice about stepping outside for their smoke break. I think the bar benefits because more non-smokers will stay longer then they would otherwise due to intolerance and/or allergies.[font=Tahoma][/font]