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Most here guage the success of their show with the size of rotation. And then want to pass rules that all singers must drink or get drunk. (water drinkers) I have argued in the past I would rather have 10 good sober singers and 100 drunks cheering them on. Which one is most important?

In my experience the successful bars have owners that listen to their regs (non-singers) and cater to their wishes. They will eventually determine which KJ stays. It is my contention that a good host will pay attention to all 3 as needed. It is called PR.

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My thoughts would be that the crowd is what makes it succesful. If you've got a dead crowd, no-one is going to hang around to buy more drinks (which is what the owner really cares about).

Sure there are good singers, there are bad singers. If everyone is too good, it keeps others who may not be so talented, from taking their shot in the limelight, which may reduce future visits.

If everyone is having a great time, the drinks are flowin', the good times are being had, the owner is happy, and the KJ will be back.

So in my opinion, (which isn't even worth two cents ) is it is up to the KJ, to keep the crowd entertained, no matter the talent. If the KJ can do that, the owner will be glad to keep them aboard, and bring in more business.

- Michael

It's all comes down to the Auidence. They need to be happy, a descent group of singers with no auidence......will do nothing for the owner. All that matters in the end is the "Z-out", if people are around and having a good time, it matters not so much about the quality of the karaoke singers or equipment. If you can get all together, then you're doing it right. Sad, but true...MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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I voted for Audiwence, but I feel it should be a combination of both Audience and Singers. The Singers need to enjoy their moment in the proverbial spotlight, and the Audience needs to be entertained by the Singers (and not be disgusted or annoyed at the show to the point that they just walk out).

As a Singer, I like to sing as much as I can when I go out to a show, but if the place is empty (or just has a few people there), it's not as much fun.

Note... This is a very generalized statement....
It's like being between a rock and a hard place.... I want to sing more, but I also want to receive my due (appluase), and know that I have entertained the people. If I am singing more, the chances are, there aren't that many people there. If there are a lot of people there, the chances are that I won't get to sing much (maybe 2 songs), and I might not want to go back if it's always that crowded. WHere's the median point where everybody is happy?

That Is Exactly The Point. I run a format which caters to a dinner crowd and play mood music from 7:30 until 8 At that time we hit them with volume and very good singers. We do not cater to drunk singers or hardcore that worry about when they are singing next. The rotation ranges from 10-15 and if they are outside smoking or on their cell phone and we skip them to get a singer up it is no big deal. When we call a name they know they better have a mic in their hand now. It is fast paced with a lot of energy. We have secrets to doing this and this thread was started with the idea of learning more. We pack out with audience and not singers. SRO means people that come in and dont see anyplace to sit... And after awhile we do it on a regular basis.

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WHere's the median point where everybody is happy?
THERE IS NONE!!!!!!

There is no correct choice - The only way to gauge a succesful show IS FROM WHAT THE OWNER/MANAGER THINK. If they like you and what you are doing you stay hired - if they don't --the get some one new .

There are BAD shows which are succesful
There are GREAT SHOWS they can't get as much work as they like --

Cue hit it on the head --VERY BUSY SHOWS are not well lliked by people who want to sing mpre than 2 songs - and as far as "water drinkers" no one cares if you come in and don't order alcohol - but you have to pay for something -

I voted audience. I don't have control over the staff. They are not my concern.

The success of my show is keeping the audience entertained. If there is an audience they will spend money. If they have a good time they will come back again.

The owner is concerned with making money. If I pack the bar with people the money will follow.

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Yeah I agree.

I really can't answer this poll. My job is to fill the room. That usually means a good till, which is the ultimate goal here.

I'm not even sure what Ollie means when he says he says he wants only 10 good singers. My best singers are often not the ones with good voices. But they understand the room and do the correct material.

I'd have to say audience as this is the bottom line in the till.
Depending on the show & club the audience is generally there for the singers - either with them or just to watch & listen.

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I went with all equal but I would also add my wife as being an equal. I do agree 10 to 15 singers can make a good show. At one time I was having 25 to 30 singers and some people would get rather rude about the rotation. Singers acount for about 15% of the crowd here on Fridays. But unhappy people are bad PR, so what I did was start a show on Wednesday night just for tips (not so smart), so that I could offer my singers a way to sing more. Everybody is happy now and Friday nights we party!

There's a fine line...

But in the end, if the hardcore singers hate your guts they'll go elsewhere, but SOMEONE will come in to sing as long as there is a crowd and a party going on.

In other words, if you cater to the audience you'll have a successful night for the bar.


However, if the tide turns, it's the hardcore singers that can carry you through the leaner times. Crowds are fickle. Those singers who follow you from venue to venue are going to help carry you when you start a new spot or have an 'off night' at your local bar.

In other words, it's a catch 22.

Appeal to the crowd/drinkers only and the bar is happy but the singers go elsewhere.

Appeal to the singers only the the drinks go elsewhere.

In short, you have to strike a balance...

I tend to target the drinking singers. These are the core group that come regularly, drink at least a few drinks and can carry the show.

We must be catering to all because we generally have a mix of singers who don't drink, singers who do drink, listeners who just accompany friends and never sing but eat/drink, and listeners who come JUST to listen and who drink.

Our Mon. night show is a real mix - it's in a great population center and though it generally is the kind of place where the younger crowd congregates normally, we bring in a good mix of people who would probably never go there if there wasn't karaoke going on. Never ceases to amaze me at the attendance for a Mon. night show that starts late - place is packed at midnight...crazy.... Ringouts are very healthy and each week new faces appear, having heard about how great the show is. Gotta love that word of mouth thing.

k

I do believe the nonsingers are important too. I'll have couples come in and only one of them will sing. For instance: The husband sings, but the wife doesn't. If she doesn't have a good time and she is the decission maker in the family, guess what - they'll do something else when they go out. I try to get everyone involved if possible.

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There have been some excellent responses and give me more ideas. We dont treat drunks or hardcore any different and they dont hate us. They dont like long filler music or the host devoting as much time to non-singers in the crowd. They sometimes pop in to sing on a good system and the wait time is not long unless a bunch show up. When this happens we tend to go back to a typical format. We dont wait forever for a singer to get to the mic esp now that they might be outside smoking. They are skipped and the next singer is called up. Then they are put into the next slot.

Our KJ/DJ format works with a place that serves good food and for a time we play dinner music then start partying at 8p It gets crazy A nightly event is the waitresses dance on the bar to YMCA. It is also ladies night and get well drinks at half price. This is sat night.. I'm thinking of getting a fri in another bar and do the old traditional way of karaoke. I couldnt do it for after years I got burned out. Plus at my age it is hard to maintain the high energy for 4 or 5 hours.

Any gig I ever done the staff and I became very good friends and partners. We worked as team and constantly watched for trouble Drugs etc. We cover each others back. Another element I left out was security. I am also in contact with security on a regular basis. At some gigs I had the power to put people on th 86 list. I can do this because I hired a host whom I have known for 15 years and have the time to PR and even talk to owners when they come. It is hard to solo and keep up with everything. The best hosts and shows imo is a husband wife team.

These are my methods and everybody's show is different. Each must adapt his show to their own personality and experience.

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