Karaoke Forums

Was just cruising around the internet to get the latest count of karaoke companies in our area. Of the 18 listed on one site, 14 also offered "Trivia Game Hosting" and one specialized in "Wet T-Shirt Contests." (Forget it, boyfriend/host.)

I have never personally been to a show that had anything like this except for a hula hoop contest at a company party so figured it must be more for corporate affairs/weddings?

Just curious. Didn't want to be behind the times. Don't want to be a Trivia Host either. Well, maybe.......

We only DJ/KJ but in the interest of surviving, several places in our area offer trivia, guitar hero, and now Wii bowling. Many have XBOX available for patrons to use for free. Trivia is a big deal around here once it caught on. Wii bowling tournaments work well in places with projection screens. I'm happy just hosting karaoke, and doing the odd DJ gig.

I don't have the talent for anything else... heck, don't even have the talent for KJin'!

I hate trivia and don't get the connection between trivia and karaoke. You don't need a KJ to do trivia!

And how about this? One KJ decides, on a whim, to interrupt the rotation for a trivia question, while I was the next to sing in the rotation. Now, guess what the prize was? The winner got to sing next! So, how do you think that made me feel?

Well, that's not the end of the story. I won! And what did I win? The right to sing next!

I don't want to say where you can stick trivia!

At least you didn't win the wet t-shirt contest.

I've been to an occasional show where the KJ paused for a brief Trivia question. The prize wasn't a turn to sing... it was a free drink. C'mon now, admit it... you wouldn't have minded that. It only takes a minute to ask the question and maybe another minute to answer and receive the prize. I've had longer pauses (sometimes) in my rotations (when I have run a show), just trying to get the next singer up (and I usually announce who will be next while the current singer is coming up).

I run a trivia game at my main venue on Tues. It's the only night I do anything other than karaoke. It doesn't "compete" with karaoke, it's just something different. I can't see why anyone would "hate" trivia. Well, on second thought, I can think of one reason...

And although you don't "need" a Kj to run trivia, you do need someone with a PA, music to play in between questions, and a decent hosting/MC presence. Wait, that sounds like a KJ.

we once combined karoke with a bartender "HALL OF FAME" awards show and then bartending competions---but it was a one time only thing. Karaoke songs were sung as entertainment between awarding each bartender award. Packed house tho filled the place. Had some local radio DJ's as guest judges. Gave out fancy liqour bottles with the bartenders names on them as hall of fame awards.

Other times weve have raffles for trinkets provided by the liquour companys---t-shirts, posters, hats, any old thing we could get our hands on. All went over well as door prizes.

Combined Karoake with dancing with special company events both---packed houses.

Other times we had EATIN NASTY events with buffets of things like a full roasted OSTRICH as the main course---VERY TASTY! Then karaoke and dancing.

Another time I MC'd a fund raiser event for the city DA office they were raising money for a new child care facility. Full buffet karaoke and dancing.

MC'd a fundraiser for our downstairs SALSA band sax player who couldnt pay his surgey bill. I intro'd the cuban salsa band then DJ'd salsa before and inbetween sets, then karakoe and salsa dancing after. Full buffet and raffle door prizes.

Many eve's have hosted karaoke and salsa dancing with latin karaoke also.

All kinds of things you can work into to it. Just depends how much you want to think our of the box and how creative you want to be.

As to contests----dont limit it to singing---how bout a BEST BLUE JEANS constest---hot chicks in thier levis!

We had a STREET DANCE CONTEST----special dance judges and street hip-hop, salsa and freestyle dancers

Could be best hawaiian shirt---anything and everything----prizes dont have to be real substantial either. Have karaoke before and after the competitions.

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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

Without elaborating about different functions I have hosted or MC'D at I will give some examples of extra things we have done at karaoke. This covers gigs from bikers AA clubs to swingers functions. Many I have forgot about but here are a few.

Cakewalks... Strip Tease (all the way: ... Lingereie modeling contests....Line dance contests.. Dance contests.. Drinking contests...Auctions...Memorials and remberances (serious)Military and civilian.... I have never done a funeral but I could if asked... Belly dances...Birthdays, weddings,anniversaries, Yet to do a divorce (hosting it and not watching the prelims in the bar)..

At any time during a show I can convert to any format. To those that still regard karaoke as a religion or cult and we must follow certain rituals or regimentation, CYA!!!

There has been threads asarted many times along these lines about adding to shows and the fanatics went ballistic and killed it OH NO You cant do that!!!!

They come in in groups of 1-4. The first thing they do is look for the books. They dont even buy a drink first (most dont drink) they start looking through the books. They dutifully bring up a slip. They are very anti-social and dont mingle with the regs. They are too busy tracking the rotation so they wont be bumped. Some have cd's and demand that you play them. Upon approaching and tryng to get aqauinted with they are closemouthed and secretive. They stay alone in a corner away from everybody else. Most of them after 3 songs are done.

Yes I have seen this over and over. They are fanatics. I detect the signs here in many posts. There are shows here I wouldnt even go to and some here although they would be welcome at our shows they shouldnt expect their rituals. I will recommend another show across town.

There are some of us that have evoved karaoke to different levels which cater to owners staff listeners and singers. I must be doing something right because I compete with most bands in a 150 seating cap venue the till runs about 3 grand consistently.

Pardon me for highjacking this thread but currently we have a must play cd thread, they shouldnt be doing this thtreads and now a thread where the BOOK is a Bible THE BIBLE!!! OK I have ranted I now revert control to the Ministers, Lords and Fanatics. Do any of you people have fun??

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Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

Seattle bar (Goldies on Airport Way) offering guitar hero per Seattle Times article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/r ... nd110.html

Somehow I guessed Karyoker was going to say he had done Wet T-Shirt contests but his real life out does anything the imagination can conjur.

Any one can hijack my topics without offending me. Most people on here have had more experience and more interesting tales to tell than I. It's all education to me.

I'll tell you a secret. We get in knock down dragouts and arguments here and it gets heated. But you could put us all in the same place if it was big enough and you would have a crowd that would be abnormal in the fact that 99% would love each other because we all have the same love. I know this in my heart. There are some of us here that if we met on the other side of the world we would recognize or at least gravitate towards each other in a minute. This involves singers ops and venue owners.

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Join The Karaokle Singers Social Network. Upload Your Music!!

now why would ya wana go hatin like that?? When I was in the sound / light biz I co hosted a couple wet T shirt contests. IMO LOTS of good clean fun. Ive thought of doing some music trivia at my shows to change things up, but it would only be a questioon every hour or so, and prizes would be a free drink or a T shirt. I like giving away T shirts and hats. I think Lordairguitar went home with like 3 on Haloween

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Amen!

I used to host a music trivia show about 6 years ago, before I became a KJ.
I've had a recent request from one of my venues to host a music trivia night as well as my karaoke night.
What I don't want to do is mix the two in the same night, unless we have a bit of karaoke AFTER the trivia.

i think introducing trivia melded with karaoke would be VERY DIFFICULT as trying to get the crowds attention would be problematic at best. Seems it would really make for a disjointed non-flowing show. And introduce a lot of delays to the wait and flow of the show.

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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

I agree, Swingcat. I dropped in to two shows I've never frequented before this week. Not that I expect people to pay attention when I sing (or pay attention to my friend who accompanied me) but at the first venue, with the exception of one person I could make eye contact with, the rest of the room continued on with their conversations. It certainly doesn't bother me as I'm there for my own recreation, not theirs, but really it was a real indication that it would be very difficult to keep people focused on anything but listening for their name to go up and sing.

Funny how venues differ - at most shows I have done in the past the audience pays attention to the singers - could be that many of them are really spectacular singers and the non-singers are held rapt by having amateurs of that quality serenading them. Not sure at all why. But this was certainly not the case with these two venues.

I guess that's another thread - what percentage of your audience really listens to the singers and acknowledges them without prodding...and do they pay attention to ALL singers or just their friends.

I plan on offering guitar hero/rock band as an add on. I'm a DJ who is looking to expand into offering karaoke.

There is a time and a place for everything. If I do get a fulltime show at a bar, It would be karaoke and just karaoke. But being able to offer guitar hero could bring in extra money if you were booked for a bachelor party or something like that.

I have been to a very successful karaoke show where a friend of mine is the kj, he's been in the business for at least 10 years. He's a very seasoned host, with a good following, BUT, I personally would not want his show if it were offered to me.
WHY, you may ask? Well, here's the deal. The venue is in a bowling alley lounge, it has a pool table, darts, slots, trivia (on EVERY tv except one), he's got wireless mics, and at least HALF of his crowd think their ROCK STAR LOUNGE LIZARDS. You know the ones who like to walk around the WHOLE VENUE with the mic cupped in BOTH hands, shoved halfway down their throats. There is just ENTIRELY TOO MUCH entertainment, in this place, (did I mention it's also a BOWLING ALLEY), BUT, for HIM, it works. He runs a successful show. I'm just starting out, I'll have karaoke at a restaurant and bar, set up in the restaurant part (no smoke), maybe I'll play a few dance tunes throughout the show. To ME that's a nice nights work. I guess the point I'm trying to make is "to each his own", what ever makes you happy, so be it. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!!

Rosario
Serenity Now Karaoke

I offer a cabaret show ( which i really should do full time, finacially it's better with less running costs... but karaoke is so much more fun for me, so karaoke is the main part of the business), I also do quiz nights, Childrens parties and occasionally DJ.

Hopefully i'll be able to add magic to the childrens parties (thats the next aim), but i'm still looking to find the winning formula in my area to bring in the huge crowds to the bars...

DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
DOESN'T MEAN ONE THING IS BETTER THAN ANOTHER ...JUST DIFFERANT

Currently I do not offer anything besides Karaoke and Music ..but if the opportunity presents self ... time will tell