Karaoke Forums

More than anything else, the number of people of late who have declared they will not frequent a karaoke show that doesn't play their discs has gotten to me to ask:

Most notably - Why do you, in general, sing?

(1) Do you sing only when a particular recordings come on (the radio, ipod, mp3 player, etc)?
(2) Do you sing because you want to hear a particular song and decide to sing it yourself?
(3) Do you just break out in song, on occasion when your spirits are high or low?
(4) Other than the time spent rehearsing a song "at home", do you only sing in public or do you often sing at home as well?
(5) Will you sing in public without rehearsing
(6) If there is little or no audience present, will you still sing in public?
(6) If you will sing a song in public without rehearsal will you sing a song that you had never concentrated on listening to before you sing it?
(7) Do you accept and are you comfortable before you sing at karaoke with the knowledge that something may go awry (wrong key, voice crack, poor intonation)?
(8) How do you react when something goes wrong due to the KJ and/or his track?
(9) How do you react when you screw up?


While these are interesting questions that would, theoretically help KJ's better uderstand our customers... It might also help me understand why it is so important to some that a karaoke shows play their discs.

I play discs at my show and I take discs with me when I go out to sing... but I have never considered boycotting a show that didn't play my discs. I am trying to understand that type of customer, as well!

I like to sing songs that has something that hooks me into them. Some of them because they're fun and everyone knows them, some because they have some interesting phrasing or riff and others for their emotional attachment.

I have never sung a song just because it shows off my voice. My voice ain't that great IMO and the songs is really sounds good singing generally bore me.

why do you need to KNOW?

The point is, there are THOSE kind of customers, maybe in the minority, but they are there.

Whether it's the KIND of song, or the VERSION, or for WHATEVER reason, they want to sing a SPECIFIC song. One you may not have.

For most folks, this isn't a big thing. For me and those like me, it simply IS.

You may be talking to someone who has spent considerable time rehersing to THAT particular version of the song. They go out, ready to have fun performing the song they've spent hours rehersing and the KJ doesn't have it, and can't play the person's disk either.

Night ruined. I wouldn't be to interested in going back either after that. If the KJ has a nice system, I would probablely be ok because I have such a large base of songs that I sing.

Not everyone is that way (I'm a KJ). Some may only have 8 songs they do. They're on they're personal disk, and if you can't play it they're going somewhere else.

It is such a simple matter for a KJ to have disk player A/B swithced in their rack I can't understand the mentality of a KJ who doesn't do this. A KJ will never please everyone, and there is so much that happens that is out of a KJ's control and not his or her fault (bad bar food/ service, a nasty customer getting too fresh, etc).

Here is a simple thing that is 100% in their control. Why not just be a hero and have the capability?

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Well explained Koyote.

However, I don't think the people posting to this forum have a repertoire of but 8 songs. Maybe they do?

And, would I be correct in inferring from your post that you and others must rehearse before singing a song for the first time to an audience?

And how many feel the same?

Interestingly, I don't usually rehearse. However, I was listening to the radio last week and heard a 25 year old Anne Murray song that could have been written today - A Little Good News

I really wanted to sing that song -- it just moved me. However, the melody line was too difficult for me to "remember" without practice.

I have the original and the Chartbuster karaoke version. After awhile I realized the Chartbuster intro was significantly off from the original and the melody line provided wasn't as strong, IMHO, as it could be. But I practiced with the original and the karaoke version and felt I had come to "know" the song well enough to enjoy singing it.

And while I would have preferred to sing it exactly as it was done by the original artist, I do not feel that I have come to know it that well. Nonetheless, I thought I knew it well enough to perform it and that is what I was anxious to do!

So, Thursday I went to a friends show with the sole expectation of singing that song during the course of the evening. Note.... I did not burn a copy to bring with me to accomplish my goal. Further note, that upon arriving at the show I may have learned that she didn't have the song altogether. Lastly, what I did find is that she had the song, but only the SC version.

And, without knowing what to expect, I got up to sing a "Brand New", 25 year old song that I just had to get out of my system.


And...I did just that - got it out of my system. It's not likely that I'll have a yen to sing it again anytime soon!

Thank you Eric.

You know, its funny you should ask me that question about rehersing.

I know singers who simply won't perform a song until they've rehersed it a 100 times, and I know others who never do.

I'm in the middle. I usually don't reherse anymore, but when I first started I use to practise a song many times before I would try it in front of a group.

As an experienced singer now, and a KJ I have a pretty good handle on my range, my breathing and how to approach a note, so not as much anymore. I really don't care too much to "sound like" the original performer, although when I sing Journey I'm told I sound like Steve Perry. I'm not really trying to sound like him, it just happens. I know when I sing Beatles, I don't sound like Paul McCartney, for example

However, a lady friend of mine recently saw the movie "Duets" and got it in her mind to do "Crusin'". A simple search revealed I had the movie version in my library... cool! (Sound Choice! Yeah!)

Amusingly, I've never even heard this song sung karaoke! Go figure. After listening to it I realized that Huey Lewis is mostly harmonizing to Gwyneth Plaltow, and while not that difficult it had some interesting nuances. Paltrow's part seems the more challenging.

So yes, I spent some time practicing it this afternoon. We'll get together tomorrow evening during my Monday show and practice it together. Tuesday, she and I are going to another KJ's friend's show to sing it (its his second week at this new Tuesday night venue, and he's awesome). I'm sure he'll have the same SC version that I do, but I'm burning a disc, with a couple of our standards, just in case.

And yes, he has a disc player too.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

I sing because I enjoy it, but I have to be able to enjoy WHAT I am singing as well. No special reason otherwise.
That being said I do prefer to sing with quality tracks, if I see a show with a bunch of tracks like SGB or the likes, I will not sing. I am not a great singer but a bad sounding track will not help that IMO. I will bring my own discs in to a show as well, check the books first to see if they have the same versions - provided their books list a manu code of some sort, if not I prefer my own disc with the version i'm used to & sometimes recorded in the key I sing in - you'd be surprised how many kj's have told me they can't change keys of a song. If the kj can't/won't play it, chances are I will not sing that evening, nor would I return to the venue. I learned my lesson years ago with several tracks the kj had that were not even recognizable so unless I recognize the track - 2 of them to the point I had to quit not even mid song (Music Maestro), I will not make that mistake again. I will bring a couple of discs of songs that I know.

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I sing for me and I sing for the people listening to me. Sometimes I hear a song that just moves me to the point where I think that other people should get a chance to hear it and maybe the only way they'll ever get to hear it is at a karaoke bar where I may happen to be at on a given night. This is most likely to happen with country songs in the state of New jersey. There are no country radio stations in this area unless you have satellite radio. I sing a lot of new country songs and quite often have people ask me who sang the song that I just did and what is the title of the song. I don't expect a KJ in NJ to spend a lot of money on Country discs but I do expect him to have the ability to play my discs. If he can't or won't play my discs, then I can't or won't support the bar that pays him.........and I will usually let the bar owner know why I won't be coming back any time soon. I, and I think most bar owners, would think that a KJ that is making $150 or more per night at a venue could spare a few bucks to buy something that could play a customer's CDG disc. I would think that the bar owner wants EVERY singer to come back to his bar, not just the ones who never decided to buy their own karaoke discs and will sing whatever happens to be in the kJ's book. I go to one show where the KJ only has one version of WONDERFUL TONIGHT by Eric Clapton and it is the Standing Ovation version which I happen to think is horrible. If I really wanted to sing that song at his gig, I would bring my own version of the song. If he wouldn't play my version, I'd be on my way out to another karaoke bar that would. Some nights I know what I will be singing before I leave my house. I don't want to be limited by the KJ's lack of a selection and I don't want to have to let the KJ copy all of my discs to his hard drive so I can sing them at his show either.

My life is a musical. I just sing when the mood strikes!

Lonman,

That pretty much, in one regard, sums up how I feel, but I am willing to be venturesome to a degree. So, if I am NOT aware of a particular track being "bad" and it's not my preferred track, I'll try it even though I've been burnt many times! I hate walking off stage when a bad track hits but I will do so if there is no chance for me to "salvage the performance". I don't mind being labeled a poor singer, but I do mind having to try the impossible ----- to make "gold from straw"

If over the course of an evening I try several tracks and are disappointed by most, but I really like the show in all other respects, I'll probably look into bringing my own discs, next time. If I don't like the show anyway, there's not much reason for me returning.

But, I must stress, I don't care about the "quality" of the track so long as I can make it work. In fact, part of what I enjoy about karaoke is meeting such a challenge. So, if the results aren't great but, IMHO, my effort to make the track work was admirable, I might just be happy with that experience.... and maybe not!

I'm assuming that you are asking for personal reasons for singing, not about shows:

I'm mostly a #3 kinda guy. I sing when I'm in hight OR low spirits, mostly at home and a cappella. However, I'll sing anywhere, if I'm in the mood. As a kid I used to work in a warehouse, and sang all day.

Heck, I sing in store aisles. If I'm feeling low, I sing it out of my system.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I think I may have found the fly in the ointment. Eric doesn't seem to understand that some people actually care aboiut the track that they are singing to. Just above you can see where he says that he doesn't care about the "QUALITY" of the track. He also doesn't care if the KJ can play his discs. ERIC seems to feel that NO ONE else should care about these things either....BECAUSE HE DOESN'T. Eric seems to think that we should all be just like him when it comes to karaoke. If it's not a big deal to Eric, then it's just not a BIG DEAL and why are people making such a big fuss about silly things like "QUALITY TRACKS" and the ability to sing their own "QUALITY TRACKS" while at a karaoke show.

Before I became a karaoke SNOB, I really didn't mind the selections a house KJ or a Karaoke host had... Now, I'm not happy with just seeing the song name in the book, I want to know which manufacturer made it. (So I guess having the manufacturer listed in the karaoke book is a pet peeve of mine!)

Nowadays, especially after buying so much and trying so many different versions of some songs, if I found a superior track, excuuuuuuse me for wanting to sing that.

As BruceFanForLife said, sometimes the version the KJ has isn't the best. Sometimes they don't have it.

If I really want to sing it, I'll bring it. If that kj won't play it, I'm outta there!

When I was single, yeah, I'd sit there and sulk a bit, but would find SOMETHING else to sing. But I'm a bit more broadened now, and I am particular about what I want to sing. I don't think I'm better than anybody else. Quite the contrary. I know my weaknesses, and want to sing a song I've practiced until I think I'm good enough at it. Before, I'd have no problems up and saying "What the F*&^"... nowadays, if I grab the mic, I want it to be my best, as opposed to just another drunk or immitator.

I think it's time for some of us to be honest about WHY we sing at karaoke. We are singing, because we want to be NOTICED. If you didn't want to be noticed, you'd stay in your seat and sing to yourself. There is alot of talk about PRIMA DONNAS on this forum, and I think some of you have to step back and listen to yourselves. If these aren't primadonnas, I don't know what is. "If they don't have MY song in MY version, I'm OUTTA THERE." "If I can't sing the 1 song I've been practicing, I'm OUTTA THERE. I use a computer , and also have a player to play YOUR songs, but that's not the point, the ATTITUDE is the point.As a Professional KJ, you've probably heard some songs 500 or more times, so to think that you can only sing a HANDFUL of songs, to me, sounds rediculous. I'm just starting out as a karaoke host, but I can go to ANY karaoke show, and find enough songs to sing GOOD to last me through the night. If the kj doesn't have this song, then I'll sing that song, and if he doesn't have that song, I'll sing this one. Maybe it's because I'm new, (but I doubt it), or maybe it's because you guys have been in the business too long, and are acting like spoiled brats. I don't think any of the costumers are going to lose any sleep, if they don't hear YOUR particular song on that particular night. Just go there, do what you can do, HAVE FUN, and go home.

Rosario

Hmmmmm. Why do any KJ's have more than 500 or 1,000 songs? On a good night, only 60 to 75 songs will be sung in a 4 or 5 hour show. I'm sure that if I went to a show with only 500 songs in their song book, I could find at least a dozen songs to sing.

I remember way back when, that there were shows that only had about 20 Laser discs with 28 songs per disc. People always found a song to sing. People are only limited by their choices and in today's world there are just more choices. Why shouldn't people take advantage of those choices?

There was a time when there was only one mass produced car available. The Model T Ford, but it was available in any color you wanted, as long as it was black. Today we have more car models and they come in a multitude of colors.

Being a consumer, I want as many options as possible. If one karaoke place has more choices than another karaoke place; that is the one where I will find myself. If it was all about being noticed by the most people, I would just go to a karaoke place that was jam packed and sing one song in front of the biggest crowd I could find. You can't help but get noticed at a karaoke place but you can help when it comes to being laughed at for making a fool of yourself.

I've seen shows that advertise that they have EVERY SONG. Why do they do that? TO BE NOTICED PERHAPS? Their advertisement is an effort to attract as many singers as possible because people are NOT all the same. I may NOT have EVERY song but I have some that I REALLY like to sing. A good KJ, IMHO, will make sure that I get to sing them at their show.

Doesn't most anybody here know the songs that they care about which track it is?

I have a few that I won't sing unless I know what version I am doing. The ones I do that are on SC8146 -- probably one of the most common disks KJs have -- I want to do that version. I won't accept substitutes. Same for CB's I've Come To Expect It From You or the SC Blue Clear Sky. But a lot of songs it doesn't matter nearly as much.

I can deal with most anything, but the thing I hate most is a karaoke songbook that has an arbitrary ID number (or worst of all, multiple arbitrary ID numbers) with no indication of brand. And then the host can't or won't tell you what version they have.

If I find myself in that situation, and they won't play my disk, I just pick a song that I know it doesn't matter what version I get. And I resign myself to the possibility of singing to a really sucky version. The funny thing is, most in the audience don't know anything is wrong if you don't let them see you sweat.

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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.

I already called myself a snob, but you wanna call me a prima donna, FINE.

I am not ashamed of the fact I like my karaoke good.

Someone that's just started in this business wants to criticize me after I've been in it for 15 years... fine!

Diva OUT!

(sorry for taking my thread way off topic)
Matt:

Why do I need to know?

Why do corporations spend millions of dollars on market research?

Have you participated in and/or are you aware of the workings of marketing focus groups?

There are some singers who have very strong opinions about the type of shows they go to. One recent thread tried, with limited success, to determine the most important elements that attract singers to one show vs another. Proportionally speaking, too many respondents, IMHO, stated that it simply was a matter of the show playing discs.

And I, up until now, had a strong opinion about why I, as I KJ, should play discs. Frankly, I am starting to change my opinion in that regard thanks to the responses of those who can only enjoy karaoke one way!

We are in business...providing a service. Each of us has a different view as to what aspects of that service is most important to the customer. However, we on this forum cannot define who that customer is. I, with this thread, am trying to better understand what singers might look for to maximize their experience as a customer as compared to their expectations as a singing customer.

The better a business understands its customers, the better the chance at being successful. Right?

Now, we a KJ's don't seem to always include both singers and non-singers in our thinking. And we don't always recognize that neither group is homogeneous. We are unaware, as Matt described his background that singers' expectations change over time. (Mine have also) And we cannot loose sight on the fact that we must cater to the majority of SPENDERS... not anyone individual, singer or non-singer.

Yeah I don't like taking chances anymore. If I don't know the version I won't try it. MANY people like that. Even if their version is less than stellar, they may not be able to sing another. I have one gal that sings a version of I Hate Myself For Loving You off of BMB/Nikkodo - TERRIBLE track, but it's the only version that was out before a good version came out. She insists on using the bad track even though she completely admits the other one sounds much better, she can't sing to it - she learned with the bad track & is what she asks for every time. I get people bringing their own discs in nightly - very common around here - some have versions I just cringe at, have gotten a few to switch to better versions, but most get used to what they learn on. Just like the old Pioneer vs DK debate YEARS ago. People who learned on Pioneer hates DK usually & vice versa. These were the only choices at one time in karaoke - no one had both & I know I wouldn't sing at a DK show.



Provided they could play your discs.


Well good for you, i'm the opposite, I prefer to know what I am singing ahead of time & will practice new songs at home before going out.

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Not so, I sing because I enjoy it. Could care less if there were 1000 people or 1 person in the audience. I sing at home all the time to no one. Not a matter of being noticed. Half the time I am on the stage I do not even remember there is an audience there because I get wrapped up in the song.

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