Karaoke Forums

I know there are a number of KJs on this forum from Canada. Any of you specifically in Toronto or even Ontario? I know manufacturers are slowing and shutting down up there. How is the bar business? What kind of pay can you get from a bar in the city for karaoke or dj? Are the bars upscale, medium, dumps? Or a combination?

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I am located in Calgary AB. That is just on the east side of the Rockies above Montana. The 3 publishers of Canadian CDGs have either ceased production of discs or moving on to other ventures. The cost of licensing verses the size of market is getting too prohibitive. The 3 are www.karaokemaker.com www.gamesman.ca and www.singking.ca - all 3 produce very high quality stuff. All of their tracks are primarily Canadian bands - some that would be recognized in the US.

My friend Niell at Karaokemaker had atleast 2 more disks ready to go into the studio but his licensing costs increased 5-7 time from $500 a track to over $3,000. A lot of that is from companies like Sony buying up local artists catalogues. The licensing is for only 500 song so most producers would break even on the first run in the past and then turn a profit on the second run. The increased costs made it impossible to make any kind of money, the market supports sales of 500-1500 disks in a product's life. Most are selling out of what they have. If you are interested in anything I would look at those sites as soon as possible. I highly recommend them being some of the best quality tracks I have found.

I lament the loss of these Canadian producers

As to your other quesiton - Karaoke in Alberta is very much alive and well. There are a lot legit companies but we have our share of riggers and cheats. My impression is that Toronto and Ottawa are still pretty lively. I think there is much more competition from cheats and scam artists. The rate for shows in Calgary can range from $150 to $300 per night for a bar - the average is about $225. In Toronto from what I hear is more like $125-150 per night for a bar show. There is as many companies using unlicensed downloads as legit providers.

Bars can be anyting from stinking sh*tholes to good local pubs. There are no real high class joints doing karaoke. A lot of the permanent shows are either Asian lounges or older pubs looking to draw business with cheap entertainment. Most places in Calgary have 1-2 shows a week.

If you want to know more about Ontario check out http://www.dogandponysound.com/index2.htm
They can likely give you some better insight to the Ottawa market.

Hope this helps...keep on rockin'

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

Wow! So THAT'S what happened to Karaokemaker. Bummer because they produced top-notch stuff and I was looking forward to more. The Trooper disc is the BEST, bar none! Too bad they never got around to doing Roxy Roller. The Gamesman version is terrible, but only because of the off-key background singing.

Thanks for the info. I guess I will have Toronto all to myself when I move?

No one from the forum there?

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Diafel, the Trooper disc sold out very quickly. Like Terrioke said the licence to do another issue was astronomical. When Trooper was at our show (what a great bunch of guys, very willing to sing with anybody who wanted them to) they though the disc was fantastic (strange how every song on it was done at least once ). They asked about obtaining a copy and I informed them that it had sold out quickly and relayed what Neil had told me. They seemed upset by it but unfortunately they had no control over the licencing.

Not sure if you knew this but a couple of members of Powder Blues Band actually played for the Gamesman disc for their three numbers.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I will add that the Gamesman Doug and Slugs/Powder Blues disk is my favourite. I sing all of the songs on it. I have done these in the US and a lot of people ask me who are these master bluesmen. I just tell Americans being from Canada we aren't just Cool , we're Frosty!!!!!!

I still say they need to have a Canadian section for music on Singers Showcase.

One other thought - ChartBusters did a BTO disc, which was pretty good for some uncommon tracks but there are songs on it that I as a huge BTO fan have never heard. It is a shame because SingKing had a deal with Randy Bachman to use original backing tracks to do a BTO/Iron Horse/Randy Bachman set of disks like the Gordon Lightfoot they did a few years ago. If anyone is a Lightfoot fan these are a must for your collection. SingKing is another quality producer.

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

Ok, you are all getting off subject or perhaps you didn't understand what I meant. By manufacturers I was referring to auto manufacturers. chair manufactureres, any kind of manufacturers. Trying to get a feel for the economy from the perspective of karaoke hosts that live in Toronto.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

In that case the economy in Toronto is like Detriot or Chicago - plain lousy. Car plants are closing, unemployment is high, house prices are falling. It is not as bad as the American east coast but it ain't no picnic. Ontario is Canada's industrial heartland so it is the same in around Chicago. We are fortunate that our banking system is sound and we don't have the sub-prime problem. Ottawa is fairing better as it is largely a government town.

Western Canada is doing much better - still slow but we will recover much more quickly due to oil and gas.

If I were you I would suggest calling some of the karaoke companies in the Toronto area. Google karaoke in Toronto.

If you want more information just PM me and I can see if I can give you any better information. I am a business owner so I have good knowledge of the economy.

Sorry for misunderstanding your question.

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

Average Joe Karaoke (http://www.averagejoekaraoke.com/home.htm) Operates out of Brampton... that's pretty close to Toronto, correct?

I have the April Wine disc from Karaoke Maker - EXCELLENT quality, I really wanted the Tragically Hip disc, but they were sold out & then went under. Anyone have an extra copy, let me know.....

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

Lonnie, they didn't go under, they couldn't afford the licencing. The sales for the companies were fantastic (which is why they're hard to find).


Ripman as for karaoke here in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it is pretty stable and the economy here hasn't been hit as hard as other areas ( alot of government, health care and universities here). The rates here run from $100-250 on average, depending on the host. Like other areas we have some illegal harddrive people but the cream of the crop are doing well.

We are a naval and port city and it's always funny to hear people asking about cabs to Toronto then you tell them it takes 15 hours + to get there.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Thanks Terri and Knightshow, yes Brampton is basically a suburb, I have a nephew who lives in Brampton.

Why is canadian banking stronger? My wife works for BMO as a financial analysist. Down here, you can change loans every day with no penalties. Of course you will most likely pay some points but not as bad as the loans in Canada. Also you can lock in down here for 30 years. Can't do that in Canada. But probably more so due to they obviously handled distribution of loans smarter than the US banks.

I bought two April Wine songs on buykaraokedownloads, not sure what brand they are but they were pretty good. I like to rock and just between you and me. Always loved the band and I have 4 of their vinyls from the lat 70/s early 80s. Would love to have an entire disk of them.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I guess to answer the question. None of our banks have failed, needed any bailout money and don't have any sub-prime mortgage issues. The Canadian banking industry has been recognized for its strength and stability. There is still a tight credit market but that is everywhere. The deficit our national government is about $34 Billion per year. If we ran a deficit similar to the US proportional to GDP or population this would be $150 Billion per year.

In Canada we did have Bryex as a stock scandal, where the Us has had Enron, Madoff...etc. It all has to do with attitude. In the US your financial system is like the Wild West and your last President was like P T Barnham - "A fool and his money...etc"
We have regulation in our financial system, sometimes a bit too much but this is why BMO, TDWaterhouse etc are buying US banks and brokerages. The innate Canadian conservatism is what has protected our investors.

We have had a problem with Asset Backed Paper sold in Canada, the problem is about $6 billion compared to instruments like Derivatives - these are futures based on the future of other futures. These were completely phantom investments that we never allowed to be sold on Canadian exchanges. They create no value, only speculative cash with no asset/creditor value of any kind.

It is like mortgages, you are right there are no 30 terms for a mortgage. We can have anything up to a closed 15 year term. I think there are penalties on mortgages in the US if you renegotiate/payout early. We can't borrow 120% of the value of our house like DiTech and others offer on the TV.

I have many friends in the US and there is a lot I like about your country but there are some fundamental flaws in how your financial and regulatory systems work.

Sorry if I rant a bit too much here, I had a conversation recently with a very obnoxious Texan who thought Canada was some kind of lesser state or should be to the US.

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

. I'm from Iowa and I'm not obnoxious. I know Canada better than most Americans. I'm married to a Canadian and have been traveling there for 9 years. I do beg to differ with you on one point. If I pay my house off tomorrow, there is NO penalty. When we sell a house, we pay no penalty. It's when we buy or refinance, we pay points. My wife and I have debated the subject a few times so I'm well versed on how Canadians view the US and it's finances and politics. GWB would be wise to stay out of the country. Anyway, thanks for the leads.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Being from IOWA - the show me state, you are like most Canadians - good midwestern values and small "c" conservative. I agree there is always a penatly to pay off a mortgage early. Mind you mortgages can be transferred easily in Canada - without a credit check. The penalty is only 3-6 months interest which is not bad.

Sorry if I upset you at all. If you are moving to Canada - welcome. If you are looking to move a fun and growing part of the country - try Calgary. I have been across the US and Canada and this is my home and preferred place to live for many years. Lots of places in the Us and Canada are great to visit. Calgery is still my favourite.

If you have vacation time, come up for the Calgary Stampede (July 6-15). No better time to be had.

I apologize if my comments upset anyone, my intention was to answer a question about comparisons.

As always to my friends on this site...yours truly

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

Terry, sorry to say this but the "Show Me State" is Missouri (Truman's state). T

he other difference in mortgages in banking is you have to show evidence of your income and there's a myriad of formulas used to determine if you can even afford a mortgage. It seemed to me that in the US any man and his dog could say they earned x amounts of dollars and no one checked on it. The other important thing is in Canada you need 10% for a down payment and on very rare occassions 5%. Our banking system is strongly regulated.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

too funny...

I live in Truman's home town!

Yes, Missouri, the state of Misery, is indeed the Show Me State!

OOOOPPSSS - my bad . But you know what I mean.

My knowledge of the US is pretty good. I must of been havin' a brain fart!

I know things like the Space Needle is at Cape Canaveral and the Golden Gate Bridge crosses the Hudson River or that GWB is one of the smartest man on the planet or Dick Cheney is a really good shot.

Just Kidding....(hehehehe )

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.

I wasn't offended or upset at all. I actually live 2 hours from the northeast corner of the show me state which is Missouri. I live in the Hawkeye state "fields of dreams". As much time as I have spent in Canada, I've heard, seen, felt the Canadian attitude towards the state. Canadians are 100 times more knowledgeable about what goes on in the state than vice versa. Even taught in the schools. Heck before I met my wife, I thought Toronto was directly above Minnesota! They mostly hate Bush, and nearly everything he "worked on". Nearly all have been fantastic when they find out I'm American. I did have one bad experience my first trip. We were at a Jack Astors in Toronto. The waiter was fantastic, knew I was from America. But his shift ended during our dinner. I tipped him, he introduced us to the new waiter who told me once he found out I was Amercian " f*&^ing Americans, loved only by themselves and hated by the rest of the world" I decided not to tip him.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

It's too bad you ran into someone like that. Canada does have its share of a$$holes. I am glad to hear you know something of our country. I have run into some folks who think we all wear lumberjack shirts, live in igloos or that I should know their friend "John" who lives in Toronto because Calgary is near by.

Good luck with your move.

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Terryoke
Krazy Kanuck Karaokeist

Karaoke is the only social disease that you can get in public and not get arrested.