Karaoke Forums

The oldest Karaoke Bar in the U.S> is closing January 1, 2015

Dimples, located in Burbank CA., opened in 1982, closes to make way for an apartment complex of 241.
I think I'll stop by and say goodbye..

So "Bar Rescue" was not a long term success story? What is really weird is that in my area if a place has karaoke then the next likely stage for the location will be destruction of the bar to make way for something new... just like what is happening to Dimples. Is our industry a last ditch effort for survival?

32 years is a long run for a business. I don't think closing an old facility is indicative of much.

Karaoke is a lot of things, but it is not a business model with unlimited upside. We are limited to 60 songs per four-hour session, which means capacity is limited. I have seen up to 3 stages in a karaoke bar, but still, when a big-dollar offer for land comes, it is easy to make the choice to give it up.

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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.

Wow, one bar closes and you think it's the writing on the wall for karaoke. Trust me, as long as alcohol and music still exist, so will karaoke. It's not going anywhere and will survive long after we're gone.

That is not even close to what I am saying. What I have noticed over the nearly 25 years of singing karaoke (start date Feb 14, 1990) is that many owners that are having a hard time making it financially, that have always been anti-karaoke, will try karaoke as a last resort before closing their doors.

Dimples is a totally different scenario. Bar Rescue went in to try and repair a failing business, but even a new karaoke experience wasn't enough to save them. The owner was convinced he was going to fail on his terms and undid a lot of Bar Rescues changes. But in the end it was a last ditched effort for karaoke to succeed.

Karaokelan, you have never noticed how many bars close shortly after trying karaoke? I am not saying that karaoke will kill a business because there are plenty of long running karaoke places, and there are plenty of karaoke places that have tried it and gave it up and moved on to something else. Yes, karaoke will be around for generations to come. Long live karaoke!!!

According to the news article on it, the entire block was purchased for redevelopment. The owner is looking for another venue in the area to reopen.

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Co-host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly), a karaoke-themed podcast

Yep, then they ultimately blame karaoke for their demise.

Karaoke wasn't a last ditch effort for this bar, they have had karaoke since the day they opened in what 30+ years? One of the first karaoke bars in America if I recall.

Bars in general I feel are dying. Several places around this area anyway not doing nearly as well as they used to - ours included.

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

I was there this last week (Thursday). Sal doesn't what to stop yet but we will see. Yes I did get a DVD and had fun. Back to Palm Springs and Xmas.

With DUI laws and high price of liability Insurgence it's no wonder. Dimples is a little different. They lost their lease. I can't believe he didn't own the building after all the years he was there.

The 31st of January is the last day.

I don't think this issue is confined to karaoke--it's the bar entertainment business in general.

I don't know as much about the karaoke business as most of you, but we've owned a couple of bars with entertainment and I made my living playing in bar bands for years when I was young. Thirty or forty years ago, mediocre musicians and incompetent club owners could make money--now good ones have to really work to stay on top.

This is a major topic of discussion among musicians on facebook where I live, just as it is here in Karaoke Scene. It isn't that karaoke's killing bars (but you knew that)--a lot of bars with any kind of entertainment seem to be folding or going a different direction. Where I live, PROs are a big issue, because the fees aren't always very scalable and make it harder for clubs to 'dip their toes in.'

I think the people who are talking about revisiting their business model are on the right track. Karaoke won't disappear but it might take more imagination to succeed at it.

Kirk, very few establishments, stores (both local and international) own the property that they are located on and many have been in their locations for decades. Just look at your local malls and strip malls. All the stores lease. It is pretty well SOP.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Of course. And it is common for them to either lose their lease or not be able to afford rent increases on the next renewal.

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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 know their are tax advantages and the like. I just don't like to rent anything if I don't have to.

There are advantages in stability in owning one's building, but it's not possible for most restaurant owners, especially in a city. MckyJ is right that lease problems are a major cause of restaurant failures, but where I live I can't think of any restaurants or bars that own their buildings.

As was pointed out, this arrangement often works very well, until it doesn't. The neighborhood changes, the landlord dies and he or she's got greedy kids, the building sells, etc. Commercial lease law is not as preferential to renters as is residential lease law.