Karaoke Forums

I just bought a discontinuted sound choice because is has two Jimmy Buffett songs Souvenirs, and Fruit Cakes.   I'll go out of my was to buy this kind of disc yet can't bring myself to by anything by the bee gees because of disco.  What songs are your favorites and what songs do you avoid.  How do you keep from lettng your personal tastes in music override your need for a broad based selection of music.

I'm assuming (yes... I used the word ASSUME) that you are a KJ just from your question.

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"How do you keep from lettng your personal tastes in music override your need for a broad based selection of music."
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Well, if you're a new KJ, it's a little bit harder not to have a library that represents a selective taste of music. That's how I originally started to build my library (but then again, I didn't consider becoming a KJ until after I had amassed over 3000 songs in my collection). After I had built up the songs that I liked, I started to get songs that my friends liked. Then, I just started buying new discs (Pop Hits Monthly and Top Hits Monthly stuff) to supplement my library. When I had made the decision to become a KJ, the one style of music that I was lacking was Country. I then went out and bought $400 worth of discs to fill that gap. What I did was, I made a list of the various country singers I knew, then I asked some of my friends for other popular names. Then, I started to look up discs that had these artists. I then asked my friends what songs they thought I should get (from the choices I came up with). After I filled that gap, I just continued buying the PHM and THM discs (PHM for Pop, and THM for Country).

I still add stuff into my library (mostly a my own selective taste), but I also try to keep other gaps filled (like if an All 1 Artist disc comes out, I will probably get that as long as there aren't too many repeat songs that I already own on it (if more than half the disc has repeats, chances are, I won't get the disc unless there's 1 song on there that I really have to get for everyone). As for other stuff, whenever someone would ask me for a song that I didn't have, I would check to see what disc it was on. If the "Repeat Factor" was too high, I would probably buy the disc within a week's time.

My selection doesn't include Hip hop & rap music.

It's based on music i like, music that is popular, music that people request, country, oldies, rock, rock and roll, hard rock, middle of the road, and todays music.

Some bars may lean one way or the other so if you have a well rounded selection you should be able to accommodate most tastes.  However, you will never have every song that everyone wants to sing.  There are too many and you and i and every other KJ can't afford to do it.

Every singer has personal tastes just like you.  But their personal taste won't always be as yours.

Some people never listen to anything but country.  Some only listen to oldies.  Some listen to mixed music stations.

Well you can't allow personal tastes to influence your selection IMO.  
What songs to look for to purchase would be those that your singers want to sing, keep out a request list for songs they'd like to see added to your selection that they can fill out or tell you so it can be written down.  These are the songs that would be more priority (as a rule, not always) than what you may personally like or feel that the singers might want.

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I pretty much operate on the theory that I have enough of a variety to form a foundation and only get songs now that are requested from regulars.  My rule is that you have been a steady customer at my shows to get the "I'll try and get it for you." My first step is to look for it on Tricerasoft.com.  If it isn't in their collection then I'll search my fast tracks database which I update the main database every 3 to 4 weeks to see if it is even available on disc and depending on what brand has it will determine who I get it from.
As for song's I would personally want to avoid, one song comes to mind- Picture.
I can't seem to find a vocal range that is confortable for me without having my low end bottm out.  When I start it at a range that is confortable and audible to me, I have problems with the chorus being too high for my voice but if I sing it at the original key I can't hear me in the song untill I get to the part where Kid Rocks says "I was off to drink you away." those are the only words that I actually hear.
Maybe I am not projecting my low end right because when I sing stuff Like "Faithfully" I hear myself fine all the way through.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I agree with DannyG2006. It's impossable to have everything. Buy a couple of the cdg starter packs, they have all of the most popular karaoke songs and go shoping perioticly and throw in the most requested songs as you go along. Before i became a kj and i would go sing at shows i always had my own cd's and for several reasons.
1. I know what songs i'm going to sing (Don't have to look thru the books in a dimly lit building.)
2. I know it's the version that will play. You can take one song and listen to it thru several different lables: sound choice, sweet georgia brown, ect. and it will sound differant depending on the brand and the timing of the song will be different. A serious karaoke singer will go out and buy his own disks. Why should you be bothered with spending your money for one song on a $!5.00 or $20.00 cd   that nobody else is probably ever going to sing anything off it. But like i said if several people ask you about it then i would get it as it will keep them coming back to your show.