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I can't think of a more important subject for a KJ then the question of what is the purpose/attraction/format/objective of a public karaoke exhibition?

Clearly there will be varying opinions offered. I'll suggest that the opinions  provided will probably have some commanality, based upon similarities in the locations where the KJ's are located.

In another thread, I described my objectives for my show and how I handle the "entertainment".  So now I ask, what do you think?

What make for a GOOD Karaoke Event

I would say in it's simplest form - When the singers are having as much fun as the non singers.  Good Sound  / Good MIX of SONGS / Fun and Entertaining Singers ( notice I didn't say good singers, although thats not bad ).   A hig energey fast moving show  WITHOUT BALLAD HELL.

I would say that any show with a good level of participation is a good karaoke event. I like it when it's one singer after another, and the time passes quickly, and I don't have to sing or cajole people into singing.  On a personal level, I feel when I do a good job as host, and I have added to the bar receipts and folks' night out, it's a natural high.  That's a good karaoke event.

From a singers standpoint, I'd have to say the best nights are when there is a LITTLE contest going on.  We do it once a month and the prize is usually a t-shirt or a free drink, but it gets people involved and since the crowd is the judge even non-singers get pumped up.

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[scroll][glow=darkorchid]~I'm the girl your mother warned you about~[/scroll][/glow]

Having a good mix of music with a full house of singers and listeners having fun.

With a quality system and a KJ that knows how to use it.

With nobody complaining about the bar service.

No trouble.

No swearing and no disrespect.

And no singing contest.

Mmm I don't think there's anything wrong with singing contests.  Especially if they aren't taken too seriously.

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[scroll][glow=darkorchid]~I'm the girl your mother warned you about~[/scroll][/glow]

I do contests all the time.  Some are for bigger money, some are just for fun.  Have won a few & lost a few.  No big deal.  Competition is a fact of life.  If you can do something, someone will make a competition out of it.

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

If everyone is smiling and laughing...applauding for each other... bartenders don't have time to sit down or take a smoke break...sound is good as usual and everyone comments on it...a singer's joy when they "discover" a song that's been in the new section for a month but they've not noticed it and they just LOVE the song...a new singer to your show who exclaims loudly, 'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I've been looking for a show like this!" ... and that rush you feel all the way home after a great show. Heck, sometimes I wake up in the morning and still feel that rush of a really successful show.

STOP PLEASE

While you have all provided important personal barometers of how you personally feel about a previous night of karaoke, my question is: How Do You Make That "GOOD" Karaoke Event Happen?  What techniques, tools, equipment, personality traits, methods, approaches, gimmicks do you use to produce an event that EVERYONE enjoys, talks about, and wants to return to?

Purpose:
 The first purpose is packing out and keeping a venue crowded to put enough in the till to make everybody's pay hopefully enough to turn a profit. Before our temp close we had it up to about 2k.

Attraction:
  Good system,selection, high energy and fast beat. No silence and disco type atmosphere. Good looking waitresses that dance on the bar. Ladies night some drinks half off. Good food. Singers that can turn on the crowd and dont get sloppy drunk. A drunk will kill the tempo in a heartbeat. I prefer about 10-15 good singers which is about what we have now. Oh sometimes a bunch of singers come in and we revert back to the old ways. Either way works The old way is harder and burned me out after years of doing it.

Format:
  The ability to read crowds and shift from full KJ to DJ or provide the proper ratio. Know what genre is working at all times. Keep a dynamic tempo going and know how to taper either up or down either DJ or fill. We can do any method that prople argue about here that its the only way. The crowd determines the format.  I can do this but anymore I get tired and and keep the energy all night. I did hire the best host I have ever known.
Greg or I either one can increase the energy by singing one of our better songs. A few weeks ago we were cranked and we sang back to back in minutes there was a fight. I looked at him well new rule we cant sing back to back anymore. We laughed our arsde off..

Objective:
  I have had the priveledge of being directly involved 4 0r 5 institutions that had  the same KJ was in the same bar for 5 years or more. At my age I would like to do it with my system just once. That is my goal right now.

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Thanks, Ollie, for getting things on track!   I wondered for quite awhile about what my purpose is as a KJ.  Sure, the owner wants us to pack out the place.  While I could go around to every other karaoke show telling singers about my show, I don't have the time or inclination to do that.  Some KJ's can afford to advertise their karaoke shows.  Some KJ's attract singers, particularly to a new show, by offering to buy them drinks.  All things that will help bring in more people.

But I've decided that my purpose is to produce a show that is, first and foremost, better than every other show around.  I want to produce a show that everyone who comes to says they had "fun".  And to accomplish that my purpose becomes one of getting a sense of who is in attendance:  who is a "diva", who is looking for their "moment in the sun", who is adventuresome and who won't leave their "comfort zone", who is just looking to have a good time, who is wants to loose their "karaoke virginity", who needs their background music loud, who wants their vocals hanging out there with less background, who wants effects and who doesn't, who wants help from me and who wants a harmony line, etc!   And I have to keep the audience enthusiastic and responsive to each and every singer.  And of course, I've got to manage the rotation in a way that won't offend any singers (almost impossible), while keeping the audience engaged.  

And throughout all, I have to be reading the audience.  Do I need a lot of bumper music between singers, or does the night call for a fast pace from one singer to the next?  Have there been too many ballads sung?  Do people want to dance?  Would they like "this song" or "that song" as a sing-along?  Who should I hand the mics to for a sing along? Is the crowd responding to one genre of music more so than to another genre.   Are they ready for a joke?  

So, I've given myself a great burden.  But if I am more than moderately successful in accomplishing the above, I will have distinguished myself from the KJ's who call up one singer after the other, and do virtually nothing else all evening.  IMHO, it doesn't matter how good your sound system is, or your mics, or your music selection if that is all you do in the course of 3 or 4 hours!  There are many unemployed, or under-employed KJ's around here who have great rigs and good selections who can do and have done just that!

Personally, I think a host that doesn't take themself too seriously is important - have a sense of humor, create rapport with every person who comes in to your show. I make sure a requested song is available soon after the request is made. I think our mix is one of the best I've heard and with good mics and mixing, people are always thrilled at how good they can really sound. It makes even marginal singers feel really good about their singing.  I never make anyone feel stupid for something they've done, even if it is stupid!

Compliments go a long way - not untruthful compliments, but it is possible to say something positive to anyone. Think about that.  Remember new singer's names and what they sing - when they walk in, make your way to them and ask them if they'd like to sing (whatever it is they sang last week) again or if they have another song they'd prefer.  

I make song suggestions to singers - sometimes people don't know what they sound like and what they'd sound really good at singing.  They really appreciate that.

I really believe a host that laughs and smiles a lot is one that people feel good about interacting with. Don't be heavy on the rule thing - it's not grade school.  Give people a little credit for staying within the boundaries and they usually will.

If I had to say which was the most important attribute, I'd have to say "make it personal."  Everyone loves to hear their name on someone else's lips.

K

We have a young couple, UNC students that have been faithful customers and are good singers. They have done a little DJ'ng and have a frend that DJ'S Chris asked what we would charge to do his reception I said wal usually about 500 but for good customers 300.  He about fell over.

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Karen

Well put.  It helps to receive such pertinent observations particularly when they are so well articulated.  Thanks

Maybe your questions should be directed to the KJs that work the most and have many years of hosting under their belts.

KJs that have maintained the steady jobs for years.   Kjs that work 4-5-6-7 nights a week steady.

KJs that have mastered their craft.

KJs that walk the walk.

Not singers that go out once a week.   Not KJs that have one steady gig a week.  

Do as i do.  Check out the web site links and look at their calenders.

There are other karaoke forums and many other KJs.    I have checked out many pityful looking calenders from "KJs" that talk a big game and barely work one steady job.   But want to tell me and you how to do karaoke.   If they know so much where is the proof.    Where are all the steady jobs?    

Every half decent KJ should have a steady Friday and or Saturday job.    No exceptions.    You can get steady weekend jobs if you're brain dead.    Not on some of the KJ calenders i have seen.    

Not every great KJ runs a continuously high energy karaoke show.  If you have any amount of singers at all, some of them sing slow songs.  If they don't someone is lying.     It's an impossibility to do.    The 20-25 singers i average never all sing upbeat songs all night long.     Any KJ that claims they do an all high energy karaoke show is telling people that want to sing slow songs to sing them somewhere else.  That's not what i call being a good KJ.   Where does it say karaoke has to be "High" energy?    It's karaoke, not a techno dance party.     It's about people singing and showing others their talent.   And many times it's with a slow song.   You may be able to pull the wool over some of these pups eyes, but you aren't BSing me for a minute.    TOTALLY high energy karaoke shows do not exist.    Without shutting some of the singers down on the songs they really want to sing.   Slow songs.

GEE how can we as people seeking how to do a great pure karaoke show do as YOU do when YOU YOURSELF won't even provide a link to your website or even a general idea as to where you are.  Must not have much on YOUR plate, otherwise you wouldn't be afraid to list it!



Yep another pitiful KJ talking a big talk with absolutely NO proof that you are even a KJ!  Yeop WHERE are you steady jobs!  Kind of bit yourself in the paw BD!



And where is your calendar?



Must be hard for all your singers to find a show that you don't list.  BTW what makes you think that one of your singers aren't an undercover looking for illegal computer shows?  Happens all the time (supposedly) where the undercover will befriend a kj then be on the prosecuting team when it comes time to bust them.  You don't have to list anything, you may already be there!

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

did a BIG WIND just blow through this thread?

no is was BD passing gas

which is the same thing, I guess?

I repeat.



We do this on a song by song basis and can switch from casual to disco or anything in between in a heart beat.

If you cant grasp this concept then I cam only assume it is from a lack of experience .
At least you could approach it openly instead of immature attacks and clinging to a dead horse  that people got tired of and which almost killed public karaoke. Karaoke here is on the upswing and I'm gonna get one last good big ride.

I have run any and every format for decades. Any tempo, any mood. I have also constantly been ahead of every body else for years.

You are just like my ex You just want to hear what you want to hear.

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If anyone checks out the link on the thread "Would You Value Having Peter At Your Show", you'll notice my friend Donna has no regular Friday and Saturday gigs.  Since she has been doing karaoke for over 10 years now, is one of the most respected KJ's in the area and has no Fri and Sat shows, I guess she should seek advice from SW.  Clearly she must be (forgive me Donna) a "hack".  Isn't that a BD word?

Eric I just do it anymore to supplement soc sec. I sometimes think about more than one show/week. It would have helped with our 4-6 week closure. We could very easy get other shows. Like I say karaoke here is the comeback it was all but dead for awhile. Most here get $125 I am back up to $175 and look to increase that.

We are doing 2 parties for a bar that wants us real bad. But the ones doing his bar are friends I have known and worked with for 10 years or more and I wouldnt take their show. In fact I talked to Nancy yesterday and we chuckled about it. Statements about dont ever trust another KJ makes my blood boil. WE NEED AN ALLIANCE..

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