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I received a call from my nephew yesterday who was making a delivery at a local bar/restaurant and in speaking to the owners who mentioned they are looking for a new KJ for their Thursday Karaoke Night.   So I called up the owner and made an appt to come down and talk.

I observed a small bar/restaurant – current KJ was set up in the corner and was playing just filler music when I first arrived.  The sound was OK – I could see he had set up only 1 speaker -  to me it seemed the music to be lacking any bottom end ( and this is coming from ME who does not use a sub) .  I did sing one song so I could see the sound and equipment up close.  The mics were plastic and lite weight wired versions – overall sound was OK  not horrible but not GREAT either.     His presence and announcements seemed fine a little too much of the  “CLUB STYLE DJ VOICE” if you know what I mean.  – He was using a LAPTOP SYSTEM and kept announcing that he had over 100,000 karaoke songs to just come up and let him know what you want to sing.  

This is where he went wrong…………  HE HAD NO BOOKS …ZERO …NADA …NOT ONE.

In speaking to the owners this is one of the main reasons they are looking to replace him.  That and the crowds were just not there.   In presenting my SHOW I was very open with the owners and explained that although I do have some regulars that I was not GUARANTEEING any amount of people to walk thru the doors….. They both looked surprised and THANKED ME FOR BEING HONEST …something the last few guys weren’t.  (I do have some books).

Bottom line is I am trying out next Friday night so they can see and hear me in action.

I feel bad  that a KJ might lose his gig just because he didn’t have any music books for people to look at ………………  SEEMS pretty basic …..even if you are a younger PC based KJ

Some people just 'don't get it'.  I couldn't even imagine running a show or going to a show w/o ANY books.  "Something to look at" helps.  Not everyone has it burned into their brain what they can or would like to sing.  Good luck on your new trial, hope it works out for you.  100k songs, wth......"i'm a pirate, i'm a priate...I have 100k songs, but all I can afford is plastic mics"  I just don't get it man!!!
MrD

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Mr D , Thanks , I'm not dissing the guy's equipment or the fact that he's advertising 1000k songs    LMAO  - I can't imagine at least 1 book so singers can browse - Most people don't know 100,000 songs It would be nice to be able to look thru a list ...

The first thing a singer new to my room will ask me for is a book. They may already know a few things they might want to sing, but it's the process of it. Looking things over. Getting ideas.

From a host's standpoint it would be great to get away from books. But at least in my room if I want to keep people coming in I gotta have 'em out. So that means I've got to make them. And BTW... ugh to that! But hey....

I had a regular couple in last night that vacationed over the weekend out of town and spent Saturday night in a large karaoke room. The host advertised 80,000 songs. But when they put up "Apologize" and "Big Girls Don't Cry",  he didn't have them! These were big hits, and two of the biggest songs sung in my room... from last year!!! We're not even talking about staying current with this year. So a large library isn't everything. I'm getting by with a relatively small book that's tailored to my gig.

Good luck with your gig on Friday!

Best of luck with the gig. It sounds like you'll do just fine.  Obviously, this pirate who slid in without the knowledge of what it really takes to have a successful karaoke room (NOT 100,000 SONGS without a book,  and hack equipment) will be a faded memory soon.

Most don't realize what the book represents - I have watched people read my book for the entire duration of the show - laughing... talking about how they remembered what they were doing when they heard this song for the first time...getting up to sing a song they NEVER would have sung because they didn't remember it existed, and all of a sudden everyone is singing along... Books are a valuable asset to any show...truly the bane (bain? SP?) of our existence but a true necessity!

So we do it one room at a time. A daunting task but we have to start somewhere.

K

agree!!!!

We have  a policy  where singers can give oral requests or change on the fly. But I notice strangers (non-singers) watching the lyrics on the big screen and going thru the book that happened to be on their table. books and their appearance  are important....

Which give me some more ideas (I'm slow) Put some party flyers in them.

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I had my speakers set up in front of a dart board that was normally not used on karaoke night because of the crowd size.

2 younger yahoos came in and wanted to shoot darts and they asked the bartender if they could move my speakers.   She asked me ...now she knows what kind of a crowd we get.  I told her no that the money tonight was going to be made on karaoke not darts.  

I caught one of them deliberately opening the binder rings so that when someone picked up the book it would end up all ove rthe floor.

Keep in mind all the wrong things you see other KJs doing.   Never repeat them.

Remember your first impressions of the bad KJ?     What impression do you want to display?

Good luck.  Don't feel bad for someone that thought they could be stupid and lazy and be any good.    Take their job in a heartbeat.   They don't deserve to work in our profession.

I surely appreciate what this thread started off about.  There are computerized KJ's around here (S Florida) that don't provide any song catalogs.  Some don't use request slips.  They rely on the computer for everything.  I don't agree with that approach, and have, basically, gone the opposite direction.  

Nonetheless, I have decided I am not going to print any new books until my old ones are completely usesless.

1.  In addition to my existing books, I have folders that exclusively list new additions. I update those folders everytime new tracks are purchased!  I produce these folders in my home office; it's quick and inexpensive to do.
2.  I just bought a laptop computer for my wife.  At our shows, she can respond to any requests/questions regarding the songs we have in our complete catalog, including specific versions of song that might not be listed in the printed catalogs.  
3.  I also bought a desktop computer that is available to:
   a) look up songs
   b) sample (over earphones) for one minute, along with the graphics, the various karaoke versions I have of any song they might want to sing
   c) hear a 1 minute sample of the original version (if I have it), of a song they are interested in singing
  NOTE: I do not provide for the ability for anyone to enter themselves into the rotation through this kiosk.  I still and alway will require a slip for that.

Folks really love these innovations, particularly the desktop sampler!!!

Lastly, and for everyone's edification, I have considered the legalities of my "kiosk" and am quite comfortable in what I've done based upon how it is used and my intent for providing the samples!

Just so you realize that if someone with authority were to come in....you do have 3 hard drive copies on 3 computers running at the same place....so the 1-1 argument will be a moot point.  :O

Since it appers that some clarification might be needed, my wife's laptop only has the database list of titles; it cannot play the tunes.

As to the kiosk, it can only play 1 minute of any song; as it cannot be used to host a karaoke show

As to being 1:1,
my 1:1 is that I only use 1 file, or 1 copy, or 1 original at a time for public performance of a track.  I don't sell what I have and I don't run two shows at the same time.  I said quite awhile back, I have a backup of my hard drive.  I think it would be foolish not to, after all of the work it took to create it.  Ask any IT specialist (not copyright lawyer) and he/she will tell you that the first rule of organizing data is that you must back up your work.

I also said on this forum I would eventually copy my whole collection to DVD's.  That I hasn't happened yet

And for the benefit of anyone who is hiding their identity because of a SUPPOSED fear of the karaoke gestapo.....
MY NAME IS ERIC, I'M A KARAHOLIC, I HAVE FORMAT SHIFTED, I AM NOT TECHINALLY 1:1, AND I AM IN SOUTH FLORIDA (may the lord have mercy on my immortal soul)

My name is Sidewinder.  I am a KJ.  I am not 1-1.    I am in the USA.


The unauthorized program will only let you play 1 minute of the song, but the entire file is on the computer.

I HATE to say this Eric...but sidewinder is..... right.  LOL.. The entire file is there.

No, JR, Sidewinder is not right! I already stated in my posting on this thread, and make no bones about it, I have a backup for my Hard Drive for my show.  

And, furthermore, I stated in the past on this forum that I have backups for my work.  Most important, my backup is just that.  I do not multi-rig, unlike others in my area, one of whom runs 18 shows off of identical hard drives, and brags about the the fact that the song catalog at each show is exactly the same!

Now, if the fact that I am using my backup file as a device so that a one-minute sample is available for one individual at a time to hear makes me more illegal, so be it!  If I had created a one-minute only sample file for that purpose would I be less illegal?  Also condsider in "the equation" that there are websites that allow you to listen to a snippit of karaoke tracks before you purchase them.

Folks shouldn't get caught up in SW's tactics (reminiscent of someone else) of "splitting hairs".  If one wants to split hairs, there shouldn't be any computerized karaoke shows. And SW is computerized.

Lastly, I hope that the benefits of my idea have not gone unnoticed.  The kiosk approach along with my wife's laptop provides a level of service that is affordable, easily obtained and unmatched by my "competitors".  If you don't have someone who can protect a laptop, the desktop kiosk is still an alternative and it is not expensive to do if you get an old computer and upgrade the internal hard drive. And if you like, upgrade the sound card, as well.  Earphones are cheap; the airlines give them away (or so I thought when I took them home)!

I'll admit they are nice features to have at a show.  But i work alone and the extra set up time and the extra expense isn't worth it to me.   Do you get more money for the extras or is it just nice to hear people say how nice it is?

I can do everything but play a sample during the show.    If it's just to see if they know the song, i'll start it and if they don't want to sing it, i'll move on to the next singer until they make another song selection.    Not a big deal to me or the show.    My show won't collapse and it shows the crowd that i'll accomodate just about anything within reason for my singers.

And yes we are all pirates according to the info from TTowns article.    We may not sell the music, but it's still illegal to have a hard drive show.   Except in your house.

So i'll be looking for a big warehouse to make into a living quarters and there will be an entry fee (DONATION)  LMAO and BYOB.   Then we can sing from my home and use a hard drive.    All night long, no LCB or ASCAP/BMI or SONY or SOUND CHOICE or IRS.

At my show a "good enough for karaoke attitude" is not good enough.  :drums:  At my show I require and appreciate my wife's help, leaving me free to control the sound for each singer's efforts and tend to the equipment.   At my show I want to avoid "false starts" wherever possible; it's bad enough when a singer isn't ready to begin when the song queues up.  :drums:  At my show I want the singers to have an opportunity to decide what version they want to sing beforehand, rather than be left only with the choices made by some pompous a** who thinks he knows what the best version is of every song ever made (whether he ever heard of the song or not).  :drums:  At my show if someone is not sure how the original song sounded I might just have a copy of the original for them to hear.   At my show, I want to be on the cutting edge of what's happening in the world of karaoke entertainment and I have done several things already that distinguish me from my competitors.   At my show, people let me know that they notice the things, sometimes little things, that are different and that they enjoy.  :drums:  At my show, I don't worry about my investment, I am concerned only with the results.  And so far I have plowed every dollar I have made back into my show.  I have plenty of time yet to reap the rewards of my investment and my efforts

And what I do at every one of my shows establishes me as the consummate professional, which I am!  And at my show, all I care about is what those in attendance think about my show, not what someone in Pittsburgh, or somewhere else, who has never been to my show thinks!        :drums:

I just want to bang on the  :drums:  all day.   Me, me, me attitude

I'll admit they are nice features to have at a show.  But i work alone and the extra set up time and the extra expense isn't worth it to me.   Do you get more money for the extras or is it just nice to hear people say how nice it is?

I never said you were not a professional.   But there is such a thing as wasting your time and money for no added benefit.    My show presentation is top quality.   Only by adding a ton of expensive and unnecessary lights (never saw karaoke with lights.)     Nobody goes to karaoke because of the colored lights.     There are many more important things to keep going back for.   Ask my repeat singers.   Not once has anyone ever said, "i'm not coming back because you don't have lights."    Or i can't hear a song before i sing it.    I'll start the song and have 3 other versions cued behind it.  We'll find out which version you can sing to.   That's how much i care.  And the crowd...will have to wait till i'm happy because the singer is happy.   Ever wait in the customer service line at a store while someone else was taken care of?     The lack of the so called "High Energy" element is not on my list of things to go crazy about.    A slight lull in the music to prove i care about each singer means more to me.  And more to them.    I'll stop my show to cater to a singer.    To pick a different version or a different song.   Or to find the key you need to sing the song.  When you do find it then i'll start the song over from the beginning in the right key so you can sound your best.    It doesn't happen that often, but it's not a big deal for me to do it.    I would rather do that than to have them sound bad.  Straining your voice to sing a song isn't my idea of quality karaoke.     It's embarrassing for them.   And it won't make them happy.    Or make me look good.  And the next time they will know what version and what key.    That doesn't sound like "good enough for karaoke" to me.    That's the last thing i'll ever be accused of.

Bar owners don't want to pay us what we are worth now.    Doing what you do would add at least another 1/2 hour or more, to my 1 hour set up time.  And the bar owner isn't going to give a rats AZZ about the convienence.   And no more money.

How many times can a person listen to the same song to tell if it's the version they want to sing?    If that feature would get used twice a night i'd be lucky.

I'm one of the very few KJs in the area that doesn't have the "good enough for karaoke attitude."

False starts have nothing to do with the professionalism of your show.   I am not God and i can't control every singers thoughts or actions.   So their will be many things that are totally out of my control.    And although i don't like some of the things that may happen that i can't control, doesn't mean that i will take the blame for them.   Many times i just laugh them off and the crowd laughs too.    And it's even possible for me to make a mistake.    :O  :shock:   The "human element."

If i was doing a televised show and had major corporate sponsors then i would have a staff of technical advisors and master craftmen to put on a TV worthy production.    There would be no false starts and mis-cues and retakes.    And they would still sing the best song versions.   And the production would be worth the money that i am getting paid.    Until all of the no nothing area KJs are reduced to ruins and the price of a decent show is actually paying what it's really worth, it's as good as it's going to get for now, except for maybe a sound system (new speakers) upgrade.   Even without doing anything, i'm way ahead of the pack.

I won't even list a song version that doesn't come close to the original version.  If they are that bad i won't let anyone sing them anyway.    They will never know that version is even in existance.   How many one version songs do you have?   They can't listen to another version if you only have one.    One song version makes it the best version i have.  :yes:  That eliminates a lot of work.

I have distinguished myself well beyond my competition.   They have to climb a big set of steps to enter my domain.     My show is about the singers and how well they sound.  My competitions shows are about them making some pocket change as fast and as cheap as possible.    You can tell by the sound and the lack of equipment and lack of work.

having the mulitple computers at the show does NOT indicate a loss to the manufacturer. They're not making MONEY at different locations, nor in use at different locations!  

I used to do the same thing with a 2nd cdg player. Someone wanted to hear the version of the song... I'd hook up my headphones to that output and let them listen to it to see if they knew it.

There's no difference.

WELL done Eric!