Karaoke Forums

Ask Ericlater....

I have been helping him since before he was a KJ!

It's good to know someone has my back, and I can have his. I am not threatened by him at all. Not because he isn't good, but because I trust him. I have learned from him, and I am sure he has learned from me.

I learned from someone else. I was shocked when he suggested I go off on my own I was shocked. I asked if he was worried about me being competition, and he said no, because we were different. That set the bar for me.

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

I also help some KJs, but at times we have been trying to get the same jobs.  

I'm not helping every KJ that comes down the street.    There are too many now and it's driving down the rate for us all.

What happens to every town Walmart sets up shop in?    Are they helping the Ma & Pa stores to stay in business?  Do they tell them tips and offer them competative pricing to keep them in business?   NO.  The faster they die the more profit for them.    This is America, like it or not and that means free enterprise and it means the strongest survive and the ill prepared or cheap or lazy go under.    I can't save the world and the world isn't worried about me.

I am in business and i am where i am because of hard work and learning from big mistakes and spending lots of money.   The cheap KJs want to take that from me by taking short cuts and under spending and not being as professional and passionate about karaoke.   I will not help them to do it.

Ask Ericlater....  Birds of a feather...

First of all [hr]Bigdog[hr], what the hell is that supposed to mean?



Second of all, if you did a little bit of research, there is a funny thing called a bounceback effect. After a Walmart enters a small town, yes, a lot of small businesses go out of business initially. However, people eventualy, 6 months to 18 months later, start migrating back to the surviving stores. WHY? They missed the HIGHER QUALITY merchandise. They wanted the BETTER service. Stores that were able to weather the storm and could truely provide those things were more profitable than ever 2-3 years after Walmart came in.

You have been on these boards in one incarnation or another for many years now. The fact you are still complaining about the very same things you were when I dropped off a year ago tells me that like the stores that DIDN'T make it, either you were ILL PREPARED for the storm, or you CAN'T provide the SERVICE....

Which is it?

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

since you won't admit to us where you are at, this is all a blah blah blah right now.

And I don't tell ALL the kjs... funny how you drop the subject when you're talking the presidential candidates, and now it's ALL the KJS in a saturated market.

I came from a very saturated market. Never met Flipper, but he was in my area. I thrived in what I did and had a fairly good reputation, or so I'm told. Swingcat was also up there... no I've been doing this online and in person a long time, and have yet to have had a gig stolen from me! People HAVE tried... but my venue backed me up.

Matt ALWAYS ran a straight up and straight ahead show. No cutting corners, no playing favorites, strong solid song selection, clean books, and was an early adopter of puter-based karaoke system. His gig was in a small neighborhood biker bar--kinda run-down place, but ALWAYS had a loyal regular crowd filling up the place. I always enjoyed going there. One of my more favorite places to go hang out when he was performing. Wish he was still there. They STILL havent successfully replaced him---after 2 years is it??

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

it is now... my last gig was March of 2006

Well now, isn't this an entertaining thread.  

I have helped some very close friends and KJ acquaintances with many karaoke related things.   But do you want to help the next 20-30 in the area to become as good as you.   I'm not talking about screwing your best friend or vice versa.   Or ignoring them or not helping them.   What about the the rest?  Do you run a home for every wayward KJ that comes into town?    Where do you draw the line on how many of your replacements you want to train?     Don't give me the stupid, well i never lost a job thing.  There are exceptions to everything said on here.   It's a small percentage.   Not the norm.    When you have 10-15 undercutting KJs creeping around following your every move trying to take your jobs then you will be able to relate.   Don't chime in with fairytale once in a lifetime examples.     I have been undercut by cheap know nothing KJs.    Because of stupid unknowing bar owners trying to save a dollar.   Not because i didn't have a crowd, because they think KJs are a dime a dozen (most of them are) and $25 dollars saved on a cheap KJ is $25 profit.

admit it you have no freakin idea

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Morgan, i love you  :hug:  but you talk as if you have no competition.   Never lost a job to an undercutter?    Never had a bar owner blame you for no crowd and it was clearly not your fault?    Never been replaced so the bar owner could "Save" some money with a cheaper KJ?

Your thing under your name says singer group.  Are you a KJ or a singer or both?  


Signed, Freakin' Clueless in Seattle

FAIRYTALE? dude, I was in business for 11 years doing this, and I'm restarting now in my new area. Acrtually my old hometown. I hang out with an entire karaoke group of several companies, and the only one to lose a gig around here to a pirate was a pirate herself!

We watch our backs and support each others shows.

I happen to think of half of the kjs on that group as well meaning, but fairly average folks... what sets their shows apart is how they do their rotations, mix music, etc...

Once in a lifetime? For someone that refuses to disclose their location, you're a JOKE when you try to give sage advice!

I spent 10 years in radio, all ratings driven. yet I left for personal reasons not cos my public didnt like me. I have kj'ed but know that I am not right for the job...every time someone hits a bum note it shows on my face...I wince...not a good look for a kj. I am a singer, it is my recreation and I am fortunate to get paid for it.

As far as whether I have seen hard times and lost to a competitor, try training racehorses for a living and then you will understand what a cuthroat world it can be. SW you simply need to take the blinkers off darlin...the world is one big competition. I have found in the years that I have lived... and I am probably older than you...that I can compete without losing sight of fair play and without losing my femininity.

So it wouldnt matter what the occupation or the competition,  would never lose my sense of the above.

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

One thing stood out on on of your posts Melrose - and I'd like to hear more about it because it's something that we throw down over in this 'community' all the time.  It was the part about investigations being conducted on computer users.  Is that true, and where did you get that information?  Lots of KJs use computers, and we debate this topic regularly.  Please share what you know.

And yet you don't even have a group, so are you a KJ or a singer or neither?

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

You want to keep talking about your personal KJ friends.   I have personal KJ friends and we refer each other and help each other.

I'm talking about the pirates and cut throats that are all over the place.  Are you bringing them in for dinner and how tos?   Telling them how to replace you?

Get some more time in.  Let me know when you have 15 1/2 years at it.

18 years in the karaoke industry here over 25 in the music industry sound engineer, recording engineer, musician!!!!  14 in my own company, been working at the same place almost 16 years for 7 nights.  
I work with several companies.  Not talking about the fly by nighters that don't give a care about being legal or have great sound, I will help ANYONE that wants to learn - all they have to do is ask, if I didn't I wouldn't be on these forums.  
I have talked a couple of companies into realizing their library was illegal, they thought because it was purchased (over ebay) that they were fine.  They now have a complete set of discs that they can backup what they have in their computers.  I have given MANY refferals out to other companies that I have worked with as well.  Some of these companies I were helping out because they were new.  My FIRST gig came to me in exactly the same way, a company called me and asked if I wanted a one night gig, I took it.  They called me a couple weeks later & asked if I wanted a steady gig they couldn't do at the time, so I took it.  This one actually turned into a 2 nighter.  They didn't know me, but encouraged me & helped me & I will offer to do the same with any company.  Only companies that have to worry about being replaced wouldn't want to help anyone IMO!  Pretty saturated market here as well.

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

Are you helping the illegal KJS that are not interested in becoming legal?


There is a difference.   They will try to take every job you have and with an attractive price, there are many stupid bar owners that will replace you.

WHY is there such a misconception that legal-kjs charge enough or even the going-rate .....or that pirates charge less and undercut?

If i were an illegal pirate kj, BUT I'm NOT, let's make THAT clear, would i not be inclined to maximize profits and, unless absolutely necessary, undercut another kj to get a show?

Pirates are not necessarily undercutters. i'm sure a lot of them get jobs without stealing another show or having to give a ridiculous rate. Just because they may be thieves doesn't mean they're stupid- just hurtful and selfish.

But if they know how much kjs make in general, what would stop them from charging what we do? I think pirates hurt our industry, yes, but some more than others. I think the undercutting hurts it more than pirating music, although SC wouldn't think so and would give me a ton of crap for even thinking that.- a few here also. Yes they are related undercutting/stealing, but no in every case in my opinion.

But i know it doesn't warrant thanking some pirates for keeping our kj rates up!  LMAO

okay....i need a nap now.      J.R.

No THERE is the difference.  They can try to take my show.  I've said before, the manager & owner refer all karaoke companies that want to replace karaoke in the bar - to me!  They know what they have, and if the club wants to replace me, then so beit, it's a cost of doing business & i'm pretty sure I could get another club that same night.  I have other clubs try to lure me to theirs at least a few times a month.  I am loyal to the club I work because we have a mutual respect for each other.  
But yes, again I will help anyone who asks!  If they are illegal, I will try to convince them to become legal & show them the ramifications of what could be.  Now if they are asking for help in the way of learning where to get free downloads or where they can trade libraries, then it's hit the road.  But if they are learning to become a better kj & learn more about their equipment & how to run a fair rotation & better people skills, etc, then yes, I will help!

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

You know, I always laugh at the notion of pirates as undercutters....

Think of this scenario...

Spend less on the library to be able to spend more on the peripheral equipment such as amp, speakers, and computer?

Then turn around and charge MORE! Wouldn't that be his worst fear? I know I would be more worried about that than an undercutter. Around here, karaoke has gone through a tough time. We had slim pickings of hosts, then a glut, and now we seem to have a good number. In the end, business corrects itself. $25 & a bartab KJ's don't last.

I still stick to my theory that if you are good, and keep to a high road without becoming high and mighty, you will succeed in the long run.

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!