Karaoke Forums

Alot of bars in the area I live have karaoke, in fact 7 or 8 places within just a few miles.  There may be more even--with that many available I haven't had the need to do futher investigation.  

Some places add/drop karaoke hosts more often than others.  A place I used to go to before it changed ownership and theme seemed to have a new karaoke company every year.

Some places add/drop karaoke hosts more often than others.  A place I used to go to before it changed ownership and theme seemed to have a new karaoke company every year.

Nose around and find out why they can't keep KJs.  It could be useful info to hear the reasons.

I have only had one system from the beginning, because I don't trust anyone to take care of my equipment and do things the way I do them.  

If you put your name on it, it could be beneficial or a detriment.  It's hard to trust anyone today.

If I have a newbie that must be trained from scratch I generally pay them $10hr during training. I start out by having them assist with rotation basics, then watch and learn on mixing basics, then I will have them enter songs in computer, etc. for the first night. On the second night I'm riding side saddle and they are in the drivers seat. Depending on how fast they pick up on everything I may let them do their own thing for a while then relieve them so they can get a break every once in a while. But by the third night they should be able to run the show and only get me involved once or twice a night at this point they keep the tips too.  When I feel confident they can do the show by themselves I normally jump the pay to full scale plus tips.

Some may think the training pay is low but if they are worth keeping they will only be at substandard pay for a few nights and then they are at full scale. However if they don't pick the ball up and run with it, I will probably not continue to train them unless I think it's worth it. At that point it's "learn for free time"

I pay extremely well. I normally have the bar withhold taxes on my pay, so I pay the KJ's that work for me 1/2 of the net income after taxes + their Tips.  I have never had a KJ go into business and compete against me as they can work for me and not have the investment or the headaches. They have always respected the customers, the bar, and my equipment.

I screen all potential candidates and accept very few. It is still very hard for me to trust them with my business and equipment. I generally never hire someone I have not known for less than 1 year and seen them operate in social situations and karaoke bars as a patron.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

The thing is the ability to "mix" is something that has to be learned and it not something that just happens.  I've been doing this for going on 3 years now, I know hoststhat have no kidding been doing it 20 years.......and have ZERO idea of how to do it.  I'm (admittedly) just learning and at a slower rate, my plate is PACKED full.....There is a huge learning curve and it takes 'sweat, tears and failures' and most importantly 'time' to learn the ropes.  If I was working at it 5,6,7 days a week, yeah I'd be learning faster out of neccessity.  From what I've personally seen in my area, I still know more than manyof the hosts out there...and I'm just begining!  I'm a master of nothing, but I can do many a things very well!  MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
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I agree that it takes time to learn good mixing skills particularly if you are self taught. When I train a newbie I show them where most settings should be and what effects to use etc. Generally it's subtle changes in Highs and Lows, and volume from that point. I then allow them to experiment on their own and then see where they are a month down the road. Some of them get way off base and I have to work with them to re-adjust. I have a certain sound that I'm trying to produce and I work with them until they can reproduce it every time.

When I first started and had to teach myself it took lots of trial and error before I found the "Groove" so to speak.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

Oh, Dave...

Why don't you ask Ericlater, rather than A*S*S UME?

Always remember....." Mixing is not a science, it's an art"...

Thanks for all the great advice. I feel more comfortable now about the whole thing.
I can just hope I'll be a good teacher.  :D

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