Karaoke Forums

I've been doing a gig on Wed and Fri at this place for almost two years now. Shows are pretty popular. I'd been bugging the owner for about a year to do another show on Saturday night, but she was committed to her pool tournament (which goes a little something like this - Tourney starts at 7:30. 10 to 15 people come in to play pool, about ½ drink pop or water. No money in the tables because the owner opens them up for leagues and tournaments. As the pool players are eliminated from the tournament, they leave. By 11, there are maybe five people left in the bar).

Her husband and his brother own the bar next door, or they did. It's just the brother now as husband thought the place was tanking so he got out. Brother makes some rennovations and really changes things up. He brings me in on Saturdays and the first show was the best night of his year. Each Saturday since has been great (We had Bubyfest '08 this Saturday - a bead party - 20 total racks counted, Cha!!!). Well, owner of my 'home' bar isn't happy that he's reaping all this success at the hands of HER karaoke host, so she approaches me and asks if I'll do Saturdays at the bar.

Yeah, no.

She's prone to this type of bullshxt!!!!!

Yeah, just because she contracted you, doesn't make you "hers". If you get a show next door, then so be it, she had her chance. Should tell yeah i'd do it but would need double my weeknight price....

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Sometimes good business sense goes out the window because of drama...especially family drama. When the brother made you the offer for Saturday nights, I might have gone to the owners of your existing gig one last time with, "I know we've been talking for some time about me doing a Saturday night show here. It looks like your brother is ready to hire me for that night at his place. So I wanted to give you the courtesy of letting you know in advance that I'm going to take him up on his offer...unless of course you'd like me to do a Saturday night show here."

She's been putting money in your pocket for 2 years twice a week. She still may not have decided to scrap her pool tournament, but I think out of courtesy I would have pre-emptively let her know to avoid any drama. If she and her brother are feuding, you don't want to be a casualty. You might well be bringing in good crowds, but she might well get someone else in there just for spite.

As for how to proceed now, do you have a contract with the brother? If not, I would go to him and let him know that his sister has expressed interest in you doing your Saturday night show at her place...that you enjoy working for him but would like a commitment from him for 6 months, 12 months, whatever. Once you have a contract, you can go to the sister and say, "I'd love to do Saturday nights here, but I have a contract with your brother and am commited there until [ date ]. After that time I'm happy to sit down and revisit that option with you.

Let us know what happens!

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If he is bringing in crowds on the weeknight for her, then she would be dumb to let him go for spite, the brother would just need to hire him for that night & being it's right next door, chances are the entire crowd would just 'follow the host' - even if she hired someone new, the established crowd is already built.
As far as Sat goes, I would not bother in all honesty, he gave her several chances & she refused. He has a business to run & if he needs to work on that Sat night & it happens to be next door, then she is now out of luck. As far as 6-12 months go, I wouldn't do this personally either especially if the gig is doing good.

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You are in an excellent position as no matter what her next move is you are o.k.

If she is crazy enough to let you go on the other two nights you can always move them next door.

If she presses the issue I would just politely say that you are committed to doing Saturdays next door, besides Her pool league takes priority over karaoke on Saturdays anyway right? I would say that you tried very hard to get her to do Saturday's and the pool league was way to lucrative for her to make the move at the time. You are a business person and needed additional income so when you got the offer you figured that her bases were covered by pool league etc.

Just tell her that if the subject of doing the other two nights comes up with the guy next door you will tell him that you are committed to doing karaoke on those nights with her. That's just the way it should work. Also if things change down the road, you would be willing to discuss it with her then. But for right now you need to keep your commitments.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I disagree about his bases being covered. I agree with the rest of what you said.

Just because Croakdog has a succesful show at the one bar on Wed and Fri nights, and now has a succesful show on Sat nights across the street, doesn't mean he's got nothing to worry about. Croakdog made some comment that at the original place, the owner is prone to various acts of BS. What's to stop her (the original bar owner) from deciding to hire another KJ to replace Croakdog at a cheaper rate (or even the same rate)? That doesn't automatically mean that the brother (from across the street) will hire him on those 2 additional nights now. He may be perfectly happy with having Karaoke just 1 night a week. As for the other place, if people there are already used to going to this place for Karaoke, it doesn't necessarily mean they will follow Croakdog to a new place (even if it's just across the street).

As a Singer, us Karaoke folk are a very unpredictable crowd.... Some of us are creatures of habit, where we will not go anywhere else (even 1 block away) (even if the Karaoke sucks at the place), and others will follow a KJ to the ends of the Earth. As a KJ, I've had people constantly ask me where and when I am doing my next show. Then, when I do tell them, they tell me that they'll be there. After all is said and done, I've been lucky to have 3 or 4 people (out of over 50) actually show up.


Bottom line is, if Croakdog works with the use of a contract, then he should be ok. If not, then he should just keep doing what he's doing at each show, and keep true to his respective commitments at each place. Hopefully, everything will work out ok for him.

I have to agree with you The unpredictable portion of this situation is the bar owner that has you 2 nights a week. She has a history of not making sound business decisions and should be considered a wild card. I doubt seriously if she is going to go out and find another karaoke host after 2 years of success, but you never know. At some point she needs to take responsibility for her indecision regarding Saturdays and realize that she had a hand in making her karaoke guy pick up another night at a neighboring bar.

Regardless the deal has been made and she must realize that he must honor his commitment. I think everything will work out ok.

Keep us posted.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

She's been putting money in my pockets for the last two years? True, but at the same time I've been her cash cow. So that statement is pointless.

Give her the opportunity? I'd been after her for 1+ years to do Saturday nights in her place. I told her I was going to do the Saturday gig in advance of doing my first gig. She said, no problem. It was only after she saw if was a success that she had a problem with it.

You have known this bar owner for 2 yrs, so you know her personality and how she ticks. I'd go with your instincts on how to handle her. You did your best to work for her on Saturdays and she passed it by. That's not your fault and I think you know that. It's just annoying she has to give you a hard time about it when she's had every opportunity to book you for Saturdays herself. It's in her hands now. If she wants you badly enough she'll pay you more. From what you said though it sounds like she's to cheap. So I'd just enjoy working for someone else on Saturdays.

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It wouldn't be a matter of money at this point, if I start working at a place & am comfortable with the pay, i'm not going to burn a bridge to go with a few more dollars - although some only see the dollars & figure it's a business and don't care about the possible reprocussions. Croak said she had her chance several times over & turned it down. Even let her know, he even admitted it wasn't until AFTER she saw how successful it was until she had the problem. I'm sorry, her loss IMO!

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

This all kind of relates to the thread on here recently about "bad" bar owners - and this is typical of the bar owner I referenced. She apparently has mixed loyalties and if she is so interested in having this pool league at the expense of a night that would truly increase her bottom line, one has to wonder about her business skills.

I go along with Lonman here - she had a chance to have a BIG Saturday night and chose NOT to. I would have done exactly as C/D has done. From what I understand, she won't be able to bring anyone else who has had the success there that C/D had (didn't she try recently?). I don't think C/D has to worry about his status in her bar.

k

Business is business. You need to run yours and I think you did the right thing. You gave her more than enough chances to hire you for the extra day and she refused. Now she regrets it because you are doing well over at her competitors.
It's called live and learn.
You made a great business decion for the health of your business.
She made a poor one.
That's life.
Her business's health should be important to you only insomuch as if she doesn't do well on the nights that you are there, neither will you. \after that, your business should ome first.
When it comes down to it, if you have to choose between her business and yours, as good as it's been for you for the last several years at her place, I'm willing to bet you would choose yours over hers.
And that's as it should be.
Good luck!