Karaoke Forums

Hope I'm not overdoing this but we are new in the business and it sort of fascinates me to try and figure things out. We didn't get a chance to talk to the bar owner about our shift of genre but his old time barback felt that the increased cash flow would offset most worries on that level. He also said that in his opinion, if you advertise karaoke, you open it up to all types. This was encouraging as he is one of the "old cowboys."

I could see a bar owner having the right to limit genre and if he had enough patrons to support that then they could maintain their haven. But if the demographics switch and there aren't enough bikers to fill the seats, then economics might indicate a need for a shift. It would still be the owner's right to call but the karaoke host does have a bargaining chip as far as citing experience when it comes to filling seats.

In our case, it is seeming that the genre was self-perpetuating. People were picking old country songs to do because that is what every one else was singing. Then we came in with a few new songs that were included in the sets we bought and people started asking for more. Last night I said I was going to do a dreary cheating country song and there were audible groans! As it was, I did Amy Winehouse, 'You Know I'm No Good," and got high fived and hugged!!! Then someone did Nickelback and a guy actually left the pool table with his mouth open to come closer to listen. So something we didn't expect is going on here and as Matt pointed out--you can miss opportunities if you don't try new waters.

Last--I am having a fantasy that Shakira comes into Bab's bar and sings "Suerte" or "Moscas En La Casa" and the owner chucks her out. Talk about patron revolt....

there's a bit of internet trivia where a well known country singer came out and sang one of his songs at a karaoke venue, and the kj told him he was NO (whatever his name was)... the singer didn't even get upset... was just kinda amused by the surrealness of the situation!

Maybe I should go to Babs' gig, get up and sing PITBULL's KULO,(me-a fat middle aged white guy singing Latin hip-hop), get the dance floor packed(because that song ALWAYS does pack the dance floor) and then have the owner toss me out on MY KULO!!!!

Now THAT WOULD BE SUREAL!!

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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

Why is it bad business for an owner to not want profane or songs with swearing in their place? Again i've worked in a bar for 15 years now, 7 nights a week that made that request & we do not suffer in any means because of it. If a show needs these songs to survive, there is something wrong.


Again I wholeheartidly disagree. Karaoke can work fine without those songs & if these are the only songs that certain people are going to want to sing, then I say they can go down the street. I have yet to see one person leave because we don't have any songs with swear words listed in our book.

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Just to clarify I made an exception for profane/inappropriate language. Yes the venue has a right and in some cases a duty to prevent such language (such as a benefit I did at a highschool once).

Sure a bar can get by being a "country" or "rock" or "whatever" bar, but from my experience karaoke is different to some extent.

While everyone may have a favorite music genre, as well as a less favorite genres, in karaoke my experience is that most singers and people attending often appreciate well done singing outside of their favorite genre. Sure most people like hearing mostly their favorite genre, but many appreciate well done variety.

The situation may be different if the majority of the people in the bar are listeners and not singers. But in cases where the majority of the people attending are singers then the rule "the customer is always right" prevails. Singers tend to appreciate well done singing from other people as well even outside of their prefered style.

Singers also tend to tolerate it when someone does a bad job on a song so long as they are trying their best. This is something that non-karaoke singers may not understand.

I don't think I have ever seen a genre-limited show other than by what is in the book. And I haven't seen any books that are all country. If anything, it is the opposite -- I go places and they have very little country and whole bunches of other stuff.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

The room I'm in had live country bands 6 nights a week. So we might also well have Bon Jovi sung after Mel Tillis. It's part of the fun of singing at this venue which is "dive chic". When the room cancelled the Monday night bands to start a second karaoke night, that crowd wanted to sing much more country. I resigned the Monday night show last week and hopefully their new host, who is more of a singer himself, might be a better fit.Seems that owner may have been more put off by your "desperate or dependent" comment than perhaps reconsidering the music block or amending it to playing more fill music. I never forget who I'm working for and at the very least consider their suggestions to my show fairly without throwing a hissy.

In fact, if you promoted a "Midnight Dance Jam" and patrons knew about it in advance, singers might even get there earlier to si9ng earlier and spend more money. I don't think 30 minutes of music would make those singers still there at midnight leave. I play more Top 40 fill music after midnight and I often get patrons ask me to "let the whole song play" or request certain tunes for the 30-60 second fill.

What's wrong with being a team player? They may have gotten a whole new liate nightcrowd. Or, after 4 weeks if crowds were getting smaller, you could recommend they pull the plug. It's all about the register ring! That's what I'm there to make happen.

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[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

I think you can expect a little of everything.

A few singers will arrive earlier, planning to get their time in before the dance break, then leave. A few will step away from the main floor for a while, smoke or call friends, then return. A few will stay put and buy more drinks. A few will dance.

I think the overall effect will be to reduce the number of remaining singers, though. A shift in format is a natural point in the evening to re-evaluate how long you want to stay out.

20-30 mins of dancing once an evening is NOT UNREASONABLE. It makes for a nice 7th inning stretch. Probly the owner had been getting alot of requests from the CROWD(not the singers, but the crowd-remember theres more people at a place than just the singers) and was trying to be responsive to HIS CUSTOMERS. In any event your response to a reasonable request was rigid and unaccommodating. Sounds like you were ready to go anyway and were trying to give him a reason to let you go. So he did. The "Desparate" remark just comes off sounding arrogant. Seems it would have simply been easier to tell him upfront you wanted to make a change and give him your 2-week. You could have just played 30 mins of music and taken a nice 1/2 hour break from a busy evening. Wouldnt have changed your pay any.

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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

I had a custom I did at a long-running show in a very busy place - at about 10:30 or 11, sometimes later, I'd do the "Ten Buck Booty Call" - put on some real beat-heavy booty music and it was amazing the number of people who got up to dance to win that $10. (I'd choose someone who was maybe not involved in any way at all to do the judging - and nobody ever turned me down for that job!) It was what I called the 7th inning stretch. Those who were singing were happy to watch people dance for 4 minutes or so - especially the women who had had a chance to throw back a few drinks...and their male partners, who needed a chance to do some body rubbing on the dance floor.

For those who weren't singing, it gave them an opportunity to get up and shake it up a little. (Of course they also danced to the singers so they didn't sit for hours at a time). I kind of miss the booty call - I used to get out on the floor with the customers. BTW, good way to get them to buy another round or two. Nobody EVER complained because it happened fast - didn't announce it beforehand - at the appropriate time, when the singer finished, the music would start immediately, and it was louder than the normal transition music so everyone knew it was time to get up. (If a woman won, they'd wear the 'booty crown' for the rest of the night - could never get the men to wear the crown!)

First off, I would like to say that I never used those words when explaining that I was not desperate or dependent on that job. I did not throw a hissy fit. I explained to them that I had a lot of people there that were waiting to sing (over 15, which is already a 1 hour plus rotation), and new people were constantly arriving. These were people that were not regulars at this place, and they would not be there if it weren't for the Karaoke (thus, added business for the place on a night where their regulars would be there anyway). I also pointed out (from personal experience as a participant (not a host)) that these people would not come back if they had to sit there and wait for a chance to sing, and nobody was getting called up because of that 20 minute or so dance break (that's 4 or 5 songs that could have been sung).

What works for you does not work for me. It's that simple, and I choose to stick to my principles on how I run a Karaoke show (the rare ones that I do, when I am able to run one). I advertise myself as a KJ, and I clearly tell people that I am NOT equipped to DJ before I am hired. I run a show the way I would expect to enjoy one that I would attend as a singer.... no dance breaks.

Well Dan and the others that agree with him, I won't play dance music as long as there's people wanting to sing. Not one or a handful... but my shows almost ALWAYS had a huge line of people waiting to sing.

I've played a filler tune for a gal that basically signed up for it like a rotation song... and on occassion, had a couple of requests for special occassions. I'm not TOTALLY inflexible, it's just I know why they hired me in the first place.

To play Karaoke for those that hired me, and to those that pay to come into the bar to support it.

A dance break at 10:00 or so is different - you won't lose many singers because it's not too late in the evening. (And I see most KJs near me do a dance break around this point.)

I just think a midnight break would create a different dynamic. Knowing that you may resume singing at 10:30 is different, than knowing that at 12:30. Especially if it is a weeknight. A little bit of "sleepy eye" is creeping in... you ask youself: "Pack it in? Come back tomorrow?"

I've never been in that situation were I had singers waiting and the owner was insisting on music sets. Aaarg ! I'd have a problem with that. I guess the only thing I could do is have the patrons complain to the owner to get him to change his mind.

I'm not a DJ though. Everyone that hires me understands that ahead of time. If I end up in a venue that needs music sets to support the crowd I'd have to play preset music. If they want a KJ/DJ I won't take the job because I'm not set up for it. I've always been able to stay employed with karaoke only gigs, so it hasn't been a problem.

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The problem here is that we are not hired as DJs, who choose all of the music played, and can delete at will with no consequences. Our SINGERS choose their own songs. Would you want to go to a show if the Karaoke Host demanded to choose all of your songs?

My guess is no.

Will I create different sets of books for each and every venue that I work for? Would you?

Again, my guess is no.

If it's in my book, the singer can choose it, if I feel it's venue appropriate.

As fior deciding whether someone can sing or not: They ALL can, unless the owner wishes to ask the customer to leave. Why should I damage my reputation as a Karaoke Host, and MY company's standing, for one person's personal tastes? If they want a singer out of the rotation, THEY must remove them from the bar.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Of course not. I never said anything or implied anything like that. Yes our singers choose the songs, they choose from the book I provide them. There are over 13K individual titles to choose from. I may have about 600 songs that are not listed. These songs are not critical IMO.




Will I create a different set of book for each show, if it is called for yes I would & have. If a venue doesn't want swear word songs, then I create a book without those songs, if they don't care then they get the full list book. Again I worked a place long ago that wanted nothing but country oriented songs, again special book for that venue. That is part of the service the I provide, I work with the club, they hired entertainment. I will run my show in accordance to my rules, but as far as what kind of music is played in THEIR club, is up to them to tell me & I will comply. If people question me as to why I don't have particular songs, I direct it back to the management to answer.



Yep if it's in my book at the venue they are at, then they can sing it. If it isn't in the book, then it isn't an issue.
Again, maybe that's why i've had 15 years at the club I work, because other companies won't comply with the song restriction. I would complain if we weren't getting crowds, but our crowds are just fine, averaging 20 singers on weeknights, 30-40 on weekends - age group 21-mid 30's so obviously it isn't much of an issue. We provide great sound, large selections, crowds that are supportive. F-Bomb songs are not needed!

As fior deciding whether someone can sing or not: They ALL can, unless the owner wishes to ask the customer to leave. Why should I damage my reputation as a Karaoke Host, and MY company's standing, for one person's personal tastes? If they want a singer out of the rotation, THEY must remove them from the bar.[/quote]

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I will play a dance break if it is early enough, usually not the case, or if I have zero singers waiting to sing, again usually not the case. I recently got asked to allot the last hour to Dj dance music and cut karaoke off at that time which I did not oppose since I didn't have singers anyway that night.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

In my area, Karaoke shows usually start from 10 PM to 2 AM on any night of the week. There are very few early shows that I know of (shows that might start at 6 or 7 PM).

Here's really the bottom line of it:
The venue owner DOES have the right to dictate what is played in HIS bar. HE owns it. It's his.

I, as a Karaoke host, also have the right to choose not to work there if his choice doesn't jive with mine.
Simple.
Do what the owner wants or go home.

The problem is that you as KJ is that you will be the one telling the singer.

"No the bar does not let you sing that song. "


Sure It is within the owners right to do that, but I do not want to be the one telling people "NO".

I would not take such a karaoke gig.