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I went to a show tonight. the trip was planned for some time, before I knew I was going back to my old venue. This is the girl I will be in direct competition with (again).
I've known her for years, but have never attended one of her shows, and personally, I like her and always have.
I brought both my discs and a USB drive with the songs on it as I knew she was computerized but wasn't sure if she could play my discs. Turns out it was easier to us the USB drive and she didn't copy them to her hard drive (I was a little worried about that.)
I would have used her book and her songs, but she had several versions of each song listed, but nothing to indicate which manu it was. Now I'm no diva, but I would like to know wheteher I'm going to be singing to a crappy DK version with that annoying flute thingy or a Sound Choice version, or whatever. Lonman is right. Listing several versions of songs with no indication as to manu is pointless. I quickly closed her book and resolved to use my own songs. What a shame.
The next thing that happened rather surprised me and gave me an clue as to why the bar was not very busy. It was the way she ran her "rotation".
It was completely at random. One guy was called up twice before I got to sing my first song, as was another girl. The same thing happened next "round". Then she decided to get a bunch of duets up. Guess what? Same couple of people who already sang twice before I got to sing once. So now they are singing THREE times before I get to do my next song.
If I was a regular singer, I wouldn't bother to go back. As it is, I will be working, but even if I wasn't, I wouldn't bother going back.
I am disappointed because I drove a half hour to get there and it was the only place in town with karaoke, so I was "stuck" with it, or going home, having completely wasted my time.

Clearly, she was FULLY AWARE of who you were and what she was doing. She did this ON PURPOSE because you ARE a competitor.

Myself I would have simply packed up my things and told her thanks for nothing and left.

Obviously she had no intention of getting you into a "NORMAL" rotation.

Thats happened to me a couple times and after the second round Im right up there asking directly where I am in the rotation.

If it happens again then I leave and let that KJ know in no uncertain terms. Not rudely but directly so they have an EMBARRASSED and uncomfortable look on thier face.

I would also specifically mention driving 1/2 hour and making a special effort to come to thier show and not getting a chance to sing while others sing multiple times and that it seems plainly unfair.

You may also have wanted to point it out to the bartender as you settled up your tab on the way out. And that you probly wont be bringing any return business to the place. Specifically mention that you AND YOUR GROUP made a special effort to come to thier bar from over a 1/2 hour away, spent X amount of $$ on the tab and paid out X amount of $$ on tips. And hoped to really enjoy the evening and return sometime again in the future with the group. But because of the DJ's BEHAVIOR you WONT BE RETURNING AGAIN. Better yet ask to speak with the owner if hes there. Pull him over to the side away from other people seeing. Do NOT ACCEPT his attempt to make it up to you. Just leave after letting him know your dissapointment and intention not to return with more substantial business. Better yet have this conversation with your entire GROUP infront of him so he knows its not just you whinining.Speak quietly. Dont be SNARKY in tone. BUt be VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DOWNCAST in tone. Make it CLEAR that his place has FAILED YOU, DISAPPOINTED YOU AND REALLY LET YOU DOWN(as you had heard it was a really fun place and the KJ was really fun, etc, etc).

Then he WILL be motivated to extract a pound of flesh from the KJ.

When you point out how it hits em in the pocketbook then they will listen.

You can always call up and ask to speak to the owner on the phone, not to complain but to explain what happened to YOUR PARTY(along with all of the above along with the specifics).

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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

Here's something. I know a KJ that puts a person up ahead of everyone else for money. I was sitting at the bar right across where the KJ sets up. This was before the show started. Well, I overheard the conversation and I WAS HOT!!!
I couldn't believe what I had heard. The customer gave the KJ two 20 dollar bills. There were 2 b-day partys that night. One of the partys was there before the customer in question's party was. That customer should not have been so stupid as to do that. I was so upset, but kept my mouth shut, I just left.

Oh, another thing. That KJ is still at that place just because he brings people in. The owner knows he's not fare but just as long as money is brought in is why she keeps him there, which is actually good for the owner.

Well again call up the owner explain what happened and make her clear about how this is now going to COST FUTURE MONEY. And wonder how many other people this happens to and how much business it actually is COSTING becuase of people leaving, not returning that they never hear about.

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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

That KJ played there Sat. and Sun. with the same people coming in both nights. The owner cut him down to just Sat. nights and tryed me for a while and liked me and I brought in quite a few people. Well whatever kind of stuff went around, since I was also bringing in some of the other KJ's people, my Sun. show was cancelled and the place is now closed on Sun. nights.

Actually, she didn't know I was her competitor at one time. She had no idea that I until I left that I was also a host. I made it a point not to tell her. Also, they don't yet know that I'm starting next week again, as it's not being announced to the general public until sometime today. There was absolutely no way she treated me that way because I am also a KJ. I noticed she treated several other people the same way and there were approximately 3 people she favoured. Apparently, from one of my regulars who was there with me, this is her normal way of running her show. He has attended her shows in the past and since I have not had my show running in that town. He says that's why he won't go to her shows anymore. He also said that she definitely favours people who "do things for her". I noticed that the place kept a constant number of about 20 to 25 people, but that the turnover rate of customers was high. In other words, 2 or 3 people would leave (probably got tired of waiting to sing) and then 2 or 3 others would come in and take their place.
She couldn't hold a crowd and I suspect it's the way she runs her show.
If che was treating people fairly, she could have had the place packed with close to 60 people or more easily.
I also forgot to mention, that besides grouping the duets altogether (of which she sang in 3 out of 4) instead of putting them up as a person's regular turn, she also had a "Disney moment" in which she grouped a bunch of Disney songs together and 4 of her friends (and herself) all sang Disney songs. She did not announce that there was a "special set" coming up or anything, just gave her and her friends an extra turn because of it.
Noteably, she didn't do a Johnny Cash set for myself and 2 others. She just put them up as a "regular" turn (whatever that may have been in her mind).
I also took note of the occupancy of my venue, both when we arrived and again when we left. You can drive by and see clearly inside. Dead, as I have been told it has been since I left.
That will begin to change next week.

You can get a virus from a usb jump drive to computer and computer to jump drive. I won't use someone's jump drive....much safer to have a cdg player ready to go...

Isn't that REALLY the name of the game ? Running a fair rotation is not important to the OWNER as long as it's not detrimental to HIS business ... Normaly a unfair rotation would be DEATH to any karaoke show..but I guess in certain venues with a high volume of people ...maybe not ???

I usually don't mention I'm a KJ when I go to other people's shows. I don't feel the need unless we start up a lengthy conversation. I'm there to be one of the singers and just have a good time.

Playing favorites is a great way to lose singers. Some KJs have no idea that they are sabotaging themselves by doing so.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I feel fortunate to be friends with several KJ's in my area. I have gone out to shows and we talk and laugh about stuff, and they run a fair rotation, and know who I am. Usually always a good time, they give me kudos while introducing me, as I do the same when they attend my show. The times I do attend a show where the KJ doesn't know me usually someone in the crowd knows me, and tells them who I am. Kinda my own little rockstar moment.

The KJ's in my area know who we are how long myself andf my better half have been around also. I just don't think it's right for a customer to put up a bribe to a KJ just to get ahead in the rotation.

For a few bucks, or even a fiver, I'd agree.

But when some fool has to sing badly enough to wave a fifty or a hundred dollar note, I don't blame the KJ for taking it. There are only a few bigshots around and after getting a song or two in, they will move on.

Maybe I don't take karaoke too seriously. I just figure it's payback for all the nontippers.

Thank you for that post. I have been reading many about USB use, and couldn't believe it.

I won't even allow a USB near the port of my CD+G player ( except for my own backup stick- the reason I have a player with a port in the first place).

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

You can't get a virus if you don't have autoplay on. And if you do, you have a death wish.

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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.

not true. some virii are embedded in audio and video files. You double-click it, it'll nail you.

Only if you use Windows Media Player, or an old version of Winamp vulnerable to the virus. If you play it with a karaoke program like MTU Hoster or Compuhost, nope.

Viruses can't jump out and get you. You have to give them the vector.

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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.

mckyj57 is right. However if somebody has gone to the trouble to put a virus on a flash drive what is its purpose?

I'm using an OS that has been stripped of all the background services. It is not connected to the internet and not used for email. There is no personal info on it.

My Os is on a partition about 7-8 gig. If I did get a virus I would hook up the laptop, do the rest of the show and reinstall later on the mainframe. Even in a large city if somebody infected a karaoke system I envision the word being spread like wildfire.

Although it was on friends systems I have hooked a laptop into a spare channel on their mixer (even a Mackie 808S) and gave them full access to my library. People who have run my system would even give the KJ a few breaks and break up the monotony of one KJ'S show.

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If you play a file from the drive, you have given a potential virus/trojan a path.
I can't imagine why anyone would create a virus(except for companies selling anti-virus software...) as to why someone handing you a usb drive with one on it?...accidentaly in the vast majority of cases......you could take the trouble to scan it with an recently updated anti-virus/anti-spyware program......

We're not really talking about someone actually intentionally putting a virus on a flash drive, but worse, a file that's been corrupted BECAUSE of a virus.

Like you, I run a stripped down pc, so I won't accept flash drives.