Karaoke Forums

The only flashdrive I allow in my computer is my own. It is usually the way I add new songs to my external drive so I don't have to hook it up to my home computer everytime I add songs.

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

YUP! I used to bring in a whole usb enclosure drive, but the jump drives got large enough where I could do that!

I'm not afraid of any singer trying to intentionaly trying to damage a show by putting a virus on a usb/SD card. What I am more afraid of is where they downloaded it from... There is enough pirated music out there on the net, who knows what could be added to the download. Thats why I prefer to have a cd+g player with a usb/sd card reader on it.

I don't appreciate whiners and complainers. I'll show them the door myself. Someone doesn't like the format of a show they have the option of changing the channel (leaving). As a society we have become so arrogant and suffer from a host of entitlement issues.

The owner and KJ/DJ have an arrangement. When the arrangement isn't working for one side or the other, things will change. How dare anyone complain to the owner because the format doesn't fit their idea of how it should be done. It would be one thing if people would let the owner know when the KJ/DJ does a good job, but generally people only complain and that's unfair to KJ's and DJ's everywhere. As a host, I don't feel compelled to cater to everyone. If I get wind of someone complaining, I'll axe them myself. Screw 'em. I don't go into another host's gig and start shxt. And any that come in to my shows and start crap, I immediately chalk it up to dirty business practices.

I have a venue and I pack 'em in. I do my best to be fair, but I'm human and sometimes I've mishandled slips and shafted someone. It happens (but not too often). If the mood calls for a couple of dance tracks at any given time, I'm going to spin 'em. Somebody waiting to sing doesn't like it, they're in the wrong place. Non signers outnumber singers 10-1 or better many nights. Why are they any less important to the bottom line? Sorry cutie, I can't play you a song 'cause you don't count. Nice business philosophy. Friday, my owner had a birthday party for some of her coworkers (she works at UPS during the day). We rocked the place. At one point I asked her if she was having fun, and all she could say was 'Wow'. I play my music too loud for some people. I cuss too much for some people. But 98.6% of my crowd is dancing, singing, drinking and having a ball. Where is there room for a whiner??? Go home and sing some karaoke on MySpace or something.

Some owners feel it necessary to communicate every complaint they receive and feel things should be changed because of them. I've told one to kiss my xss because he couldn't get it through his head that just because someone complains it doesn't mean anything is wrong. Sometimes people are going to get screwed. If they let me know, I'll make it right. If they take it over my head, they're gonna get screwed even harder. Plain and simple.

Be nice to people an encourage others to do the same!!!!!!! You don't like a show, don't go! But leave it at that unless the host is doing something wrong (like drugs, or pirating or something). Damn!

Croak is right on! Especially about catering to the WHOLE CROWD(who often outnumbers singers 10-1 and the cutie wanting a song played. Sounds like his place is PARTY CENTRAL.

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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 can see why Croak only has a 10% ratio of singers to other patrons. I as a singer, would avoid his show at all costs.

Brucefanforlife ...

Did I mention I still push through the requisite 50+ songs a night in my rotations? And that often I'm having to toss a bunch at show's end? And that I start my shows 20-30 minutes early and stay 30-45 minutes late on my own dime, perhaps as an unconscious act of compensation? You can't see shxt from your keyboard! It's a privelege to sing at my shows, not a right. That's rule #1. My singers are outnumbered because I throw parties, not singfests. Karoake just happens to be the dominant element. If all a bar served was whiskey, think everyone would stick around, or would they find a place that served something they liked to drink? Did I not just read that many places are resorting to trivia and Wii? If karaoke is the end all, why is this? I listen to the vibe and respond accordingly. People respond by coming back, in droves. People come back because they have fun minus the tension, drama and whining. Maybe I should change the formula so I could enjoy some success. Better yet, maybe I should consult the horde of KJs that have come and gone in town in the 2-3 years I've been cemented.

There's nothing worse than going to a karaoke show with a scattering of tables at which are seated a bunch of karaoke zealots staring at the KJ, tapping their fingers, and constantly coming up wondering when, where and how come ... half of them drinking water and Pepsi. You're probably the same one that sat in the backseat on the family trips asking repeatedly, "Are we there yet?".

Me and mine want to thank you for choosing other venues to patronize (both meanings of the word apply).

Here's a YouTube rendered video (quality sucks) of clips from recent shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHxC5vHI1eE

I gig in a small hick bar. Do these people look like they're suffering?

If you install commercial software, you have too. They have often been corrupted with trojans.

If you are using a low-profile program like MTU Hoster or CompuHost, the chance that someone has written a virus or trojan targeting it is probably *less* than that aforesaid commercial software trojan.

(If you use Sax N Dotty's or some other program that needs Winamp, all that changes, of course. Winamp will frequently be a target.)

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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.

If it works for you, Croak, don't change. Maybe some shows are resorting to trivia and wii games because the singers have decided to avoid those shows because they play too much dance music in between singers so the singers found REAL KARAOKE shows to go to. I go to plenty of very busy shows that are strictly karaoke from start to finish. That is my choice. I go to karaoke bars to sing and to hear other people sing. If I wanted to dance or watch people dance, I would go to a dance club. I would NOT go to a dance club and expect the DJ to let me sing a song every hour.

All well and good BFFL.

"Catering to the whole crowd" is one approach. If you do it well, I am sure it works. But in our area, the spin some, sing some approach ends up killing shows.

If you lose your singers, your non-singers disappear, too. Bars have karaoke because they don't want to be dead when someone arrives. If a bar is dead, and especially if it gets the rep of frequently being dead, it is a very bad thing.

Singers provide the loyal crowd that is always going to be there as a seed. If you are in the type of place that is going to be crowded no matter what, you can probably get away with doing whatever your heart desires. But we don't have a single long-running DJ/karaoke show in our area. Zero.

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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.

Talk about ARROGANCE.... "Hello Pot..."

Who's changing the channel on whom????????? When I go out to a KARAOKE Show, I expect it to be a KARAOKE Show (for the time advertised), not a mix of DJ-ing and KJ-ing... ESPECIALLY when I have traveled a good distance to go to a specific show. If the show is advertised as a combination, or if the person lists themselves as a KJ/DJ, that's a totally different story, and I know what to expect.

If that's being arrogant, then fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that's why I love this forum, so much love for and judgment of each other.

Rural, small towns are a horse of a different color - those of you in urban areas with many places within 15 minutes of driving are dealing with an entirely different, mobile crowd.

Very interesting statement coming from one so combative....

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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 sign on the door reads "Karaoke Night", It doesn't say "KARAOKE ONLY NIGHT"
but some do say ..KARAOKE /DANCE NIGHT.

It's simple ......YOU GO IN !..if you like the format , the KJ, their selections and equipment YOU STAY.......IF not , try try again until you are satisfied. As a KJ I don't mind ..I'll do my best to keep both singer and non singer happy. Every Every Every DID I SAY EVERY venue and town and kj is DIFFERENT. SINGERS DANCER AND WATCHERS GO WHERE THEY ARE HAPPY ....just the facts.

For once, I'm in complete agreement with you mcky!

When you start out the statement with "I don't appreciate whiners and complainers" and then when someone calls you on it, you talk about judgement!

You may not like the fingertappers... but when you get 50 singers in a given night, and I get 60-65... and not starting early or staying later... it's because in my opinion, you're catering to everyone.

My show is for karaoke. If you want something else, go elsewhere.

What ticks me off is when these shows "cater" to the whole crowd, and claim to be a karaoke show. It's not! It's more of a general variety show!

There are different types of "karaoke shows" some KJ's have a very succesful show when they MIX IT UP. Let's be honest.... 60-65 singers ? .... In a 4 hour show you couldn't get 60 songs to play. There comes a point in everyones career when their show and venue become TOO SUCCESFUL ......singers are whiners and complainers and if the rotation weight is 90 minutes and they get to sing 1 song a night ....is that a GOOD SHOW ???

Perhaps the only time I post on here is when I'm looking for a good fight (or maybe it's when I read something so ridiculous that I can't hold my tongue), so thanks for the compliment mcky57 and kudos for winning over knightshow. Cueball ... nevermind. And a sincere thanks to Karen and Jam.

I don't remember ever saying the my show was KJ/DJ. I've always billed myself as a Karaoke and Dance Party. Not a karaoke show. Most of the people you see dancing in the aforeposted video are dancing to someone singing. I play a DJ set before and after (on my dime) and generally only slip in a couple of well placed DJ songs in any given night (and usually only when there are 10+ hotties getting jiggy). So phooey on all you poo pooers.

I don't like whiners and complainers. I don't like fingertappers or murderers or brussel sprouts or people that fart alot or George W. or closeminded people (which there seem to be a few of on this forum).

No, I don't condone complaining to an owner because you didn't like the show. You bring a birthday party into a place you don't know and expect it to cater to your tastes, that's on you. Do some recon or go some place where you know what to expect. To complain to the owner or make a scene is selfish. I don't complain everytime I order a burger without pickles and I get pickles. I expect a certain percentage of my burgers to come with pickles given the talent that's hired to construct them. With all the 'hacks' we talk about on here saturating our market, wouldn't you expect some to be lame? Now if I spend $25 for stuffed halibut and it comes ala carte, I'm going to say something. It was advertised as such and for $25 it should come as billed.

There's not a show in town over the last year+ that hasn't borrowed elements of my show. From the lights and fog, to the format, and mic antics, etc. etc. Recognizing this isn't arrogance it's reailty. I'm an original, I've demonstrated I can adapt and survive. I've got a guy north of me that advertises so falsley it makes me sick. He advertises shows he doesn't even do anymore. He makes his shows out to be the best in the land, but can't draw 20 people let alone 20 singers. Try driving 30 miles out of your way to find that out. That's what burns me. People know what to expect from my shows. I don't hide anything. I compete with seven other bars in a three block radius. If I wasn't doing something right I'd have fallen by the wayside like all the others (there's only two other places that still have a DJ and/or KJ). If I catered to the whiners and complainers and finger tappers, I'd be allowing elements of stress, tension, and drama that don't fit. I was here before the entertainment explosion happened in my town over the last couple of years and am even stronger today. I've enjoyed my success because I've always been about the people. That's why I start early and stay late. I run right up to the point where the tenders are kicking people out the door, not closing down at 1 sharp and contemplating asking for a raise because I stayed a little longer. It's about the people, people and just cause I don't like whiners, complainers or people who say they wouldn't touch my show with a ten foot pole (without ever experiencing one), doesn't make mine any less relevant that any other successful show ... Mr. 65 singersman. Jimeny Crickets!!!

WoW! Did this thread ever go off topic!