Karaoke Forums

Hard general guidelines that you run by 95% of the time are cool. Yes there are exceptions for folks who *you* want to appreciate. Like the regular who is there with his family (and his party is half the folks in the bar) who has to be home by 11:00 because he's having brain surgery in the morning. No one in the place complained about him coming up a bit more frequently than normal.

It's all about playing to the audience. My only hard fast rule is cash doesn't move people up. Some excuses might get a bump but very rarely and sometimes you do it just to say thanks (the guy who helped me get setup when I was on crutches one night). We build loyalty an trust with our regulars and when it's reciprocal they appreciate it.

Most times I don't bump people as much as run late to ensure I get everyone in I want.

Yes.

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I like your hardnosed approach, it is my approach as well. I've heard almost every excuse and unless you go ask everyone else in the rotation and they say its ok with them then go back and sit down, drink your beer (or whatever), call me names to your friends and to the table next to you, heckle the next 2 singers and shut up! You aren't going to sing any sooner. And I don't care if your friends say you sound just like Tracy Chapman, your friends are drunk and tone deaf! (I'd never say that to them but I have thought about it)
The only exception is whan the bar owner/manager ask me to work one of their friends into the rotation. I work them in just like a new singer and when that happens it is later in the night when I am working my 3rd or 4th rotation. My regulars know my rotation and they are the ones that I really work for.

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

I was at a show where the KJ moved up a serviceman on leave from Iraq that had stepped into the bar. I doubt many singers would show up in fatigues just to get in early, but I don't know how desperate some of your crowds may be... I guess this could be called a situation where the KJ decided to appoint someone a "guest of honor" and modify the list.

The only time I will bump anyone is if they are in the bathroom period and they get pushed back to their original position once the bathroom person sings. Correction, I also will move someone up if the bartender can't get away to sing at their turn. Most shows I have done the Bartenders either sing while they have no drink requests coming in or wait until they get off on a break if they get one which was the case at the bar before the one I am working now did.

I completely agree with most everyone else. The rotation is set and won't change in most cases no matter how much you tip me. If someone's in the restroom when their turn comes up, I don't wait. I go to the next singer and continue on. As soon as they come out, they sing.

As far as tips go, they are only there to keep me up and runnng till 2 if folks want me to. Bar only pays me till 1:00. Every ten dollars in the jar is an extra 15 minutes to keep going.

Now, there is one way that I will bump someone though... Only if someone earlier in the rotation is willing to trade rotation positions for the remainder of the evening, AND the person giving up their earlier spot comes up to me and tells me himself that it's okay. That way, the singer who wants to sing sooner can do so, and it doesn't affect anyone else's wait time other than the person who traded with them. Now, if the Owner or manager makes a special request, I will announce it as such and comply with their wishes. So far no one has ever complained about this; plus it almost never happens anyway.

Pretty much everyone who commented stated "I dont change my rotation EXCEPT in the rare instance that..................."! You used the word except (the root word of exception) and say you dont.

The question is do you allow exceptions? And the answer is yes. Maybe not often but pretty much everyone said yes.

I won't lie about it. I try to be fair but I'm not strict. Its just not my personality. I run a loose fun show and go where it takes me for 4 hours. So long as my crowds having fun. Yeah I've turned down money, but do I allow exceptions, yeah sure I do.

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This reminds me of going to a bar in the little Washington town of Roslyn once. There was a sign behind the bar with a list of names on it of people who had been 86'd. But one name was crossed out. "Hmmm....," I thought, "Were they allowed back on good behavior?" So I asked the bartender. "Oh, that person died," she said. So, I guess that would be the only good excuse to bump someone in the rotation!

How funny, SD - I used to ride over to Roslyn with a big group on motorcycles and have lunch there occasionally. I also saw that sign but I didn't ask why the name was crossed off. I think I'll make a mock sign like that.

No bumping allowed!! Skipping someone for being the restroom and coming back to them is okay...and I clearly announce to the crowd that fact. *I also ask them if they washed their hands before they touch my mic's*

The bartenders/owner etc. stay in the line-up just like everyone else...BUT I encourage them to not sing once the bar gets busy. Not good business to take singing time away from paying customers! I don't sing past the first song on the vast majority of nights.

I had someone offer $100 for me to put him up next. Was it hard to turn him down...no, but I have to say I was tempted! BUT, the bottom line is....do I take $100 one night and tick off an entire bar full of regulars! When the place is pulling in $5000 (capacity is 150 ppl) and I get a bonus for every $1000 over $1200....ummm...not hard to make the decision to JUST SAY NO!!

It's sad though that ppl don't tip the KJ more often. I've heard over and over what a great job I do, how good the system sounds and how well I fine tune to make each singer sound the best they can...it'd be nice to get a tip in appreciation.

I tried putting out a tip jar but when it sits there with just my one dollar 'seed' in it all night long....sad situation...

Same thing on the appreciation tip jar, I think mine has dust on it. If you cant get tipped, I know I'm S.O.L. !

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Went to a karaoke bar last night and a couple of guys sat down next to me and they seemed pretty friendly. We talked a little bit and one of the guys sang twice and he was a pretty good singer. The rotation had about 12 people in it so the wait wasn't too long. About 10 minutes after singing his second song, the guy next to me went up and told the KJ that he had to leave soon and could she squeeze him in for another song before he had to leave. I guess the guy really had to leave because she called him up to the stage early..."because he had to leave to go to another bar" but he had already left with his buddy. I couldn't help but ask her why she would do such a thing and she said that it would be more likely that the guy would come back on another night if she "hooked him up" with another song. I explained to her that she might get him to come back for his 45 minute visit but she would lose me and my 5 hours of weekly business in the process. Why do some KJ's think that it's a good idea to do a "favor" for someone that is LEAVING YOUR BAR to go to another bar? I thought the idea was to get people to STAY at the bar that you are working at. What if all of the singers decided to leave so they could be "next"? You'd have a bar with NO singers. Someone please explain that logic to me?