Karaoke Forums

Our venue runs about 4 men to every woman and few of those women aren't taken. Aside from Ladies Nights has anyone out there had much luck in attracting women? I know a themes topic was recently discussed and maybe one of them works better than another for the ladies-er, at least females? Do Ladies Nights work in the long run? I would guess you'd have to do it for more than "This week only."

I looked around our venue last night and commented on how few women there were in the place and a few of the irregular regulars said that's exactly why they often leave us to go hunting elsewhere--although they haven't found any better pickings in the 30 to 50 age group.

The atmosphere of this place is very male oriented with bras hanging from the ceiling and dead animal heads and beer chick posters plastered all over. I doubt if that will change because these things have taken on sacred artifact status--ie, 40 years of dust.

Is there hope?

Hey LL - I have noticed this phenomenon as well - used to be (12 or so years ago) that it was predominantly women who sang. Now it is the other way around. Yours could be a venue-specific issue but it should draw a certain segment of the female population (those who love the guys described in "A Country Boy Can Survive" ). Not sure what to suggest except to snoop around and see where the females are going to sing ... and offer them something more and better? Interesting turn in things.

Well gentlemen, I am sorry (not!) to say that my venue at the Seahorse has the opposite "problem".

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... D=16031514

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... D=16031509

And to be honest, I couldn't tell you why... but I'm darn please with it!!

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

It is very simple gals go to places where they can dance and there are clean cut guys that ask them to dance. Change your format to a KJ"DJ format and play slow fill dance music. OH gawd here come the karaoke nuts arguments again.

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I must admit, playing some "cupid shuffle", "low", "The way I are", etc gets the booty shakin' happnin.

Good times! (Even howing good times )

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

leopard lizard:
First, I must say that you (like me) have seen way too many old Si-Fi movies by the title of this thread.

Second, the reason that you don't have good looking single women at your bar is probably that the good looking single women in the area know that if they go into your venue that they will be hit on by nasty looking old guys with no money. Who wants that? I would suggest therefore an "All Female" lady's night and for goodness sake let them dance. Once they get to associate the place with having a good time they may be more inclined to put up with the nasty old men with no money and come in despite them on regular karaoke nights.

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Okay, who took my pants?

Wow, I guess I didn't make myself clear on this - these people that come to my shows don't come to dance, they come to SING! I can read the crowd and occasionally identify a dance trend but LL is quite correct - the number of serious female singers isn't what it used to be - probably a financial issue as I would imagine if you follow the statistics, many are single mothers; many are going to school and working a job to make it ... yada yada yada...

Let me take this a little further to prove a point - one very serious singer now has a job that requires her to rise at 5 a.m. Another got transferred out of state. Another is now fronting a band. Another got a DUI and is still paying that off and doesn't dare to out in case she blows and her car won't start. Another has a job that my gig falls on her 2nd 10-hour day out of 4. Others have quit traveling as far as they used to.

Dancing won't cure this problem, guys. Sorry.

Karen:

I must disagree. People who sing...sing. They don't need karaoke. So, people who come to sing karaoke come to show off, to be noticed, to increase their self esteem by the acceptence of others, they don't come to sing.

The OP on the other hand was just wondering how he could get more women in his bar.

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Okay, who took my pants?

I think the "Holy Artifacts" are the problem. Probably 20 or so years ago the bar was home to college age kids who didn't mind that kind of thing and may well have contributed to those very ceiling decorations you describe. Plus, the place probably could use a good cleaning and a change of ambiance to attract the latest young crowd. I know of a bar that has those boulder holder chandeliers and they've been there for many decades. No women at all frequent that place now-a-days.

what???? kind of a nonsequiter here. I commented in response to Karyoker's suggestion that dancing will bring them. Nope. I described quickly off the top of my head some of the great female singers who used to come to sing - now they reserve it for only weekends time permitting....Nothing to do with egos that need stroking....just the practical aspects of not going to sing as much as they did in years past. LL (female, btw) and I share this scenario - not as many female singers. Maybe they're just busier and more responsible than their male counterparts? ...

More responsible than their male counterparts? Shame on you Karen... What a bunch of sexist horse hockey!

Why aren't the women coming to the venue? I would submit that the easiest way to find out is to simply ask. (novel concept I know) The KJ should go to a karaoke bar where the women do go in his area, see what's going on there, and perhaps if he's feeling bold ask them why they come to the bar and what they like about it. Badda Bing...

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Actually it has more to do with the cleanliness and ambience of the venue, Twenty drunk singers that the only reason they are there is to sing does not attract ladies or crowds.

Karaoke has evolved into different formats and styles in different areas. Find out what the crowds want or what works in your area at that time because in a few months it might change again.

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Go figure! DOH!

Nah, I can discount both of those, as the ladies come to the bars I work at and they both have the same things going on.

However, lame food and poor service might count for something.

Let me also suggest that the KJ get the male singers to bring their girlfriends (and their girlfriends) for a ladies night or something... if the guys at the bar have girlfriends/ wives.... .

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Sexist Horse Hockey????

That gives me a great idea to attact more patrons!! Girls in bikinis playing ice hockey in the parking lot on horseback. How can that go wrong? Thanks!!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

No, not sexist...reality. Just basing this on the reality of it - firsthand knowledge from actual female singers, not just making this up to pose some sort of 'answer' to the dilemma. I've had to examine this myself. I don't have a shortage of female attendees at my shows but I do have fewer female singers...for the reasons I stated above, based on just a few that don't/can't sing during the week anymore. Nothing to do with venues at all. Just fewer female singers.

I have more female singers than male. I'm not really sure why. I didn't plan it that way.

The room's decor is pretty sex neutral. No trophy heads for God's sake. But the place is hardly a model of cleanliness either.

I'm going to just throw this out there. I don't know if you guys (and ladies) agree. But it's what I've observed in my place and others. Women are more comfortable with male KJs and vice-versa.

The sexist part came in when you implied that somehow, because these women had pressing matters in their lives that precluded them from attending karaoke , the men that attended must be less responsible then their female counter parts... thus accounting for fewer women at the venue.

The karaoke bar five miles away (if there is one), might have fewer male singers.

Your venue is simply too small a sampling to produce a reliable statistic, and results in Anecdotal observation to come to an unreliable conclusion.

I'm sure that men that have pressing matters do not attend, and are not be able to attend karaoke either.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Some other KJs and I went on a karaoke tour the other week and I've yet to find where the women are to ask them. The place next door has mainly young rapping men and the place down the road has biker/western male dominated karaoke also. I have asked some YOUNG locals and they like to drive the hour into the big city where things are more happening. Most of the men at our place are either already involved or looking, hence the problem.

I am a female, myself, and I like a cleaner, non threatening atmosphere with comfortable chairs and a dance floor where the women can dance by themselves if they have to. An ideal would be having men there who liked to dance with everyone and didn't try to turn two dances into a one night stand but that is rare. If only men knew that they could win a lady's heart by learning to dance and asking all the women there and let things develop where they may. But I also have the adventuress streak that makes me want to find out what goes on in dives and tend to just laugh at the macho stuff. We still have the rare woman who comes in and adds to the bra collection. What I hate most about our venue is they don't run the smoke blowers and I go home snorting out blood for two days. It tends to make me uptight the entire night and even my boyfriend (who smokes) is starting to have trouble breathing and sometimes misses his high notes. I see no chance of the decor changing so we are also looking for other places.

I thought Coyote had a nice, fun looking crowd and I'm sure they all think they have a chance with him. Besides the posters that I didn't see, he had the cute Heron Crossing sign and things that looked fun, comfortable, roomy and attractive to me.

My boyfriend is the main host at our show and I mainly help people find songs, do announcing when he runs out of comments, etc. So we should have both sexes covered but we are older and thus don't have that exciting element. Although somebody told me last week I was the cutest thing he'd seen in a bar in a long time--as I'm just a few years shy of 60, that tells you how bad it is. (The lights are dim, "The girls all get prettier at closing time......" etc.)

Oh brother, now I've opened up the sexist can. I didn't imply anything - I'm not into implications, I will stay it straight up. The women who don't come in anymore to sing are in situations that preclude them from doing so maybe once a week instead of 3-4 times a week. My sampling is not small partiucularly - I have 3 shows, one of which is a younger crowd; another that is 30-40 somethings who are wilder than the 20s, and another that is a smaller venue in a town that brings all ages.

I will reiterate - maybe make this a little clearer - I'm not implying that the men are less responsible, all I said was in the situations I see (and KNOW of, not guessing) is that the women are at home with the kids; many are working 2 jobs; some are trying to collect support (doesn't happen) so they can have a life; many have relocated. Times are tight. Lots of guys are still able to go out and have an evening with their buddies and drink beer and shoot the bull. Not many women in that situation in my area anywhere (rural Seattle). Across the board there are fewer women going out to sing anymore - just the way it is. Nothing anecdotal - I do my homework and visit a lot of shows when I'm not hosting. I look for women at venues if I go by myself - not finding a lot of them.

I can only deduce based on the women I've known over the last 12 years who are singers that perhaps it is less of a priority for them now? When they started coming to my shows they were 12 years younger - many have kids now in the 6-15 age bracket that keep them at home at night. I could go on and on about this, but I'll just say it one last time - not as many women go out and sing anymore.