Karaoke Forums

There really isn't a poll answer to the question of why I'm doing it. And my first response was more on how I became one. So here it is:

I'm doing it because it's the most successful club gig I've had in years. Beats the last few live bands I was in. I figure I'll keep it up as long as people keep showing up.

There really isn't a poll answer I'd pick either. If I was doing it because I loved it I'd choose not to work so much. It's hard never having a weekend to spend with my family and friends. I do love my karaoke family, but some day I'd like to have a life too. At this point I do it for the money. If I had the option I'd do karaoke once a week. Then I could say I do it because I love the people.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

The answer I would have chosen isn't there. I love to hear the audience get into it.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

Back in my younger days, I used to be in high school band, but I sucked badly! I really have no music "talent". But, I have always had the love of music and a really good ear for quality and popularity of songs.

Several years ago, while I was training for my job in Colorado, (a very long way from home for me), I was invited by the gal training me to go to the bar on karaoke night. Now mind you, I had actually never seen or done karaoke at all befor the first night. So, I just sat there and took in all the ambience. Have to tell you, it was pretty awesome. After a couple of weeks of watching them sing, I actually got the nerve to get up and squawk out a couple of songs. Got hooked that very night. I have always loved being on stage or in front of large groups of people, I get a pretty big "rush", most of you know the feeling.

So, after the training was all finished, and I came back home to start my job, friends of my wife and I asked us to be designated drivers, since neither of us drink. We said yes, would love to. Happened to be karoake night,,,hmmmm,,I can do this!!!So I sang,,,,errrr,,I mean crackled out a few notes, and became regulars at this spot. We became friends with the host pretty quickly, and soon I was helping her with her equipment (loading, unloading). This was in the summer of 2000. After a couple of years following her around, helping and singing, one night she couldn't host a show, so she asked me to do it for her, using her stuff. Again,,I said "no problem!" Ok,,got hooked again on the feeling of being the one who is making people sound "good".

This same KJ friend of ours, lost one of her shows (too much yager), so I bought a small set up, started hosting and have never looked back. I have to say it's pretty cool getting to hear people just start out, and seeing the potential they have and actually start improving on their singing skills. I have always loved music, and this fits right in with my lack of music talent, but being able to help others achieve there potential. Besides, with all those buttons we got!!!! We look like total brainiacs....

I use to be a singer and a keyboardist for a local band , when that broke up I still love to sing and started singing at Karaoke Bars when they used CASSETTE TAPES and LYRIC SHEETS. I meet a girl who was a KJ and started in the business subbing for a her a few times. I liked it so much and the money was good--bought my own equipment and discs and the rest is history

Im doing it because I was a regular singer, and the old KJ had to move. None of the other KJs in town did as good a show as I knew I could do, and quite a few had shows with just a wrong vibe for me and many of my karaoke friends.

Now I get 30+ singers regularly for my 3 hour weekday show.

I like to sing, and that is a big reason, but a well done show has become almost as important.

I started singing at karaoke shows in 1990 and for the most part I thought I could do a better job than most of my local counterparts. Guess what? I was right. I never though about the fact I got to sing more because I don't really care whether I sing or not, which is why I bow out after a certain amount of singers in the que.

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

I worked part-time for a dj company between acting jobs many years ago, and one night was put on "kids karaoke duty" as their cocktail-hour entertainment before a very large and expensive batmitsvah. Although the kids drove me crazy and threw around the books, i saw how much fun they had singing and dancing so i continued to be The Karaoke Guy for about 30 mitsvahs. I was paid $100 for the one hour so it was good money at the time and 8 months later was promoted to lead dj and emcee for large events and started seeing the huge money earning potential of corporate and private entertainment. I was able to pick the high dollar events i wanted and was making $400 a night deejaying, emceeing, and teaching dance instruction.

Flash forward 5 years later, i took out a business loan, got incorporated, and started my own full service dj company and took on the mitvah scene and corporate gigs for 12 years, adding karaoke, 6 full time djs, moonbounces, costumed characters, magicians, clowns, rockwalls, and concessions, until my health started failing me from overworking and stressing. The decision was made to move to hawaii and "retire" and hire staff to run the company which is still in operation, although has shrunk considerably due to this economy.

I stopped working altogether for 2 years and de-stressed on the beach, only to get bored and anxious seeing badly-run karaoke shows here in hawaii. I worked on my singing and thought i got pretty good at it. I then purchased equipment and started working 4 nights a week hosting on/near the beach. Going from a former 65 hour plus workweek to a 15-20 has been the best decision yet, as my overall health has returned, i lost 30 pounds, blood pressure and cholesterol dropped, and i resumed a healthy lifestyle, no longer having stress/anxiety issues from running my own business. I feel fortunate and blessed to have saved a good deal of money, became debt free, and smartly invested in a friends' successful business, thanks to my wonderful wife. Karaoke supplements the trips we take as we both now love to travel abroad. We are taking cooking lessons in Thailand next month and going to Norway in october to see friends. Life is great and Karaoke is so much fun. I can really see myself doing this for the next 20 years just because of the friendly and beautiful people from around the world i meet while they're on vacation- most of them are in a euphoric and blissful state while enjoying the beauty of hawaii. oh, and it gets me out of the house (which the wife likes) because i don't over-analyze life anymore- i just enjoy it now. Blessings. Blessings.

Wow Jr. Good stuff!

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

,

Interesting responses from all. My reason was actually for therapy. From about 1975-1988, I dj...mostly private gigs on weekends....plus worked about 60-65 hrs a week on my regular job. Due to job requirements...had to give up the djing. In 1990, I went to my first karaoke show....absolutely enjoyed it...and became a regular at a few of the local venues....even subbed for one of the hosts when he had double bookings....so got a taste of what HE had to go through as well. In February of 2000, I had a disabling stroke, ending my ability to work in my chosen field of endeavor, due to, initially, an inability to talk, and lost some use of my right side. After an operation on my carotid artery, and going through therapy, about six months after the stroke, I went to a karaoke show to see if I could still at least sing.
Bear in mind, I still could not talk fluently. I sang....standing "O"...people were asking me where I had been...etc, etc,....it wasn't until I answered them that they realized that I had an "event"...thus the six month hiatus. It was rather amazing....I could sing...normally....but still couldn't talk ...normally. So...still had some equipment hangin' around....bought a set of DK cdg's...almost a full set of pioneer cdg's, pioneer laser discs vol. 1-57, plus a few 200 & 300 series, a set of dangerous cdg's, all hits, some sgb's some sc's, got my books done up,got a wireless sm-58, 2 corded 58's, got a pioneer 121g and a pioneer v10, named the business ( "Olde Tyme Karaoke Entertainment" ), and in 2003 got my first gig. Presently, I still do one night, Fridays...and it'll be 2 years there in September. I love the music, the people, and the fact that I can "find" unknowns, and bolster their confidence by sharing my story with them. Sorta makes it easier for them to participate after they learn what I'd been through. It's all therapy for me....and..."It's All Good"!!

Donny "B"

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It's a wonderful life!!

Wow... Lots of Accidental KJ's...me too! Basically the pub I was going in..the owner had his own equipment and he sacked one of his KJ's..as I had helped him fix his equipment he asked me to step in..(He himself was a KJ of 15 years standing...but he would rather spend time running the bar). Turned out I had a knack for it.....so as well as this gig ,I bought my own equipment...now I'm working 4 nights a week as well as my day job!

Thanks Ripman!

After many a night singing at the local pub the wife and I decided to purchase our own karaoke system for the house. What we didnt plan on was all the fun we had with it. We must have had at least one karaoke party a week(sometimes two) and friends and even neighbors would pack our house. We got so good at hosting these events with printed song books, lighting, props, etc that most people thought we should get in the business.
That's just what we did. We've currently been doing this professionally for about 8 months and through the bumps and bruises have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We got ourselves a super duper partner in the business and have taken the karaoke world by storm. We just got our seventh gig at a place we've been dying to get into and now have every night of the week booked except Sunday.
What a great ride thus far... Cant wait for tomorrow