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This is a dilemma that I have wrestled with forever.

I host a show that can get upwards of 40-50 person rotation on any given night. I am a strong believer in keeping a fair rotation regardless of who is signed up. I often have people that think they can flash their cash in my face and expect special treatment with no regard for those that are waiting patiently for their turn. Of course it is impossible to reason with drunks and often times I have been offered up to $200.00 to get people up next. Everybody has their price but what I have done in the past when they continue to ignore my explination that I don't negotiate for Karaoke spots is I tell them that I will take their money, put them up next but will make an announcement that "John Doe insists that he shouldn't have to wait his turn and has paid me a irresistable amount of money so that he can cut in front of everyone." When I tell them that they usually take their offer back because they don't want the room to be pi$$ed at them. I then go on to tell them that I take care of the people that take care of me but will not tell them what that means.

I also have thought about making some cutter cards that can be purchase for $10. These cards can not be used on the night of purchase but can be used on another night and is good for them to move up 10 spots in the rotation.

What do you all think of the cutter card idea? Any other ideas on how to deal with this issue?

The people may get P.O.'d at the person you blatantly announce as the person who is getting up ahead of everyone else that was patiently (?) waiting their turn, but they're also going to be P.O.'d at you for allowing it to happen as well. It doesn't matter to me how much the BRIBE was, if I were there to witness that, I would leave and never come back to your show, because that would tell me that you DO NOT run a fair rotation.

As for the other suggestion, what are you going to do when 10 people buy those cards, and come back next week to use them at the same time?

I don't do it - period. I have turned down $100 bills in my face. I am not going to compromise my integrity for one thing & alienate the people that come & support me night after night for one Ahole that thinks they can buy ME! They cannot! If you cannot wait your turn & and HAVE to be up next, you don't sing! 9 out of 10 times they are not regulars of the club anyway & will never return - why compromise the people that come in to support you for your regular weekly job for a few bucks in your pocket that may PO them to not return?
As a singer I have left (or never returned) to shows that displayed this behavior. Sometimes letting management know, often times not. What happens if the unlikely situation came up when you have 4 or 5 people give you the same amount to be up next? You can't get them all up 'next'! Now it all falls on you as the host.

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I ditto what Lonman said.

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

Many aspects of life have "cutter cards" - The amusements parks now have "express lines' so you don't have to wait just PAY AHEAD to move up.
No one complains --you all have the same option if you choose!

EZ PASS..is just a CUTTER CARD ... don't wait in line PAY EXTRA for a PASS
People have been TIPPING for better seats at shows ,restaurants and concerts for decades . It's not a new concept. Why not KARAOKE ?

Heres what YOU do since you have a BIG show. Give all your regular CUTTER CARDS for FREE ( maybe a stamp card - visit the show 10 times and the next time you get a "SING NEXT CARD" to use whenever you choose. This satisfies the whiney regular singers who will complain the next time some jerk waves a $20 in your face to have his girlfriend sing next ...TAKE THE $20 and sell him a cutter card . The song is a maximum 4-5 mins !!! so if you took a "bribe" once a night which one of you whiney singers is going to complain about waiting an extra 4-5 mins to sing your song ????????? SLOW DOWN RELEAX HAVE SOME FUN AND LET YOUR KJ MAKE SOME EXTRA CASH FROM SOME PUSHY JERK WHO THINKS HE OR HIS GIRLFRIEND SHOULD SING NEXT

The other thing you can do is say ok but you also have to buy EVERYBODY in the rotation the drink of their choice, however if one person refuses to join then that's it, no cut in.

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OMG in this economy they're offering 200 bucks just to cut in front of the line?? I guess they rather pay to sing than get paid to sing

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This always cracks me up. I'm with Lonman... I don't do it, period, the end. I don't care what your sob story is. "I'll be back next week! Come in early and you'll get to sing more!"

Friday night I had a funny one. This drunk chick comes up to me, "I'll F--- You like a champ if I can sing next!"

I just smiled and said, "Payment first."

Craziness, I tell ya.

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Make at least two happy with this: direct the cheater to the next person in line to sing. Have them offer THAT person the money to take their place in the rotation. Simple. They don't want to give up their spot? Keep directing them to the next person until someone is willing to take the dough not to sing. Nobody else gets shuffled, and the singer who is willing to give up their spot will be one happy singer who will probably spend the bulk of the money at the venue. How can this hurt?

I don't have any problems with KJ's taking the occasional "TIP" to bump up someone as long as it's not 3 times a night and the rest of the rotation remains fair.
When I use to go out singing there were KJ's who were too busy putting up FRIENDS and RELATIVES to sing and the rest had to wait WAYYYY TOO LONG. The only way you COULD sing was to PAY $20

The truth is I'm ashamed when someone hands me a sob story along with a $20 bill. I'll listen to the story and if I feel its legitimate and they're not being an A-hole
I'll bump them and refuse the CASH. Now if they're being an A-hole ..That's when I'll take the money

Where are your shows, Jamkaraoke??? I want to make sure that I NEVER wander into one of them by accident.

I have heard all the sob stories before. Would even believe them when I first started out doing karaoke (didn't really have set rules yet then), 9 out of 10 times the people that needed to be bumped up because they absolutely had to leave STAYED the rest of the night. After so much of that I quit bumping anyone for any reason.
Had one gal come up to me saying her babysitter just called & her kid is really sick that she had to go and could she be up next? I told her OMG, I can't get you up next but will do you a favor & gave her back her slip so she could turn it in another night & wished her kid good will. Guess what - SHE STAYED the rest of the night - even turned her slip back in a little later, well now she has to wait longer as her spot was wiped out when she told me she had to go & is now treated as a new singer which was over an hour wait at that point in which she would have been up in 10 minutes if she simply left her slip where it was!

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Could possibly be the best answer to this and similar threads ever. Ok, not including to not take bribes period! Some quirks to figure out, but I like it Karen K. Makes sure the KJ announces it, as to embarrass daddy big bucks. Swap spots for cash, toooo funny.

Well..spill it, what did she end up singing & did the other people get pissed well you were gone for 3 mins?

MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

Cutter Pass - What an interesting idea. It wouldn't work for me, but lets entertain the thought. What if you tried it out as a trial situation. Advertise in the bar that Cutter Passes are available for sale and the rules that are attached to them. Make it widely known that it is a trial situation to see if everyone likes the idea and that you will only be excepting them for certain amount of time. If your gig is once a week make them good say for the month of September only.

People maybe more receptive to the idea if you run it like a promotion for a short time. Let people know you are just trying out the idea and get their feedback. If to many people are offended by the idea or it causes to many problems don't do it again.

The main goal is to make sure you don't lose customers over the idea.

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It may go over better also if you have a raffle at the end of the night and one person wins all the money collected from Cutter Passes for the night. Or have a raffle pulled for each Cutter Pass turned in. That way more than one person had the chance to win $20 during the night.

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For birthdays and out of town gusts we give a few privileges like a twofer or once in awhile a cutin. Most of my regs dont mind because they might need the favor sometime. But these are very rare and I announce over the mic whats going on. I am using to doing parties where there is no rotation. The singers just meander up when they are ready and we have had that in bars too. Of course the rotation was 10 or less. We still were SRO with about 100+. Do Not Play Favorites.....

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3 minutes? Dang, man that's harsh. I'dve taken a "music break" and put on the Rick James "Kinky Girl" extended mix so I could at least give her 6 minutes of my undivided attention (hay the van was empty as my stuff was in the bar.... Cue the slap bass.... boom chicka bow wow). But no, she just turned away in a huff and waited her turn.

3 minutes? Jeesh, some people.... .

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That's not a Cutter Pass. That's a Slutter Pass.

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I just thought of sometting. I use tp play a joke on gals> I would go whisper in their and when they replied I would holler. $50??/!!!


Do the same a bit away from the mic but so everybody could hear..

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