Karaoke Forums

I'll have to agree with Lonnie on this one but I also like Timberlea's approach.

Heck if you just must do it then make it a auction. Start the bidding at $20 or so and let the winning bidder sing next,(catch they must sing what you want them to)

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As far as paying for someone's spot is concerned.....That is another Pandora's Box. Let's say Julie comes in with 7 of her friends and they each fill out a song slip when they show up. They sit down at their table and order drinks and then eventually their turns come to the front of the rotation and Julie sings 8 songs in a row because she "bought"(wink wink) all seven of her friends spots in the rotation.

Great way to lose regular customers.

We all try to teach our kids that it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game(no cheating) but when it comes to karaoke some folks have no idea what playing fair is all about. All they care about is winning at ANY COST.

Any KJ that SELLS CUTTER CARDS is just a loser who couldn't negotiate a fair price for his show and is just trying to get the singing customers to subsidize his gig. Probably something an undercutting pirate would try to do.

Earning a cutter card or a twofer card by frequenting a show on a regular basis is something that I wouldn't be totally against because everyone would have the same opportunity to "win" one of them. It's when the KJ only gives them to his friends or sells them that the trouble starts and the show is no longer a "FAIR" show.

Let's face it. Being the KJ is a "powerful position" and some people can't handle the power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Some KJ 's just get off on doling out the power of being able to say to someone, " I CAN HOOK YOU UP" because I'M THE MAN !!!!

For very busy shows I like the FREQUENT FLYER program -
Everynight you sing your 1st song your card gets stamped - 1 stamp per night
once you get 10 stamps your card becomes a SING NEXT card to use ONCE anytine you want. What do you think ? Of course you can make some rules like only 2 cards per rotation ? or something similiar ? Maybe NO CARDS after 12:00

Could work !!!

Bruce I've read most of your posts and how you don't like this and don't like that and this system stinks and that mics no good. Believe me I wouldn't want you or anyone like you at my shows. In fact I'd pay you not to come If there was a KARAOKE IDOL award for biggest complainer I would have to nominate you.

Where do you host --because I would like to see your show which MUST be like KARAOKE HEAVEN its so good. You're the type that will walk out because I bumped your spot in the rotation and let a 90 year old dying woman sing a song. Now you reminded me to sing the I95 song in you honor

Kind of like coffee cards, buy 10 get one free. Once they sing a set amount of songs (maybe 20-25) they can earn 1 cut spot - cards may be accumulated, however only one card may be redeemed per night>? If more than one cut card is turned into the kj, it would have to go in the first come first serve order and cannot be used to cut in front of another cut spot.
Could be interesting or it could be a disaster - but I kind of like it.

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BFFL....how is it opening another Pandora's box? Seriously. I announce over the mic that someone really wants to sing badly and is willing to pay. Start at the next person - do you want to sell your spot? There ya go. You sit out one round with a $20 in your pocket, or you say no. Next person - yah, I'll sell my spot. So simple. Nobody gets bumped or pushed further down the rotation. Not sure how you think it's any more complicated than that. Only difference is I don't look like a cheapo slimy creep for taking money to bump. Everyone is happy....singer who gets to pay their way into the rotation, the singer who sits out and loves the bucks....everyone else still sings in the same rotation. Thing is, it's a one shot deal - you pay to sing in someone else's rotation but if you want to continue singing, you go to the end of the rotation. Anyone not quite get this? Seems pretty simple and harmless to me. All's well that ends well....

I kind of like it too.. Would be a lot work. But I can see it involving into such things as when they sing 10 new songs they never have sang before they get a free drink. For everyone they recruit (new) to the bar they get something. This has possibilities....

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The problem is wineyazed singers like BFFL don't care if they are still singing in the same spot. The fact that somone is singing without waiting the 40 minutes make there skin crawl. They don't care that another singer GAVE UP THE SPOT. It's not about whats fair ..Its about how they perceive it to be fair.

Number of songs is a another Idea..keeps them there longer (With the right set of RULES ... hmmmm maybe )

BFFL....how is it opening another Pandora's box? Seriously. I announce over the mic that someone really wants to sing badly and is willing to pay. Start at the next person - do you want to sell your spot? There ya go. You sit out one round with a $20 in your pocket, or you say no. Next person - yah, I'll sell my spot. So simple. Nobody gets bumped or pushed further down the rotation. Not sure how you think it's any more complicated than that. Only difference is I don't look like a cheapo slimy creep for taking money to bump. Everyone is happy....singer who gets to pay their way into the rotation, the singer who sits out and loves the bucks....everyone else still sings in the same rotation. Thing is, it's a one shot deal - you pay to sing in someone else's rotation but if you want to continue singing, you go to the end of the rotation. Anyone not quite get this? Seems pretty simple and harmless to me. All's well that ends well....[/quote]

I like your idea a lot. I think I will try it tonight. Thanks Karen!

Last time I checked, bribery was still considered a crime. In this discussion bribery is good and a fair rotation for EVERYONE IS BAD. WHAT A WORLD!

Example: Bob & Joe show up at the local karaoke bar. Bob likes to sing but Joe hates to sing but he enjoys hearing Bob sing. Bob and Joe each hand in a song slip and after Bob sings his first song, he "buys" Joe's spot for $20 which allows Bob to sing two songs in a row. This goes on all night long and after 6 rotations, Bob has sung twelve songs and everyone else has sung six songs. On the drive home, Joe gives back the $120 that Bob handed him to "buy" his turns during the course of the evening. The end result would be the same as if Bob handed in one slip with Bob on it in every rotation and one slip with Robert on it every rotation and the KJ let him sing under each name. It's CHEATING any way you look at it.

I've yet to see a 90 year old woman at karaoke who was dying to sing one last song because it was the last thing on her BUCKET LIST....but I have seen very young women rub up against the male KJ to try to get to the front of the line again without having to wait like the rest of the people paying for their food and drinks. Some people just think that they are entitled to better treatment for one reason or another. I believe that all people should be treated equally. What a whineyazz I am!

JAMKARAOKE obviously doesn't like to follow what most everyone else seems to accept as karaoke etiquette. He's a karaoke rebel that feels that it is his show and he will make his own karaoke rules. I'm not a host. I'm just a customer looking for a fair show to go to. Your show doesn't fit the category. That's why I asked where your shows were so I could satisfy your desire to not have me at your shows but you didn't tell me where they were so I guess you're hoping that I might show up after all.

I don't think that karaoke spots in the rotation should be sold or auctioned off or traded for drinks. I think that if a person wants to sing a song, they should just fill out a slip and politely wait their turn. WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH THAT???? WHY IS SINGING ONLY ONCE PER ROTATION SUCH A TERRIBLE THING FOR SOME PEOPLE???? Why should people with more disposable income be able to take advantage of another part of life?

Bruce I understand and respect your opinion. If you want to hire us it is a minimum of $100/hr and then you can be the boss. WE work for and with for owners and have compatible goals and each venue has different needs. We can not even favor our singers. With a full entertainment package we must respect every customer's wants and supply what they need. Our ratio runs about 1:10 For every singer we have 10 drinking partiers who are cachinging the till.

You hate pirates but we are the ones who have to compete with them week in and week out. Every little advantage we can come up with we can stay in business and provide quality systems and shows. At the very least you singers can support us and help us instead of giving us crap and whining all the time Go whine to the pirates.

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Whoever made up that quote about "its how you play the game" was probably someone that was always picked last on the playground. People compete in every aspect of life and we do it to win not lose. It's quotes like that have made our youngsters so soft. Karaoke isn't a competition. I always thought it was about people getting together for good times.

Wow! Bruce you are an angry person. I can only imagine what a blast your shows must be. Reminds me of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I love that when I post trying to get advice on annoying bribers it quickly turns into they must be a loser and a pirate. It sounds like you can't negotiate a fair price for your shows because you are so threatened by pirates. I get a very fair price for my service and have no problem booking as many shows as I need. My cutter card idea was only to deter those bribers from wanting to cut. I don't want them to buy the cards thus the reason that they are not redeemable on that night. If they do well its $10 that I can use to buy more music. I have even run the idea by some of my regulars and they were fine with it.

"powerful position" That is hilarious! You're a Karaoke Host.

Just read the post where Bruce said he is not a host. I suppose I can't expect him to understand the pressure that we face as hosts from patrons and venue owners.

Which is why, if you're going to do it, the "briber" buys EVERYBODY in the rotation a drink of their choice, BEFORE he or she gets up to sing.

BFFL, do not even try to say that a KJ taking money for a "me next" is anywhere near the legal and criminal definition of a bribe. A DA or Crown Prosecutor would laugh you out of their office.

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I have used the buying a drink for all the singers in rotation and that does work well. Was just looking for other deterants.

It's called an analogy. When a dinner patron slips the Maitre D' a fifty for being seated in a prompt fashion, is that or is that not a bribe?

Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in discharge of a public or legal duty. The bribe is the gift bestowed to influence the recipient's conduct. It may be any money, good, right in action, property, preferment, privilege, emolument, object of value, advantage, or merely a promise or undertaking to induce or influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in an official or public capacity.

One must be careful of differing social and cultural norms when examining bribery. Expectations of when a monetary transaction is appropriate can differ from place to place. Tipping, for example, is considered bribery in some societies, while in others the two concepts may not be interchangeable. In some Spanish-speaking countries, bribes are referred to as "mordida" (literally, "bite"), in Arab countries they are Backshish or Bakshish. However, Bakshish is more akin to tipping and is socially permissible.

"Whoever made up that quote about "its how you play the game" was probably someone that was always picked last on the playground. People compete in every aspect of life and we do it to win not lose. It's quotes like that have made our youngsters so soft. Karaoke isn't a competition. I always thought it was about people getting together for good times. "

Let's change the cliche to something more related to karaoke, shall we? It's not whether you sing well or not, it's whether you enjoy singing or not. The lousy singer shoudln't get picked to sing later on in the evening just because he is lacking in talent and the guy with a few dollars extra in his pocket shouldn't get to sing sooner because of his financial situation.

I'm not angry at all. I'm just stating my opinion on how I think karaoke should be a FAIR entertainment environment. I'm just sticking up for all of the little guys who got picked last because they weren't as good as some of the others playing the game. What would have been so wrong if the team choosing methods were made a little less hurtful? Would it have been so horrible if all of the kids names were tossed in a hat and the teams were selected by whose names were pulled out of a hat? I've never been picked last for any sport that I've played and I've never been the guy who got skipped because he didn't sing well. In fact, KJ's have put people in front of me because he felt they would be intimidated to sing after me. I like being me very much thank you. I also like to stick up for the underdogs in life. If that makes me a whiner, so be it. If I don't do it, who will? Being skipped or pushed back in the rotation at karaoke is just not fair. The people that do it are the ones that whine about the people who whine about their unfair habits.

Well, then, I guess I bribe the government not to throw me in jail every time I pay my taxes. I also bribe the grocery store not to have me arrested for helping myself to groceries!
And Bruce, just WHO put you to the end of rotation in this thread?
There really is no one to stick up for.
When you own and run your own show, then you get to call the shots.
If you choose not to attend some shows because you feel they don't run a fair rotation, then fine. That's your choice.
you've made your opinion very clear about this on many, many threads and on numerous occasions. Can you stop beating the dead horse now, please? We KNOW your opinion and what you think. We heard you. You are not going to change any minds here. let it go.

Again, I was looking for advice on how to keep my rotation fair and deter bribers from thinking they can get ahead by flashing their bills. Didn't think a debate on whether tips are bribes or not would break out. Thank you to those that gave me valuable, posative feedback.

When there are 40-50 people in your rotation most want one thing...to sing next. Most could care less about everyone else and as a host of that type of show you have to constantly fight fires in an attempt to please everyone.

Bruce I hope, for the host's sake, that you have a show to go to that only has 5 people in the rotation so that you can get up 2-3 times an hour. I would hate to be the host that has to deal with your negative vibe when you feel that the show is not fair which, how it sounds from your posts, is often. I have to laugh that you are so quick to give your feedback on hosting a karaoke show when you are not even a host.

Thanks again fellow hosts!