Karaoke Forums

I say the exact same thing to cutomers. One show I hosted stopped at 1 but the bar stayed open until 2. People constantly wanted to do "just one more".

That's exactly the case with my Sunday show. I'm done at one and the bar is open until two.

Fridays and Saturdays I'm done at 2am unless there are enough people in the bar to stay. Then the owner pays me to stay an extra 30 minutes. If people still aren't leaving I'll stay until close, 3am.

I've thought about trying the pay to sing starting at 2am. See my problem is almost everyone who is there is there for karaoke. I'd say 90% or more, so after they sing what they think is there last song they leave. I don't know if I'm staying over until literally the last five minutes before normal stop time 2am. The owner doesn't realise if he just paid me to stay until 3am he'd have a crowd until then.

If I change from the bar owner paying me to "Pay to Stay" more people would probably stay.

I have to admit a change like that could have a lot of back fire that I'm not seeing fully though. I'd feel more comfortable doing it if I heard of others KJs trying it first and it working.

Possible negatives: People who feel alienated because they can't afford to pay. Others upset because they think the bar owner should be paying me to stay not them.

I've actually experience this already with people wanting me to stay and the bar owner told the customers to pay me. Long story, but it manifested into the bar owner paying me.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I would STRONGLY advise against the cutter card idea. Though some rich folks who can afford to keep slipping you bills may become satisfied regulars, that in itself is just as much of a bribe as accepting cash right on the spot. If I ever attended a karaoke show where I knew this was happening, I would never go back, because I would never know if I'm waiting my turn because people put their slips up first or because they bought your favorable treatment over me. It just wouldn't be fair to the honest people who don't believe in paying the KJ to get special treatment

_________________
"K-Jay"
www.kjayskaraoke.8m.com

I got the same thing in the beginning, Babs.
Here's how I solved it.
In a case like that, then I would shut down when I'm done. Why should you continue to WORK for free?
Start making it clear to the custies that you are no longer getting paid for your JOB, so you're going home. Once they grasp that idea, (it's hard for them because they are partying and getting drunk and assume you are partying too) they may start offering to pay you.
They may think it's the bar owner's responsibility to pay you, but who cares? He's not and neither are they. Who's responsibility it is to pay you is not your problem. Your problem is that you're NOT getting paid for your JOB.
You're hired from x hour to x hour and that's what you get paid for. When you're done, you're done, because you're not getting paid.
When they custies think they shouldn't pay and the owner think he shouldn't, and neither of them buck up, then you pack up and go home.
It's not your issue who pays you, as long as you get paid. I make that clear to my custies as well, and they DO get it, eventually. DOesn't mean they like it, but when you ask them if they worl for free, they usually say "no" (the odd idiot will say yes), and I tell them "neither do I!", or in the case of the idiot, "well I DON'T"!

RE: Paying the next singer for their spot - I fail to see how this could require an arbiter -- either the person accepts the money and gives up their spot one time or not... Am I missing something here? You pay me to sing in my spot - I got bucks, you got to sing. Doesn't interfere with ANYONE ELSE AT ALL! The big spender enters the rotation at the end of the round.

Perhaps arbiter was not the word I was looking for, I do think you may need someone who would not let the person paying for the spot intimidate the other singer into giving up their spot, whether for money or not.

"Take this $20 and give me your spot or I'll smash your face in"

- Jonn

You hit it on the head ! That's exactly what happened.

I've always quit on time. I'll stay if a customer pays me to stay or the bar owner pays me. For a while it was fifty/fifty, but now it's more just the owner. He buckled under the pressure. The customers were calling him cheap to his face.

The problem with customers paying you to stay by the half hour or hour is they have this notion that they now are your boss. So I always tell them up front even though they are paying me the rotation stays the same, no special treatment. That's another story by itself.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

But what if the spender already sang a spot in the rotation? Wouldn't that upset the other singers that he got to sing twice to their once in rotation? Sorry I don't fully understand how it works.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Most of the bribers are never regular customers. Most regulars, even rich ones, know the do's and dont's of karaoke. A common scenario at my show is the Sugar Daddy that wants to impress his young, cylicone (sp?) filled, gold digger lady friend by flashing his cash in my face to bump her up next. My cutter card idea would not be redeemable the night of the show. Most likely I would not see him again and thus he would not want to buy the card but would get out of my face faster then trying to explain, to a drunkass, that everyone needs to wait their fair turn and I don't negotiate for karaoke spots or take bribes.

If you have ever been to Disneyland they have a similar system. If you approach a ride at 10am and there is a huge line you can grab a speed pass that can be used later in the afternoon say between 3pm and 5pm.

But honestly I don't think that I would sell very many cards, if any, which is the whole idea. You could even make the cards good for only one or two weeks, or a month or whatever.

I have to stress one final time that I posted this thread to get ideas on how to deter these idots not on how to make myself more money or to give anyone special treament.

Ya, but I can see having a different kind of arguement with this type of person. He'll want a Cutter Card and then say come on let me use it no one will know I just bought it.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

True Babs

Oh good grief! We're talking civilized people here, not a room full of drunken mafia singers! Geesh. I've had this work very successfully ... not often but successfully. I guess I must have a different kind of show/singers than most people?

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

When I saw you say, Oh good grief, I started to laugh. The forum has the same effect on me sometimes.

_________________
[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I dislike it when generic statements are made, especially by new people, of others that "don't have a clue what it takes to run a good karaoke show".

Running karaoke isn't rocket science. What it takes is personality, and the ability to empathize a bit. Sound, technique, hardware, software can all be taught to a greater or lesser degree, the fine parts of what it takes to have a successful karaoke show anybody can learn, assuming they have a good personality. In fact, it's this know it all attitude that some kjs seem to have which is why home karaoke and small venue karaoke thrives.

Buying pro equipment, or equipment that can be made to sound good that some others don't classify as pro grade and having a good ear for sound and how to tweak it is what I consider easy.

I've been to "pro" shows that the sound honestly sucked. I've been to lesser type of shows where I had the time of my life.

Some people know that they can't be a KJ, or wouldn't want to do it for a 2ndary or even a primary career. But they can get by . I just so dislike it when people just make up their minds about someone that's not currently running a show, especially sight unseen.

I know, for the most part they are civilized, but every now and then.....

I do know how some of my more timid singers could be pressured into giving up their spot when they don't want to, I was just taking it to the extreme.

'Good Grief' makes me think of Dangermouse cartoons! Thanks for that 80s flashback!

- Jonn

Dangermouse?! Ha! I hadn't thought of that in years... Good Grief had me thinking of Charlie Brown and Peanuts!

Really? You're not going to take the football away THIS time? Oh, okay!

Who are you refering to?

oh nobody!! seriously! I noticed one post that got me to thinking!

Just saying I disliked generalized (especially on a forum) comments...

Apolgies if it looked like I was targetting anybody. I was more woolgathering.

I'm pretty sure Ford doesn't carry replacement parts for a Model T or even a 1980 Crown Vic or RCA with parts to a 1965 TV, etc, etc, etc.

Sorry but that statement had to be responded to, and yes a product is a product, whether information or a toaster.

_________________
You can be strange but not a stranger