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One of my venues has been having challenges with the hosts they've brought in for their second karaoke night.

Host #1 turned out to be all hype and no show. Substandard gear and library, and the "crowd" he brought in were all octogenarian water drinkers. It didn't complement the primarily college crowd who comes for my high-energy show.

Host #2 worked for a multi-op company and considered himself more of a DJ than KJ. He would consistently screw up the rotation, had scratched discs which would often malfunction and drank alcohol during the show.

Now they're up to Host #3, two young hip hop guys who have a lot of energy and dovetail off my karaoke crowd well. Problem is, I'm hearing from singers that is p!$$es them off when despite a rotation of 15-20 people, the hosts keep themselves in the rotation all night and do several songs.

Personally I will usually only do the first song of the night, and sometimes the last one. If there are less than 5 people in the rotation, I might do another one. Other than that, my take is people come there so THEY can sing...not to hear ME sing.

How many songs do you sing during an average show? And is there a magic number of singers you have in queue for which you will take yourself out of the rotation?

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While I really have no hard fest rule for my hosts, I do give them the option to sing once per round - sometimes they will do so, other times they will pull themselves as well. If they are singing more than once per round then I will reprimand as necessary. If they have a duet request I would consider that their turn as well so they shouldn't sing a solo song in the same round.
I personally will pull myself out after I have 5 singers as well & will only sing when necessary or when I get a request or duet request. Otherwise I will open the show & that is my song for the night.

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I always sing the first song of the night, then I don't put myself in unless there's a good reason (it's slow, there's a really hot chick that I want to sing a song to, someone asks me to sing with them). The shows are for the people.

My philosophy is this; Karaoke shows aren't about me, it's about them. My goal is to only sing the first song of the night, and then turn it over to the customers. But sometimes, when a rotation is small, and I can see it's gonna stay small all night, usually less than 8 people, I will sing at the end of the rotation. I rarely do requests, just because I am really only marginal at singing. But if someone asks for help in singing a song, I feel obligated to at least try. When a rotation can sustain itself the entire night, that's what i'm looking for.

My participation varies. The first song is me for sure, just to get things started, give me a chance to talk up the bar staff and set the energy level.

I usually stick around for the second as well, depending on the night. I personally don't think 5 or 6 folks is enough to drop out... but that's my opinion. I more interested in time rather than singers. It may be 5 or 6 singers, but it only took 15 minutes to get through them, I may need to stretch that out a bit. Not all your singers are winners, and the non-singers buy drinks too. There's a bit of a balancing act a good KJ does as he or she tries to keep singers and non singers happy.

Once the rotation is 25 minutes or more, its time for me to bow out... but I will stick around for a duet request.

I've said this before, and after doing this for 5 nights a week now for some time, I stick by it. For KJs who can sing and entertain (and this is not true for all) the KJ's song is an opportunity to set the tone and break things up a bit... separate the ballads and wake the crowd up a bit.

Saturday was a perfect example. My last singer in the 10 singer rotation sang an excellent "Ice Ice Baby", which got everybody on the floor. I followed that up with Cotton eye joe (which was a request), and then I sang Sexyback which kept everybody on the floor... I did that because after me was a guy singing Metallica. While he does a great job, I knew the pretty girls were gonna sit down for that.

All in all, there can be no hard and fast rule. You have to look at the crowd you've got, the song set you are given, and the size of the rotation and make a decision based on what is best to keep the show fun and entertaining for everyone... even those folks who aren't singing.

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First of all I would never be part of a karaoke challenge. Either the venue wants me or not. I don't play those games. As for singing in the rotation, I stop singing when the rotation is over an hour long.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

This is very venue dependent. At hubby's Monday night show he puts me in the rotation. Usually not more than 10-12 singers (Mondays are a tough night, especially a late show); however, if he gets a larger rotation , he either drops me or I ask him to drop me. He does ask me to come to the rescue to change mood or bring in a different tempo or style - I guess I'm the utility player that way.

However, at my show which is in a small local place, I am expected to sing - as much as anyone else. It would not be a good thing for me not to sing at these shows - predominance of singers is male, and many sing slower older stuff. Again, I play utility and can pull out a Journey song or Jet, or whatever ... change of tempo, lighten up the atmosphere, whatever. There are people that come to hear me sing blues and they expect at least one blues tune.

At larger venues I've done in the past for extended periods of time, I would only sing if asked specifically and would often be asked by guys to sing duets, which I would happily do if I couldn't offer a reasonable facsimile from the rotation. I am very blessed, however, to have really good singers come to my shows and could work with them to change tunes, etc., if needed.

This is really a show/venue dependent question - I recognize when it is time for me to disappear but if the expectation is that I will sing, well doggone it, I'll sing.

Well maybe I'm not doing the right thing here, but the only time I open a show is if I don't have any singers signed up to sing yet. If I do sing, I like to wonder through the bar with a cordless mic doing a crowd pleaser and trying to get the other people to sing along from their seats. If somebody starts feeling real rambunctious and wants to take the mic and finish the song, that's o.k. with me to. I just want to get people excited enough to get up and start singing.

After that, as long as I have at least one singer waiting to sing I don't sing. I let one of the singers have the last song of the night as well.

Maybe this is weird, but I genuinely enjoy seeing other people have a good time -- I don't have to sing to have fun. I consider my best show nights to have been the ones where I've had so many singers that I don't sing all night.

When I want to get my sing on, I go visit someone else's show.

Excellent examples on how it depends on the venue !

For me I always sing the first song. After that it depends, even with a small rotation I may only sing one other song during the night. I'm more apt to do a duet if asked or help someone sing a song than sing myself. If I'm tipped to sing or have people bugging me to sing I'll cave. Don't get me wrong if I'm having a night where I feel like singing (which is rare nowa days) I'll sing more if it's slow. I may start slow with 6-10 singers, but I know more are usually coming, so I'd rather let the early birds get more chances to sing.

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STOP quoting my thoughts again before i post it Karen!

...although i have no hubby, just a hubbett.... yea she IS kinda short but i love her.

Beyond the first rotation i will sing if the crowd needs an energy boost but will remove myself completely if we go beyond 10 and sometimes less- depends on if i feel it's necessary. Learning to recognize when to disappear is very important indeed.

BTW I always enjoy reading you posts Karen! -john

That's exactly true for my venue too. I am expected to sing. They beg me to sing, and they especially love my blues or rock, like Susan Tedeschi and Heart. I also have an extensive repertoire (someone can correct my spelling on that) so I am able to speed up the tempo, slow it down, or just change the pace with something different. I also sing many songs that no one else sings. I can do shag music (I'm at the beach), country, rock, whatever. Not singing is not an option for me.

However, I only do one solo per rotation, and I will take myself out if rotation is long, and I don't have any song requests for me. I only sing duets when someone asks me to, which can be often. Many of our customers who are not singers come to hear me sing, so if I don't, they are not satisfied. It really just depends on the mix of things.

I have felt bad for singing before when I would do my solo for the rotation but I had two duets with others later that had asked me. I reasoned that it was the customer making the request, and if that makes their experience more enjoyable, that's what it's about. As long as you are not taking over the show or neglecting turns of others for your own, you are doing nothing wrong. If a song is in your heart, sing it! You own the equipment, and it is your job to make sure that others get a chance to sing, but you deserve your chance to sing too. Express yourself. After all, it is therapy...for everyone. Most customers get a kick out of the KJ enjoying the karaoke too, and it is special entertainment when the host sings.

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It's called Karaoke Therapy...

[quote="johnreynolds @ Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:44 pm"]

STOP quoting my thoughts again before i post it Karen!

...although i have no hubby, just a hubbett.... yea she IS kinda short but i love her.

I pride myself in my prescience. (Kidding!) Thanks John. I appreciate that you appreciate me! - K

I also only put myself in for the first song of the night, then don't sing again. The only exception would be if the rotation gets down below like 3-4 peeps for some reason (rarely happens) or if someone requests I sing as a duet or just myself.

My job is to entertain the audience, and I think that unless I need to get the show started or bridge some sort of gap, the audience is more entertained by hearing themselves sing than hearing me.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

We are in a small neighborhood dive with an oldies/country crowd and mainly recreational singers. We might get a few non-singers in who play pool or the slots or dance but not a lot of "audience." Karaoke starts at 7:00 so the first hour is often thin and both the boyfriend and I will be in the rotation. Once we get 4 or 5 people I drop out and when it gets to 8-10 he drops out. We stay out unless we need to break up the ballads or it thins out again.

The regulars don't seem to mind us taking up some of the slack but they don't want us to dominate. So another way we can fill a thin rotation without it being us is by getting people up for group kamikazis. It is not the best thing vocally but people have fun and get to meet each other.

We have had complaints that hosts at other shows in the area continue to be in the roation even when it hits 30.

Beyond the first rotation i will sing if the crowd needs an energy boost but will remove myself completely if we go beyond 10 and sometimes less- depends on if i feel it's necessary. Learning to recognize when to disappear is very important indeed.



IMO, the last sentence is key. I love to sing, but if the rotation reaches a certain point, I keep my name in the rotation but will bounce it down if my name is near the top but we have a decent rotation going. What is decent? In my neck of the woods, anywhere from 5 to 20. I use that number because as others I have seen posted on here, if I have 5 or more, I will usually not sing.

However,,, as others have stated, if I feel a need to stir things up (just after a slow song or following someone that has a voice that clears the room or lulls orthers to sleep) I will set myself up with some type of uptempo song to attempt to get the room going again. If I have early singers, I won't be the first singer. Not a hard and fast rule for me either way. I don't have to sing the last song of the evening either. I call this flexibility "reading the night".

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I know some Kjs that always sing the last song. For me that is near impossible. I'm always trying to fit in as many singers as I can before close or reach the point everyone has gotten to sing at least once. I couldn't in good conscious sing the last song knowing not everyone else has gotten to sing.

I usually don't have to sing for a mood change because I have so many regulars that let me pick their songs or who will take my suggestion over what they'd planned on singing. This makes my job so much easier.

Over the years most regulars have learned I won't sing if there are to many singers. I definately won't if I have new singers who haven't sung yet. To be perfectly honest I feel to much pressure to get singers up as soon as possible. A lot of times on Fridays there is a 2 hour wait. My urge to sing is out weighed by the pressure of "When am I up".

Of course this is my circumstance, as Jr would say "Your mileage may be different".

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I will drop out at 4 or 5 depending on the lengths of the songs the others have, but i will DEFINETLY drop out at 5 no matter what.

These patrons didn't come to hear ME sing... they came to sing themselves.

I sort of make my number 10, or less than a 40 minute rotation. If there aren't 10 singers, I sing. I usually don't sing the first song if I have someone who doesn't mind doing it. I tend to end the rotation and do my once-per-round announcement after I sing.

It is so common for hosts to sing in long rotations that I don't even pay any attention when they do. What I hate is when they have a co-host or spouse who sings too. One show I stopped going to because the hosts' wife would take minutes at times to decide on which song she would sing, with dead air taking up rotation time.

Also, if the host is singing Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, Total Eclipse of the Heart, or Taxi, something is wrong. I try to keep them short.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Also, if the host is singing Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, Total Eclipse of the Heart, or Taxi, something is wrong. I try to keep them short.

I was listening to some Canadian radio show when they spoofed the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and did "The Nervous Wreck of Edna Fitzgerald" which was sure more fun and interesting than the original.