Karaoke Forums

Just a note to concur w/ Capt. and Knight...excellent answers to an excellent question.

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Paid2Party
"I love karaoke. Where else can you get paid to come out and party with your friends?"

Jimmy, that was good!

So some may not want to come to my shows.. I do not like playing ANYONE elses CDG's and I have now made it a policy that unless it is a contest I WON'T.. regardless if it is still in it's wrapper! I don't care.
If you want to sing at my karaoke show, then sing the songs I have OR - ask me to get a song you want! I will DO IT!
I order music 2 to 3 times a month and the longest wait may be a week.

There are a lot of reasons why I don't play others CDG's, just say that I have had my fill of people claiming damage and even tho' I stated clearly that I was NOT responsible it ends up a huge mess.

I look at it this way. If you walk into an Bar and they don't have your brand of beer, would they let you go to your car and bring in your own 6 pack? I don't THINK so.

I know some don't agree with this, but ya know what? I don't care. It is MY SHOW, MY MONEY and MY TIME.
Oh and my customers are very loyal, and they know that if they want a song they will get it from me, all they have to do is ask.

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You can choose to be an Actor in your own life... or a Reactor in someone elses.

yep, I'd probably leave your show. Your concept of getting what the customer wants is commendable, but you doom the customer to not having fun that night... if they have the disc right in front of them... that's a hard thing to swallow.

To me, karaoke is about your own personal gratification. I have found that many kjs, unless they have over 15,000 songs, just can fulfill my greatest wishes.

A show is just that... a show. By no means, is it possible for any one KJ to have all EVERYONE wants... that's why the custom disc format is so popular now. And that's not a thing for kjs... but mostly regular singers... it's a helluva deal, up to 15 songs of EXACTLY what they want.

For example... I've been to Lonman's show twice, and he's fantastic... but there's STILL a couple of Billy Joel songs that he doesn't have... and I like singing those particular animals. If he had the same concept you did, I wouldn't have been AS happy with him and his show as I was.

Granted, he's got a TON of songs... but when you are excited about a certain version, AND you own it, it's silly to think of someone not playing it.

I agree with Knightshow and will add that I carry about 100 disks (all originals for any who are curious) with me. I don't sing 'em all obviously but they are necessary for what I do sing from tjhem. I have rarely found any of these songs or arrangements in any KJ's songbook. So if I wanted to be a regular at one of your shows you would need to buy 100 disks, all very hard to find, if you could find them at all, to satisfy my whims......don't think so.

Just food for thought.

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Jazz and Swing Live (as long as I do).

If you all were this worried about having all of your whims satisfied, I guess you wouldn't be at one of my shows. That would just be the end of it.

More food for thought,
Will

P.S. So much for just going out to have fun. Bring the original, you can sing off of it all night. If not, sing from what's there.

I normally DO bring my original, but even then, the KJs sometimes won't accept the copy of it...

I've had a "pro" KJ scratch and ruin an irreplacable cdg... so forgive me if I'm just wayyyy too cautious from now on. Not saying you or anybody else would be as bad as that person, I just will never take chances like that agian!

KantStop, here's my problem. My wife and I travel quite a bit. And it seems that almost everywhere we go, we find karaoke. Both of us have songs, and versions we like, so we carry a travel CD case, with about 10 discs on vacation. Now if I have a song u don't, and I am only there for 1 nite, are you telling me I'm screwed? Are you going to go online and get me my song and version right there and then? Of course not!

I have read some pretty extreme views on pirates here, but I think even metalgod would agree that is a little extreme.....

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Let's Kick the Tires and Light the Fires!

I would personally say that if you are only there for one night, then why is it impossible for you to sing something that the kj has there. If they are missing one song, you are actually going to have a bad night? I can't believe what some people are saying.

My God, do you all think that every night should be some sort of competition, that you can only sing one version of one song? What ever happened to just going out and having fun? Sing something new. Sing a different version of the song you like. Who cares?

Will

I'll tell you who cares.: The person that is there spending the money. Who are YOU to tell someone else what fun to have when they come in to spend money in the place???? THAT is what speaks of arrogance.

You as a KJ are there to bring in and sustain a business - the BAR, NOT the other way around. It's usually a symbiotic relationship... when the bar is successful, then so are you...

Coming up with more and more personalized rules will ISOLATE more and more people. If you won't do what it takes to make people happy, you stand a great chance at getting replaced.

Don't get me wrong, I happen to encourage smart choices. I just question if this is an intelligent rule or not.

Karaoke is a lot more diverse than it used to be. Willr's response is indicative of a person that's been in the business for a while, or has been attending karaoke for a long time... when you would just go in and sit down, select the song you wanted... and have fun.

BUT when I started, karaoke was just becime a lot more accessible to the "common" man... where you could buy CDGs, and they were getting cheaper and cheaper. My partner remembers a time when the DKs were near a hundred apiece... and the lasers were $150. Buying your own back THEN was considered quite extravegant.

Today's karaoke, with home players, and many people's home systems now rivaling pro shows... it's gotten that cheap! With the X-Box, playstation 2, and the computer drives that recognize the subcode of the Graphics files, it's a whole different world now.

We as a karaoke society NEED to NOT go the way of the dinosaur. If you don't adapt, you'll eventually die out!

My two cents.

Matt

Matt, before you start making comments maybe you should also know that I don't KJ at certain bars, or places in general. I dj wedding receptions, proms, birthday parties, etc. The karaoke goes along with it... I provide it at no extra cost. That might also be why I have trouble agreeing with your comments. I've never been inside of a karaoke bar, and my not taking your cdg's will not affect any money anyone takes in. I've also only had one person who ever asked me to use their cdg, and I refused at that time because I had the same cdg in my collection (same manufacturer at least). As she had the original, I would have played it with no problem. If she would have had a copy, I would have refused altogether.

You can consider me arrogant if you want, and I couldn't care less. I've had 3 friends busted for playing copied cd's. Of course 2 were stupid enough to have made those copied cd's off of downloaded mp3's (even scoffing at me for telling them how stupid they were being). The reason they got caught was that they kept undercutting a few other dj's, who turned them in.
Only one friend was a KJ who was busted for anything, and what he did wrong was that he would tape the people singing, copy the song to cd, and sell it to the people that sang. He's no longer in the business, as he had to sell off all of his equipment to pay the fines (and much more after that).

Arrogant? Call me anything you want. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd consider you more arrogant for being upset with someone that won't agree with you.

I'm done with this topic.
Will

I didn't say you WERE arrogant, I said that SPEAKS of arrogance.

I've found your discussion thought provoking, and replied to it.

What anybody feels about me is of no real consequence. I've ran into enough people that have scoffed at my idea of professionalism enough to know I can't please anybody but myself. If others like and agree with what I say, fine, but I won't lose any sleep over a difference of opinion.

Bro, me thinkth you protesth WAY TOO MUCH. If you catch my drift. Pirates are the ones that go on and on about why they should be able to bring in thier "Back ups " ( wink wink )!!!??? Get over it. All my LOYAL and VERY HAPPY customers know not to bring in there copies, burns " back ups or what have you. They always bring in originals or find a great tune in my library. And IF you were to ever go to one of my gigs. ( in beautiful southern california ), you would be having such a kick butt time you would forget all about me not having your favorite version of " I will survive ". peace.love karaoke...

This goes to each holy KJ.

We have drifted of the point. There's a huge difference between pirates and singers bringing their own duplicates from their own originals.

If you as KJ do not accept people bringing in their own CD's, you're just full of it. Stop playing this “holier then thou” game as KJ and let the people enjoy their karaoke. And that attitude of “if you don’t like it, find another KJ”. Please, stop this pathetic attitude, and remember, “People in glass houses shouldn’t through stones”. Only, and I mean only if you have never, ever done anything wrong, can you get on your high horse and prophesize, otherwise, accept my CDG and let me have fun.

Allstar,
You must be the holy singer.

If you feel a KJ has to play your copy of your original, then I would say you are the one full of it. What do you feel gives you the right to tell someone what they have to do with their equipment?

Oh, that's right. You are one of the holy singers.

Oh well, it starts again. I guess I gave up too soon.

Will

willr



First of all, it has nothing to do with equipment. If you have read this forum carefully, you will have noticed that the big names here like
Lonman, KJ Denndogg, Cueball, big jimmy c, knightshow ....(and the list goes on, sorry if I missed anyone. ) also want their disks to be played when they visit a show.

KantStopKaraoke said

to which knightshow replied


You're missing the point. You as KJ are there to provide me with a service. I am the customer, and if you know anything about running a successfull business, you will realise that your income depends on your customer, not your ego.

I myself am a KJ, and when not hosting, a karaoke singer. So your sarcasm calling me a holy singer missed me by a mile. Do not expect to be in the KJ business too long with your attitude.

I totally agree about a singer should be able to bring in the "legal, original" copies of their karaoke CD's

I am sorry, but I Love to sing Miss Independent. I know of one place that has a version that has incorrect words, awful backup singers, awful music....etc. etc. That is the ONLY Version that they have, so it is not like I can even select a different version of it.

I have the Top Tunes Kelly Clarkson CD. There is no reason why I should not be able to hand the CD (that I also paid $50.00 for to use for this very reason) to the KJ and he not use it. I don't think there is any reason why they should not take it.

And that whole reason about the CD getting scratched, misplaced, lost, etc, etc, is not any excuse to me. If I want to use it, when they call my name, I go up. They get the CD. When the song is done, I get the CD back. In that time, it does not leave my sight. So, if it does get scratched, well, then it was probably me.

Plus, if I ever got that response (not using my purchased CD+G) I would leave, not come back, and NEVER recommend the place to anyone.

I go to karaoke to have fun and sing songs I want to sing (which I assume is the whole point of karaoke - to sing what you want to sing, not just pick anything and it should do). Karaoke is supposed to cater to customers so that the venue it is being held in makes money (and so the KJ can make money too). If the version of the song is not there, or the song itself is not there, or the KJ won't let me use my ORIGINAL copies, then what would ever make me want to come back to the show, or give people a recommendation to the place?

There is nothing wrong with requesting a song that is not in the KJ's selection, but really, I have not yet seen a KJ get a song I have requested. So, why can't I bring my own that I paid money for to use at karaoke?

If I had a burned CD, then if they don't want to use it, hey, that is totally fine with me. But a legal CD? And, if they had my song (and my version) in the collection, I would have no problem using theirs and put my CD away.

That is my two cents anyway.

I am sure that different KJs set up different rules and every KJ run their business different from other KJs. I personally don't think it is a good idea to turn into a "cd-burn nazi" and refuse to play songs etc. IF the police shows up, well the illegal CD burn is in your customers CD-case. The less you ask the better.

Like someone mentioned earlier in this thread, the times change. We live in a world of home CD burners, people making compilations of their favorite songs so they dont have to carry around 500 Originals. In fact IF your customers are bringing alot of their own stuff, then maybe that is a sign that the KJ should start updating his CDG library! After all you are the one in the business and you are the one that is making $500+ a night and most of that money comes from your customers from buying drinks, food while they sing.

A KJ has 2 choices,

A: be conservative..defend his territory, backstab small KJs in order to stay on top, spy on them to find out if they have illegal burns, be a KJ dictator and tell your customers what they can or can not do.
OR
B: Be liberal and change with the times and adapt to new conditions, play your customers CDs and hide your EGO and the fact that you might not have a song that your customer wants to sing that day.

Who do you think is going to be in business a year from now?

There is a huge influx of DJs that are starting to do KJing and many forget the fact that being a KJ is half of the entertainment and the music/singing is the other 50%. Being a KJ is being a peoples person and entertainer, not a CD disc swapper that says "next" and order customers around. IF you have a customer that wants to sing a different version of a song that you have or a song you do not have at all, work with them, play their song and gladly ask them what disc/manufacturers number the disc is, maybe both to see if they know and also so you can go out and maybe buy a copy of that version. If you play old outdated music/cdgs then you will soon go out of business too, there is no room for being jealous or getting your EGO hurt here.

There are tons of new KJs around nowdays and competition is hard, your customers are not at your mercy, if they don't like you, then there are 100s of other bars with karaoke around and people will go to the bar and the KJ they like and spend their money there.

Actually ritisroo, for purposes of speed and efficiency, the KJ should have your cd ahead of time. I can honestly say that for purposes of that and that alone, I would not accept your cd IF it's not in my hands beforehand so that I can queue it up ahead of time (a benefit of a triple cd player.), and I do that very thing with some of my customers... I go get their cd when they are NEXT. After I start the next singer, I hand the disc back tot he waiting customer, even if it's me walking to their table. I actually prefer to do it the latter, as I can still get a handle on what the music sounds like where the singers' sit.


WHERE are you getting that kind of money... I wanna know, cause I'm movin' in and taking over your territory!

Bro, if you make that kind of cashola, my hats off to you! The market in Portland is terribly competitive, and we can't get over $200. for our friday and saturday on a CONTRACTUAL basis.!!

knightshow:

Hey, appreciate your feedback!

I am from a small town (edmonton, Alberta, Canada), and I try to go to places where there are not a lot of singers (usually the max I have ever seen was about 15) where I go. Usually, the average is about 6 people the places that I go, so you get to sing LOTS!

Also, lots of my KJ's are close friends so, I am usually sitting with them, or by them.....so handing them the CD is fiesable in my case.

Even the real big places where they have 30+ singers, you can stil hand them the CD when you go up. Small City, what can I say

I can't even imagine what someplace in California may be like....perhaps if I am ever down there !

Have a good day