Karaoke Forums

This is taken out from another thread I didn't want to hijack.

I would like to know, what would you ask if somebody approaches you and inquires about being a host/work for you?

I do know that I would definitely train that person very well before I let him/her go out and run their own shows. But like I said, what kind of questions would filter the good from the bad?

Wow, good question Sevarin. I will formulate a response and add it later.

1. Have you ever been convicted of a Felony ?
2. Were you guilty ?
3. Can you spell Karaoke?




I don't know if there are specific questions that would lead you to whether a candidate was good for HOSTING or not. There are some basic questions about past experiances hosting karaoke and or working a a mixing board etc.
How they handled ROTATIONS / DUETS do they SING often ?- Some of the basic problem areas of running a good show. If they have NO prior experiance you'll just hav to get a FEEL if their personality is in tune with what it takes to be a good host and more importantly if its in tune with YOU and your expectations

lol... nice one

Further more, to make it more interesting... trust is another issue. How would you go about protecting your library from being copied? That would concern disk based and computerized hosts.

First off I automatically dismiss 99% of people that come up to me that "WANT to host because they think it would be a blast". Rarely is this a win win situation that turns into them wanting to be the star or getting their group of friends up all the time. I seek people out that seem to have a general interest in karaoke, can sing well but are not ego maniacs about it, have a great personality & can interact with people well. Show interest in what I do but never begged to be a host.
Once I find a person that fits these initial criterias, then I can proceed into whether I can work with them or not and start training.
However you cannot train an ear for sound, so hopefully if they do not pick up on the mixing as well as I would like, they can make up for it in everything else & personality.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

I would never hire someone I didn't know. Personality is key and you can't always tell how someone would be on the microphone until you actually witness it.

I've always used a regular from my show to hire. It is almost a must. I have a lot of loyal regulars who are used to me always being there. They would be very judgemental of someone they didn't know. If you are a regular and know the other regulars you are excepted better. Not to mention will know how to handle these individuals. They already know the other regulars likes and dislikes.

Things I look for in a host when I see them sing at my show -

Someone that isn't full of ego, feels the need to make speeches, thinks they need to sing every song, bugs me constantly with when am I up

Someone that is unselfish - they encourage others, clap after people singing, help out when they can

Someone that shows personality and isn't shy to be on stage

Someone that appears intelligent enough to grasp what I need to teach them about running the equipment

Someone who gets along with others and everyone already likes

Someone who has a backbone and isn't afraid to lay down the law when needed.


I have some people that have great personalities on mic, but would never ask them to be a host because karaoke is all about them. A host needs to put the singers first. I don't believe I could hire someone I haven't seen in action. It would be very difficult to tell how they would be on the mic without seeing it first hand.

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

First off I automatically dismiss 99% of people that come up to me that "WANT to host because they think it would be a blast". Probably a comment on your abilities, Lonman -- people no doubt have a LOT of fun at your show and who wouldn't want to actually be the one making sure everyone is having a good time? I explain to people that though it appears I am just up there having fun, what is involved in the behind-the-scenes part of it is what has taken years to learn...

When I first seek out a sub host, my requirement is that the singers will not have any reason to sit there and pick apart the show - I want it to be as close as possible to the way I do it, so my requirements are probably pretty over the top.

I will ask people if they have ever stood behind a board and mixed sound - in any capacity at all. Personally speaking if I go to a show and the sound is poorly mixed, I probably won't go back. Understanding the concept of mixing is important - I'll often mix something poorly and ask them if they recognize there is a problem, and if so, how would we fix it?

I don't look specifically for "bubbly" types but obviously a person has to feel comfortable standing in front of a room full of people. Outgoing is more what I seek out. Not a closet actor or clown who is looking for a new "venue."

Reliability is another big one for me - if I ask a person who is interested in learning to mix that they arrive at a certain time for a "lesson" and they're late or don't show, they're off my list. PERMANENTLY.

If the potential sub host knows a lot of people at my shows, that helps. The crowd is likely to cut them a little slack if they'll be sitting next to them next time.

It's good if someone knows more than average about music, about artists, etc. I have people come and ask me if I know what the name of a song is and they hum a few bars or sing some lyrics. (this is probably over the top for a sub but if I need them to host for a few weeks in a row, I want the best I can find.) This is probably not the most stringent of requirements but they get extra marks if they are knowledgeable about music.

Probably more that I haven't thought of, but in the few minutes I had to do this, this is what pops to the top of my head.

Great post Karen -

I love this one -

You don't want to waste time on training someone that isn't reliable.

I'm trusting someone with my baby and want to feel completely comfortable knowing I can trust them if I'm not there. If they don't respect even showing up on time I can't imagine they can be trusted with my equipment. A lax personality shows irresponsibility.

And Karen your right - I want someone to run a show like I do. I don't want to come back and have someone say well so & so let me do it. Personality is different though. I don't expect them to try to have my personality. They will be more successful if they be themselves.

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

Big boobs.

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Kevin

If they are interested and claim to be experienced, pay them $30.00 to sit in for an hour or two and run the show in your presence. Should be pretty easy to see what you would be getting.

If they are from your regulars, have them sit in for free a couple of times. Once again, you should be able to check the cut of their jib.

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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.

My first question, do you have your own rig. Seriously, when I need a sub, I have no intentions of hiring someone to run my rig. It's easier and safer for me to find a colleague (i.e. competitor) that I'm friendly with to come in and do the show for the night. This offers a couple of advantages:

1. It is clear to both the regulars and the bar that this is not someone associated with me but simply a different company filling in for the night. If he/she does something "bad" it reflects less on me. I'll announce in the weeks leading up to that show that a sub will be filling in.

2. My equipment is safe and I don't have to worry about adjusting my insurance coverage to include an employee (which technically this person would be).

3. It builds a cooperative relationship with my competitors. If I send them gigs once in a while, in theory they'll send some my way (and this has played out multiple times). Even if they don't, it puts us on better footing than some anonymous competitors doing battle for the same table scraps.

4. If the regulars don't like the substitute as much as me, they'll see how good they've got it and they'll be glad when I return. If they like the substitute more than me, they will be happy that I got them someone good to fill in while I couldn't be there.

Now I'm fortunate that I've got a friend of mine who has his own Karaoke business but doesn't do a lot of work with it because he's focused on his band right now. He's filled a few times and always does a good job. He's got the personality and everything else that a KJ needs. And I can trust him to not bad-mouth me.

Now I'm sure some here are thinking, but what if the substitute tries to steal your gig. Well, I didn't say I'd bring in someone I don't trust. Plus I trust my clients. We're in regular communication so if they're not happy about something I'll know about it. If a sub comes in and bad-mouths or tries to undercut me I have the trust in them that they'd let me know.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke