Karaoke Forums

first come - first served. If time runs out, then those at the end of the rotation just don't get up there.

As new singers come into the venue and hand me slips, I put them at the end of the rotation. If it's a crazy rotation, then I WILL insert them in, but on a ratio of three old singers then one new one, or something similar. I also announce when it's the new singer's turn, so those that are watching the rotation like a hawk know there's nothing "funny" going on.

Up until the last hour of the show, I cue a song, pause the disc, then call the singer. At one hour to close, I change to calling the singer and cueing up as theey come to the stage. I also start throwing some "Let's go, we're fighting the clock" patter in.

At thirty minutes before close, I run the "No More Requests" track on the KJ disc and play a long filler while I collect my books. (Unless I don't have enough slips to fill thirty minutes). I will allow a singer already in the rotation to change their song, but I will not take anymore requests past that point.

All my shows run up to bar closing time, so I've never had any choice but to say no and invite them back to the next show.

At ten before, I call then last singer and announce them as such. When their song is done, I do my closing patter and close with "Closing Time" and then the end credit music from the old Warner Brother cartoons (you know, with Porky Pig going "That's all, folks!")

Then, I get on the house mike and say good night. Then the fun of teardown begins....

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

Usually the first thing I do is unplug something. That way if they come up, I say "Sorry. Everything is shut down".

This may be a cop out, but sometimes I tell someone that won't leave it alone:

"Go talk to the manager".

The bar manager will either tell them to get a life and go home, or shut up and drink. Most singers won't even bother with it.

As a musician I also get that with a band. So it's no different there.

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

Star Karaoke. I have a question, my list by 11:00 is 2 hours long on a Saturday night. I have cut off the list at 12:00 and still have problems getting everyone up. And I am good and fast at this too (figure I am doing about 13-15 songs per hour. No hesitation, if you don't raise your hand right away when I call you up and let me know you are there you start getting counted out. Mainly because we have a band up front and karaoke in the back and people don't always stay in the back. Anyhow, I have asked my boss, since I work for someone else if I could pull names out of the box after the dance session at 12:00 and he told me no. In some instances, I think this would be fairer. The interruptions I get during the night are sometimes nerve racking and this solution would eliminate that. But I think that maybe I will try it for the last half an hour or maybe an hour. What do you think? Anyone have insights on this.

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Kimbers - "Sing it like you mean it"

Ya know, maybe the idea of "Sheet signup" vs. "Slip Signup" is the answer here. Basically, they sign up on a sheet, and that will tell them when they are next.

What would be the coolest though is if someone took the time to make a program for a laptop or PC in where people type in their name and song in and it feeds it to a LED sign. Then the LED sign can say who's singing right now, and the 3 people behind them.

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

sheet sign up is not an option, the guy I work for insists that we use the slips, i.e. advertisement. Guess I have to run the show his way until I get my own system.

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Kimbers - "Sing it like you mean it"

a friend of mine has a leaderboard program he uses on a laptop...

I'll have to check out where he got the program. I BELIEVE it was shareware too!!

There is no reason why you can't have both. They need to write down the songs so they remember the numbers when they get up to write down the numbers on the sheet...

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A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn...that was fun!"

Sorry guys I have been way too busy to get around the forums as I once did. On the issue of closing the rotations, I have to close mine many time by between 11:15 and 11:30 for my 9 to 1 shows and I still can run 30 minutes over. That is usually the latest I run. I announce that I will not take any more names several time before closing the board and then I write NO NEW NAMES when I will take no more new singers so I can take care of the people patronizing me for the evening.

I also have had to cap a round if the wait will be 2 hours or so. It is unfair for people to walk in after doing whatever they wanted and then leave or keep taking new patrons. Those people who came in early many before 30 minutes into the show deserve to sing their next song after spending and waiting loyally. The people who wait won't have that same length of time til they can sing. Many wait.

A few get mad that they can't have their way but that is up to them. Some that come in once I have close the taking of new names to finish out the business I have get upset as well but I tell them come in early. Most do the few primadonna's don't. I have it all posted clearly on dry erase board in 2 colors one for the name and one to check off singers as they sing.

I place a zero if they choose not to take that turn. They sing when they get back around to them in their spot in line. If they leave they get removed from the rotation. If they return and we are still on that round they are put on the board and sing on the next round in that place while others that come in sing in that round unless it is closed.

EVERYONE WAITS.

Those who wait patiently and patronize my venue are who WILL sing, those that don't want to wait can see what I am doing and decide if they want to stay and sing or go elsewhere. I am open about what I do behind the machine. I don't skip people, take bribes, play favorite, or sing except at the top of the round, and drop out occasionally.

Figure 4 minutes per singer at most 5 and count where you are and where the round or another round will take you. You should begin to know how the crowd drops off as the night goes on. It will come over time.

PS: Keep a thick skin and don't be afraid to say NO, you are in the pilot's seat - in control.

I run my rotation, in order, until I run out of time. To me, that's the fairest way to do it.

Singers who know they want to sing a lot should practice getting to a show early. The earlier you show up, the more turns you get.

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

I've been the one more song kinda guy for years. As the evening rolls on and the booze flows the crowd gets more involved, and this is when I like to sing the best. I guess I just don't want it to end. I'm an attention addict, I admit it. I've taken up collections for the KJ, in the honky tonks I sing in you'd be surprized what people throw in the hat. Yes I got money, but keys, condoms, bar chips, and on and on... I've paid large tips. I've done a lot of things.

Unfortunately, getting that last song isn't always that great of an experience.

Charging $5.00 a song would work. Why not just split it with the bartenders. As for that $20.00 thing, well the singers I know couldn't afford it.

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