Karaoke Forums

Don't get simpler than this.

I'll work with a bar as far as any kind of restrictions like language, or announcing specials - even to running contests (again per my way), however as far as the show goes, if it's my company (providing equipment, music, etc.) I will run it my way from rotation to sound to updating & providing new music. You pour & serve drinks, i'll provide the entertainment. You do not tell me when to get anyone up or who - if they are not spending, then you have the right to oust someone for loitering, but that is not my job.
Now if it was the bar's equipment and you are hiring a kj only to run the bar's equipment, then the kj is now an employee of the bar & should host per the bar's instruction.

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

Lonman, exactly right.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I own my own equipment and songs. Even if I didn't I would hold the KJ to standards that I set. Granted they might not be happy with it and move on but the bottom line is if the customers aren't happy the venue suffers. It's not the KJ's job to bring the customers in or determine who they play to, it's the bar's. It's the KJ's job to entertain whomever shows up for the night. MANY things determine if a bar lives or dies and the entertainment is just one small item. If a customer is complaining about a certain KJ maybe the KJ would get in trouble if the person is someone I want to keep around. On the other hand if the person complaining is someone I would rather not have there I might give him/her a high five.


Part of the reason I do Karaoke every night of the week is because it gives me a great flexability to pander to my customers. I've taught all of my hosts how to play to the crowd that shows up. There is no reason to force "Your show" down the throats of the people that show up if they are not interested in hearing it.

Let me ask you a question. Would you rather play to 4 people singing in rapid rotation? Or play filler music all night for a packed house?

I was at a bar/restaurant one night where karaoke was advertised but the owner told the KJ to play filler music because a group of her friends wanted to dance. Most of the singers left that night and quite a few of them never went back there for karaoke. The place is no longer in business. I guess the owners friends weren't big spenders. They probably all expected to drink for free too because they were "friends" of the owner.

Don't advertise steak and serve hot dogs. Hot dogs may be meat but they are not steak.

I don't beleive in the HARD LINE approach for KJ'ing. I'm a firm believer in being flexiable and reading the crowd. Yes ...15 people waiting to sing ---karaoke is a priority. 3 people waiting to sing and 12 party goers looking to DANCE. - Yes put 3 songs up for the singers and then they will have to wait for some dance tunes before the 2nd rotation. Of course if the owner tells me something contrary ..then I do what the boss tells me. (unless I believe it to be BAD for business) at which time I will make my feelings known. Bottom line ..it's his money.

A good kj/entertainer/host should be able to adapt to each night and make the best of it.

I agree with Jam about flexibility but haven't had the experience yet where karaoke was advertised and people wanted dance music. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just haven't been there. Our approach is to try and get people dancing with karaoke. If things need livening up, we can ask a regular if they wouldn't mind doing one of their songs that gets people on the floor. Or if it is a small rotation we might do a dance song ourselves. Our bar tendress will actually come up and tell us that the drink buying is slowing down and we need to "get them thirsty."

If a club owner hires a host they are also hiring that host's expertise. The host isn't a robot carrying out each and every order. Give the host some credit for having come up through the trenches and developed skills for keeping various crowds happy. That's the JOB.

I'm sure everyone could come up with instances where the bar owner "knowing best" sabaotaged their show. The owner grabbing the mic from a good singer as she is finishing and saying, "How about we give her one more song," is the first that comes to mind.

Well never was too sure why anyone knowingly going into a karaoke club would request/want dance music. We run 7 nights as well & it's strictly karaoke (which is what people come in for) - people that want to dance, get out of their seats and walk to the dance floor and do so, dancing to karaoke music, now there is a concept!
Also if you are playing filler music at any time, it is no longer karaoke. Hopefully it isn't advertised as karaoke only, but karaoke/dj music.

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I have been on the other side of this, in an unjust situation. A friend tried to screw me out of my regular gig, and that venue is happy with me and has been for quite a while, because his son got fired from his KJ job, and he got fired for good reasons. Being so drunk he shoved a bartender, walked out mid-gig, frequently argued with his girlfriend in front of everyone, forgot about the singers, sang too much, took complimentary drinks from the bar and gave them to his friends, had people who didn't know what they were doing "fill in" when he didn't feel like working and paid them $20 of the $150 he was being paid every night, etc. There's probably more I don't even know about. But his son screwed up for a long, long time and the bar owner finally had enough of it.

So my friend calls up the bar I work at, a job which he quit and they gave me his days (I had 1 day a week and all the fill-in before that), and asked if his son could have my job. When they said no, he said HE would go back to work there and get his son his other KJ job. Again they said no. It took all of one day for this to get repeated to me.

What that experience taught me is, business is business. I'm still friends with the friend in the story, and we still cover private jobs for each-other, etc. But I would not get involved in a bar gig with him again, because he tried to screw me to help his idiot son, who lost a good gig through his own screw-ups.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Lonnie - most of the places I've seen around here are not "Karaoke Clubs"
They are just bars that offer Karaoke as one of the forms of entertainment.
Along with karaoke they may have pool tables, dart boards etc.
I've seen usually a mix of customers mostly singers on a "karoke night" but you do get many non singers who are just out for a good time ( which they can and do with the karoke singers) But some nights you can get a mixture that is MORE non singers than singers. So you have to juggle a little ( specially when the 4 singers you have are either bad or singing depressing songs)

I'll always give priority to singers to sing ..thats what they pay me for. But I have a problem just allowing the same 4 singer to keep singing back to back all night long without some MIX UP of music. I'll either play regular music or just start throwing some classic rock karaoke tracks up on the screen for a sort of sing along.

I was referring to TimP that runs 7 night karaoke - this is what i'd consider a karaoke club. Yes a bar that only runs a night here and there is a different story - however i'd still run it as karaoke only if that is what was being advertised and what I was hired for. If they want dj too, then that needs to be added to the ads - I will not mix in regular music on an advertised karaoke night.


That's where we differ. We get more singers at our shows because they know I don't play music. And if I only have 4 singers, then they get to sing - if it turns out they are doing less than desireable songs, that is the only time I will jump in at the end of each round to change it up - but keep it karaoke.

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

How do you change it up -but keep it karaoke Lonnie? By singing upbeat songs yourself?

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

You got it!

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

The new gig I'm doing know is like that --- It's small buy everyone there (including the onwers) expect Karaoke .. Thats what I am there for.

It might help that the average age of the customers is over 30 and one one is looking to dance ( It's in a liguor store so no one is dancing anyways )

Now that you've taken on this gig, has there been any fall-out from the friend you replaced?

Cue -- NO fallout

Spoken a few times and all is good

I'm glad it seems to to be working out for you Jam. My only point earlier was that KJ's have the power to cater to a large group at once and too often paint themselves into an entertainment "corner" by refusing to play anything else. Yes my bar does Karaoke every night and if there are 7 - 15 people there to sing then thats all we do. If there are 4-6, and there are never less then 4, then we mix it up a little and play some music that the crowd that is there for the night might want to hear. We are just a regular neighborhood bar but seem to be the only busy one in the area on a nightly basis.

You obviously have never met me.

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Kevin

Friend or not, there is an ethical way to handle it. Call the KJ and let him know that there have been complaints, and explain them- and let him know that you have been approached. After that, he either shuts up and lets the paying customers sing, or he loses the show. No fault to you.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

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