Karaoke Forums

I browse the karaoke Craigslist ads here in town from time to time in case I can find a better offer on a new gig, and I found a gem:

"Reliable karaoke needed ASAP. Large bar seeks professional karaoke. Must have large music selection. You will be plugging into our house system, but must have computer/disc player, etc. Pays $13.00 an hour for 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.. Must have a large following. Please contact XXX-XXX-XXX."

So I write this guy. I was pretty professional, though a bit toungue-in-cheek. I tell him I have a large following and a large music selection, give him all my qualifications, etc.. I tell him, however, that I have about $8500.00 invested in music, and at $13.00 an hour for a 4 hour show, I would have to play 163 shows over a 3+ year period at his bar just to break even. Then I tell the guy that if he wants anyone even half-way decent, he needs to pay them $100-125 for a 4 hour show, and I launch into the legalities of hard drive music. Anyway, the guy writes back:

"$13.00 an hour is very generous in this area. We have received interest from several people already, so our pay rate is right on with today's down market. Our bartenders don't make much more than that, and their job is far more work. Anyway, you are obviously not what we are looking for. Good luck finding a better place to work with your expectations."

Funny stuff, huh? I make $175.00 for 4 hours in the same area. What a great place this bar must be if the bartenders aren't even making any $$$. $52.00 for a 4 hour show?? The sad thing is they will find someone that will take it at that rate. I should go ahead and put this bar on the SC list, because whoever takes the job is not going to be able to afford it on purchased discs!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I can't even give a party (at my house) for $52.00, so how does this guy figure that he can have his WHOLE BAR entertained for that amount. He must be a REAL GEM to work for.

Rosario

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I heard this for the 1st time at the one of the last venues I KJ'd at. The owner told me, as he's handing me less money than we agreed on, "I know it's less than what you asked for, but I think $20/hr is pretty good pay" So the next coversation we had and he started spouting off about overhead and how he can't make money and such. I said, we'll KJing is NO different, the 4hrs here at the bar is the easy part.....you miss all the overhead and such that goes into putting on a show. Now, $20/hr for using house system and most of house music, I might understand. Everyone wants something for nothing.....MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

I had a bar try something like that one time. I just chuckled and told them "Hey, you can probably even find someone who will work FREE if you give them a bar tab and a meal. But believe me...you get what you pay for."

And it is SO true.

That might have been better than how I handled it. I would have told him I don't put my equipment into the truck for $20/hr.

I had a guy come up to me during a show and ask where else I played. When I told him that bar was my only gig he told me that he can arrange all the karaoke gigs I wanted and I could be making $150 a night working them with him taking $50/night for setting them up and maintaining the bar. I roundly balked at that and he gave me the old "Well you're not making money with the equipment sitting in the garage" which made me laugh and tell him I wasn't going to be making money running things like he suggests either.

Why don't folks understand the upkeep like wear and tear and music updates cost? It baffles me.

next time go in with friends order dinner and drinks for all --when they give you the check --give the waitress $20 and tell him thats what you feel is good.

Years ago I had a bar offer me a low rate - I can't remember how much. I said no thank you I'm not interested. He proudly said - That's more than minimum wage.

I didn't even know how to respond to that. I sat there thinking is he joking. I remember pausing a long time before responding. Once I explained my fees, he said he wouldn't pay that much.

He really thought he was offering me a good price

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

" Our bartenders don't make much more than that, and their job is far more work"

Well that maybe very well be true, BUT the bartenders don't supply the booze to the bar for the night, either!!!

MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
Visit MrD on facebook - mrdsentertainment
& on myspace - larrynance[/highlight]

Pretty funny stuff!

But I bet with tips, most bartenders make more than the KJ.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Yup...on an average Saturday night during my 5 hour shift, I make $175.00, the bartenders make about $275.00 (for a 7 hour shift), and the owner grosses about $4500.00.

I've seen the bartenders leave on a BUSY night with as much as $400.00, but even a SLOWWW night is usually around $200.00 for them, so they ALWAYS make more than me.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

That's just what I was going to say! It's not unusual for a bartender in a busy bar to make $100 or more in tips for the night.

I've seen such hourly rates offered by bars looking for a host, except the bar not only has their own sound, but their own house karaoke system and library.

I'd love to go by that venue and see exactly who/what they get for that hourly rate. No doubt it will be someone with a bootleg hard drive or someone who owns only the SGB library.

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[font=Lucida Console]DangerousKaraoke.com[/font]
[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

The irony is, if you want to charge a fair price because you don't use stolen music, the owners act like YOU are the one trying to rip off people.

It is amazing and depressing that a bar that is grossing $4500 only pays the KJ $175. We only get $100 but by comparison your till brings in 9 times more than ours.

A lot of people don't seem to understand that working for wage is different than operating your own business.

When I started my consulting business 17 years ago, I was planning on charging $45.00 per hour. I talked to a couple of people, and read a book. All said I was crazy, that I should charge $100.00 per hour. I though that no one would hire me at that rate, but I listened about why you can't lowball and set it to $85.00 per hour. I soon had all the business I could handle, and raised my rate quickly.

An independent consultant or operator cannot work 40 hours a week. You have to do marketing, research, upkeep, etc. Plus you usually have overhead and equipment costs. If you look at the investment required to set up a karaoke business, it is substantial. $200.00 per gig barely makes you a living wage if you do it 5 times a week. That is why so few people do this stuff fulltime.

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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.

You're right. Our Bartenders recieve base shift pay of $35 and tips are in the $200 (on a slow night) to $400+ (on a busy night and private parties) a night on average with some nights occasionally going even higher. This is typical for a members bar in our area.

I'm obviously in the wrong business. Bartenders don't have to buy much to stay in business do they. If that owner thinks your job is easier, let him do your load in and load out And Jam, loved your idea. Oh what the heck, get on the mic and tell the whole bar to pay whatever they feel like for their drinks. Bet he'd love tht

Classic

Wow.
Sod Karaoke!

All I can say is that nearly 10% of the people in this country are currently un-employed, and 17% are under-employed.

Yes not everyone can be a decent KJ but certainly some of that 10% have the ability, and can use the extra cash, even if it is less than many of us would take.

Even without unemployment, being a KJ once or twice a week works well with many day jobs as most gigs are after 9-5 working hours. A lot of people want that extra cash too.

Considering many people spend 4-5 hours in a bar one night or more a week, it is not that big a sacrifice for them to get paid 42-65$ to do it.

I've seen a guy who did karaoke for $50 a night, but he probably drank another $100 in free beer. You can guess what the show was like after he got the first $50 worth of beer in him.