Karaoke Forums

Since moving to Hawaii I have fallen in love with Karaoke, which is huge out here. I'm now moving back to my home town on the mainland USA and am thinking about starting a karaoke business. I want to open a karaoke box (i believe that is what they call it in Japan), which is rooms available for rent with karaoke machines in each. I'm currently putting together a business plan/proposal and have done some research on the internet. One thing I have noticed is that there are "Karaoke Servers" that feed individual machines in each room music data files. The one manufacturer that keeps popping up in google is Unify out of China.

My questions is does anyone have any advice on karaoke servers? Are there others? Which are the best? Are there any distributors or manufactures in the US? Has anyone every set up a server system and maybe have some good advice?

I would also love to know where would be a good place to go for someone who is new to the business and gather valuable information about starting a karaoke box.

All comments are welcomed.

Do you have a relatively large Asian population there? If you don't, I would think twice about opening one. It seems to be cultural, and I am not sure how karaoke boxes would go over in Cincinnati or Indianapolis.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

We have 2 such places here in Austin. Check out www.thehighball.com to see their themed rooms. Austin Karaoke is more geared to the Asian audience.

Jonn

The Pulse in NYC has another look too. And this is located in Times Square, very classy.

I don't agree with needed an Asian population in order for karaoke boxes to work. The people I go with are of all races. As far as it being a cultural thing... maybe... but one could say that Chinese food was a cultural thing or karate or even basketball. If people love to do it and know where to find it, they will come.

I don't know the brand they use (I think it comes out of Korea and may be the one mentioned below) but there is a Karaoke Box business in Athens Ga, that depends largely on a non-asian community (although it they do get some Asian patrons).

I don't think a Karaoke box would go over without being associated with a restaraunt however. The business seems to depend on people having private dinner parties.

As far as I can tell, at least this automated karaoke machine runs on a different format for the songs (ie they are some sort of vidieo). It appears the machine is run as a service, and the restaraunt does not have the option of choosing their songs except from those provided by the maker of the system. Being an Asian-based company the song list is definitely tilted away from English, and only about 10% of the 30,000 or so songs they have are in English.

With only 3k English songs, and many unusual ones at that, there are some limitations with the song list that could hurt a business dependent on Non-asians. Especially as it appears the machine cant be supplemented by Mp3+G from other company's songs. I think the business would do much better with just a few hundred more common English songs that they lack (and are on the SC bricks for example). Its not that 3k songs is not enough it is just that so many of the 3k they have are obscure.

The karaoke system they use might be unifykaraoke.com. Based on the price of the songs these people seem to be selling, I seriously in doubt they are paying royalties to the original artists, making them an illegal pirated system with regards to US music copyright to the original artists. The standard rate is 9.1 cents per song copy of a cover version for royalties not including the Karaoke part, so there is no way 2000 songs can sell for $99 and pay royalties. Usually the royalties for the karaoke/words part is far more than the 9.1 cents and is in addition to the 9.1 cent rate.

We have a couple of those types of rooms here & have talked with some people (of all decents) and most that have stated they like them are primarily Asian. Most American singer would rather sing in front of a crowded bar scene.
Good luck.

BTW multiple rooms off of one server is illegal in the states, you'd need a separate set of original music for each room.

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

I wonder about the legality of multiple rooms on the same server as well, but I would think that it may be legal so long as the same song is not being used in different rooms at the same time.

If the system did not let the same song to be used simultaneously in two rooms, then it would conform to the 1 purchased copy/1 use at a time rule.

I'd have to disagree with that. If you have one copy served from a central location, and it is not transferred to another machine's disk, there is no reason that you couldn't use the same library as long as the same song was not played simultaneously on two machines.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Possibly, but definitely something to look into before actually putting it into use.
How hard would it be to use the same song in multiple rooms at the same time. I know when I worked at a company (not karaoke) there would be sometimes several people accessing the same file from the server at the same time.

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

I would believe it would be viewed much like this. If you owned one entire selection of discs only, and you had "rooms" to record in, and you played from disc, wouldn't be like just as easy as taking a disc into one room, letting them do their "thing" and record there. Then take that same disc when finished in that room and carry it into a different room for someone else to record there "thang". Wouldn't that apply to a file server as well? As long as the file server isn't being accessed to the same file at the exact same time, I wouldn't think it would be a problem at all. We are told by Sound Choice and Chartbusters,, that as long as we are 1:1 compliant, we are OK. I for one don't see anything wrong with only having one set of discs. As long as they are kept on the premises of the rooms in question.

It is quite easy to set up a file sharing system such that opening the file places an exclusive lock on it. It would be literally impossible for two to use the file at the same time.

The player has a part, too. If it puts the lock on at the beginning of the song and releases it at the end, that's all you need to do. If it just reads it to memory then releases it, it would be possible to play more than once. Presumably if you have a karaoke box server setup, that would be taken care of.

I believe CAVS has software that does this, and I remember someone else talking about it. It would also not be difficult to add to Toqer's AutoKDJ.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Say I have 5 Karaoke Rooms but there not under the same roof. 5 different venues with all the rig except the library is from a central server. With broadband I believe you could point Winamp's media library to a host server. I believe the rights from Karaoke Manus' also limits broadcast. Interesting thought.

I talked to Kurt Slep about this and you have it right. The easiest way to accomplish this (and still stay legal) would be to have 1 machine, with multiple desktops, and a multi IO sound card.

So basically as long as all your outputting is composite video (or hdmi) and audio from multiple cards on the same box, you're in the clear.

Hi

I run a private room karaoke club in Sarasota, Florida, called Kroaky's, which is geared to an American Audience. We have 10 private rooms and a public lounge.

I can answer any question you have about setting up a karaoke room business.

You can check us out at http://www.kroakys.com or on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kroakys/

We use Unify Karaoke's Karaoke Club Server system, which is a bit clunky, but it works. You can also simply set up the system on individuyal computer in each room.

Our understanding from our discussions with various Karaoke manufacturers is that you can use one complete set of songs per location.

In the coming year we will franchise our business, which will give would-be karoake room owners the benefit of our business methods, technology and experience.

Feel free to contact me via the private email system.

_________________
Kroaky's Karaoke

Just to be clear.... By location you mean room right? You're not saying that the same copy of a song can be used throughout the establishment at the same time are you?

_________________
Okay, who took my pants?

No, I am sure he means location, with one set of songs serving all rooms.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Hey Kroaky's, after looking at your website I definitely think you are on to something there.

As a singer, I'm a bass, yet many of the songs I like are for tenors. When I go out to sing for fun, I like to give those songs a try on the nights my allergies aren't acting up and I'm well hydrated, but there are those sort of iffy nights where "hmmm maybe I could do it, but I'm not sure". I'd love it if I could go into a little room, pay a buck or two and decide whether to risk really going for it in front of the crowd in the main lounge or not. I'm also thinking your idea would be a great way to buy new karaoke tracks.

Hello again

One location means one establishment with multiple rooms. It would be impossible to make the business work if you needed separate sets of songs for each room.

We have a lot of people who come in to practice on their own (and also to record their performances) but most of our business is for groups who come for karaoke parties.

Karaoke rooms are a complementary activity to traditional karaoke bars. At our location we have private rooms and a public lounge with a KJ. Good and/or drunk singers will always want to perform in front of a crowd in our lounge, but most people do not have the skills, confidence or bravado to get on stage. Private rooms are great for them because they are in a soundproofed room with their close friends and can try songs without embarrassing themselves in public.

Often we also see people who come in on a busy night going into the rooms so they can actually sing instead of having to wait for a long time to get into the rotation. Or they might not like the songs or singers in the lounge so they go to their own room.

Another advantage is that that you can sing songs in the room that you would never be able to sing on stage - for example you can sing every Pink Floyd song one after the other, or try a whole set of songs from a musical.

We do a lot of birthdays and company parties where they don't want to share the lounge with other people.

Our rooms are also open to all ages so, unlike a traditional karaoke bar, we have lot of kids and teen karaoke parties - creating the next generation of karaoke fans!

I am sure that over the next few years you are going to see a lot of karaoke rooms opening up around the US and a lot more people enjoying karaoke.

_________________
Kroaky's Karaoke

I've been to these rooms in Seattle area in the past where they did have a full set of discs in each room and they are as far as I know still in business. Not my preference so don't keep tabs on them.

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