Karaoke Forums

Some points are really funny. Man, so many haters in this world…always trying to put someone down. I say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Karaoke is here to stay & will be here for a long long time until I’m old & gray. Hey, wait – I'm pretty much approaching that stage already.

http://www.karaokesucks.net/

Their mission is to rally people to join their alliance movement P.A.K. (People Against Karaoke). Click on their guestbook to read hilarious comments by bloggers.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

About 10 years ago I lived in Virginia, and one of the local music stores that I bought PA gear from was selling that guys 'Karaoke Sucks' t-shirts.

I bought like 3 of the shirts and started wearing them to my karaoke gigs.. singers loved 'em.. I eventually went back and bought the rest of the shirts to give away as prizes to singers.

When the guy came into the music store and saw all the shirts were sold (after having hung on the wall for almost a year without selling a single one) he was all happy.. until the music store guy told him it was a KARAOKE GUY who had bought 'em.

Guess the dude came uncorked.

That's an old site, I brought it up a few years back. Actually bought a shirt that I wear hosting on occasion! Looks like nothing has been updated since 06.

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

I was gonna add that word "old site" but I forgot.

Here's another old site. A dedicated facebook page for “karaoke sucks”. The nerve of these people calling themselves “musicians”.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8451043892
(click on “wall”)

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Yeah doesn't look like that one's had any activity for a few months either. It was probably started by a 'pro' singer that lost a karaoke contest or something !

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

Can't find my original thread, but here is one from 04.
http://karaoke-forum.com/viewtopic.php? ... raokesucks

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

Funny thing is many Karaoke Host are musicians and or have been members of bands.

Many have gotten tired of prima donna additudes, drug addictions, alcohol soddened band mates who can't show up for gigs (or pratice), it eventually becomes such a hassle trying to deal with an idiot drummer who can't keep time when he is toasted, a lead player who thinks his guitar is the only thing that should be heard in the mix and a bass player who can't hit the same line twice in a row.

Who wants to be in a band that can't get booked twice in the same venue?

What do you do with all that PA gear you purchased for the band? You put it to use making money with DJ and KJ gigs!

Thanks for the thread, Lon. Can’t believe that site’s almost 8 yrs old. The first blog entry in their guestbook was May 2003 & the last was dated August 2010. Still a fun site to visit just to get a good chuckle.

Borrowing from immortal words uttered by Forrest Gump (modified) I say this to the karaoke haters: “Ignorant is as ignorant does”.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I thought this thread was gonna be about a Bon Jovi song parody.

Hey, that's how I got started in karaoke. I played in bands for about 3 years and owned the main PA we used to play out, which consisted of a Yamaha mixing amp and two Yamaha BR12 speakers.

Being in a band is much more fun than being a KJ, but almost NO ONE should join a band thinking they are going to make money. You do it for the lifestyle, not the cash. Being signed as a musician is pretty much like making the NFL or NBA, only about 1% of athletes make it, then most of them only have 3-4 year careers. If you are not a top 1% talent (or whatever), you are probably NOT going to make a living being a musician.

Even in my BEST band, which did 90s rock covers and a few originals, where everyone was fairly talented in what they did, we averaged about $250-300 a show, which was then split 4 ways (5 ways if you count the night's bar tab!). Of course, we were smart enough not to quit our day job.

BUT, when it came time that I outgrew the band lifestyle, I had a useless PA on my hands and nothing to do with it. Literally days before I was about to sell the PA, I was with some friends at a karaoke show and the KJ quit on stage about 1/2 way through the show. Being that I could run a soundboard, I told the owner that I could finish the show. I was literally shaking, and did a REALLY bad job, but I got through the show and got hired by the bar at $150.00 a night.

Now $150.00 a night split ONE way can pay some bills!

So, almost 8 years later (and an upgrade to a better bar with better pay), I figure I've made about 160K off karaoke while keeping my day job. Karaoke has literally changed my life financially.

I'd say that's better than about 95% of working musicians out there!

I'm not claiming that karaoke somehow trumps live music in terms of "artistic value," and those who write and perform good, original music will ALWAYS have a place in every town, but when you compare your average cover band to a good karaoke show, there is no comparison, the good karaoke show will outdraw, and by extension out-entertain, almost every time.

Not to mention that now I have a better PA than 90% of working bands, but that's a WHOLEEEE other topic

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I have my feet in both boats. My side of the house is karaoke, hubby's side is band/recording. We have a garage full of equipment, a van full of equipment, a studio full of instruments, a computer full of karaoke music, and a closet full of CDGs.

We are both professional musicians - in fact until a few years ago I was always in hubby's bands. But my background was more of singing/dancing, and hubby has been a bass player forever.... now just fronts. Different band now and realistically, only one person in a family can be in a band.

I have fought the "karaoke sucks" thing for years - and it is only until one of our misguided musician friends comes to one of our shows that they persist in that mantra. Believe me, I understand it - I have been to those, "oh no, it's karaoke" and have run out the door. It can be torture, but of course all shows are different. If done correctly it is a very, very viable form of entertainment and I believe can make more money for a bar than a live band more nights than not...and more money for the artist for sure.

I bought my first equipment in 1997 and bought specifically with the fact in mind that it should also double as band equipment since both of us had that background. It has worked well for us.

As a lover of all things music and someone who also has his hands in just about every aspect of the music industry (to varying extents of course), I've never understood the musician's perspective on Karaoke. I love MUSIC. I don't understand how a paradigm that allows people who would otherwise be excluded to take part in the sharing of music could ever be bad. Yes there are some awful singers that destroy songs and our ears in the same process. However, if they have fun and get to share a small piece in something that we all seem to love, why is that so wrong?

Music is something primal, it goes far beyond talent, theory and knowledge. I mean consider this, how is it that a person with no musical talent or knowledge of music theory can have the same foot tapping response to music as someone who works in it every day? There's a much deeper almost (I hate to use the cliche) spiritual connection that music creates between people. So allowing others to have a share in that to me should be encouraged not shamed.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Yeah, haters hate.

I want one of those t-shirts. Hell, I want to make my own and put my logo on them so I can sell them at my shows.

Then there's that other thing about singing karaoke that makes it so addictive.

Applause.

Where else can a music lover go and enjoy the sound of appreciation and encouragement?

I can't tell you how many people I don't know have told me that as scary as singing at karaoke may be for them, the feeling they get when the audience approves trumps all.

No judgements, no apologies, just having fun - with music.

"There's no crying in baseball!" -Jimmy Dugan (A League Of Their Own)

"There's no sorry in karaoke!" -Sandman (Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat)

I, too, am a 'band guy' who still enjoys getting together and jamming with other musicians, but just got sick of all the hassles involved in keeping a band together.

What has killed live music isn't DJ's or KJ's.. its that bands frequently play what they WANT to play, not what the CROWD wants to hear.

Being an entertainer means you entertain the crowd, not yourself.

D-bags like the KaraokeSucks guy can rattle on about how DJ's and KJ's hurt 'real' musicians.. but hold the phone.. Mr. KaraokeSucks is well known for playing the lounge circuit with... CANNED MUSIC!

That's right.. the same uber tool that wants to blame Karaoke for putting hard working musicians out of work is the same dillrod that plays guitar along with sequenced MIDI tracks to save from having to pay REAL MUSICIANS to back him up.

What a turd burglar.

Cool, my guest book entry is still there. In fact the FIRST ONE.
"Like it matters" was my name there.

So they're anti-karaoke but pro-cover bands??? There's live bands for karaoke singers now, guess they're anti them too?

Hi Twansenne – I went back to the site to re-read your post from their guestbook. You really hit the nail on the head by telling it like it is & for them to grow up & face reality.

Like I said, karaoke will be around for a long time. There will always be amateur singers who enjoy singing in a room full of people, even if they’re a little out of tune, audience still clapping, cheering, showing their enthusiasm & appreciation to them as the entertainer. They know they’re not famous but for 3-4 minutes at a time they felt like a star.

It’s an outlet, self-expression & a chance to realize how it feels like to be living in a dream. And even if we don’t, well, it’s still better than staying home on a Friday or Saturday nights.

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I changed the title - I didn't want readers thinking that OUR site was giving karaoke a bad name!

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Phill Cross
Webmaster, Host Provider & Part-Time “Technical” Problem Solver

KJ / MC


services provided by:
CROSS WEB TECH

Good call, Phill. I just now realized that one heteronym word I typed can have two different meanings. Thanks. I appreciate it!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

Great post! Nothing cliche about it though - music bsolutely DOES connect to the spirit.