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I only refuse long songs after 12:30 when it's a super busy night and I explain that the objective is to get as many singers in before the end of the night as possible. No one has ever had a problem with that.

Years ago, I had an idiot that would come in at 1:30 with an unlabled cassette tape (which we had a player for), and tell me the song was all cued up and ready to play (it was) and it would go on for 8 minutes.

He learned very quickly that if he couldn't tell me the length, or he was wrong, he could leave his cassette at home. He finally got it.

I understand. That's what most do, and I don't worry about it much anymore. But when I was only a singer, I learned to dread the people who never had a song shorter than 5 minutes. One guy put Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, American Pie, and Scenes From An Italian Restaurant in succession.

So I determined that if I did a show, it would be different.

I have a good friend who's been a KJ for a long time, and I (naively) asked him if he hated it when someone put in American Pie. He said, "Why? It just means I get to take a dump."

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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.

I scan all my files for "duration" and all songs over 5 min 15 seconds gets moved to the "too long file". My actual advertised allowable song length is 5 minutes, but I will allow a little bit more. I feel that nobody wants to hear any singer for longer than that regardless of their singer ability. And, yes, there are those that always sing long songs.

Yep. Got one like that now.... he must have memorized every single 6,7 and 8 minute song in the world.... It must be that he thinks the longer he gets to stand there, the more of a star he will become....

It's closer to being "the more of a pain in the A__ he is."

We don't have any seconds or minutes counters unless they are visiting KJs or people from other shows/towns. So we haven't put any limits on anything as so far there hasn't been much abuse.

American Pie is my catch up song. One visiting KJ made a comment about it being unfair so I referred him to the 11 minute Jackson Browne song if he wanted equal time. One day someone is actually going to know that one and take me up on it.

Hmmm.
As it happens Jane, I also have SC's American Pie.
The first time I let it run.
The singer never having heard that version before could not believe how long it was. Me neither.
Thankfully my desk has a volume fader.
There are some songs however that I find I am unable to fade.

At MY shows we call any song over 6 minutes "puppet" songs....you are allowed to sing them as long as you do so standing on your head (I do provide a cushion)....these songs were named after the song "Master of puppets" and surprisingly enough we end up with people hunting for the long songs just to be able to sing upside down This works for me but I am unsure it could work as well for others

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Most of the songs I sing are within the 3-4 minute mark. Some of the songs I sing fall into that 5-6 minute category (especially my Broadway selections). I do have a few longer songs (such as "For Crying Out Loud" - a 9 minute song), which I reserve for those nights when there are hardly any singers participating, or it's a "two-fer" type show (where I would consider that to be my 2 songs for that turn).

I don't worry about song length at all. Long songs don't happen that often.

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I do allow "long songs", but only 2, maybe 3 a night, and not after 12:00 if it is a BUSY night. Gives me time to catch my breath, reorganize slips, get a bunch more songs qued up, have a smoke, take a pee, fill up my water, socialize with the crowd, ect....

I actually pride myself on the silly amount of 6+ minutes songs I own, a few even reaching 8-9 minutes long. Funny thing is, at my shows, "American Pie" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" are the least sung. People reach for "Roundabout" by Yes, or "Width of A Circle" by David Bowie. It helps that we can pull off three part harmonies with "Roundabout". Now, I agree that after 12 or so, I don't allow them, simply to fit more people in at the end of the night, but at the beginning of the night? Prog out with your Moog out, I say.

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Wam bam thank you m'am.

First of all, i care VERY MUCH about long songs. And YES the singer matters. Bottom line, do you want 8 minutes of nails on chaulk board suckatude clearing your bar?

Sorry Lonman, I am not blessed with that understanding an audience or employers, and the entertainment value of a performance is rather important to my continued employment.

The other thing is I have many things timed out, especially the fact I have to quit at exactly 1:30... or i can't go over anyway. Reciepts rung after 2am can cause the bar to be fined, so getting them out in a timely manor is very important.

So, I look at who is singing, and i will certainly get to that cut off point, where I'm trying to fit in the new singers and wanting the show to end on a high note, and that usually means ending with a know good performer. Its a bit of a juggling act, and an 8 minute song can throw the entire thing off kilter. In the beginning of the night, when the rotation is light, I don't really care too much about it, but I will cut a performance if a singer intentionally sabotages their own song with foul lyrics not part of the song, microphone screaming, racial epitaphs, etc.... and I'm very cautious with long songs.

"I don't like karaoke, but I like your show."

That's what people tell me all the time, and that's my reputation, and I'm certain that it is because I care about these things. I care about those who came to listen to the show not sing, and even those PAYING customers who don't participate but will be listening to the show regardless.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

I have an very large amount of customers that have large collections of original cdg's that have made compilation discs. They insist on singing their version, and that is understandable. However, one of my customers requested American Pie (on a busy night) so I accommodated by using a shortened version. When the song stopped far short of his expectations he asked me about it and I told him my reason. He knew I had a five minute rule and still reqested an 8 minute song. Time went by (months) and he gave me a CGD (compilation disc) just before getting onto the stage to sing (which prompted another policy change), and to my horror it was the long version of American Pie. I let him sing it but I was more than unhappy with his very sneaky approach.

What I did to solve this problem is:
1) I must have all song requests and customer CDG's before getting up to the stage.
2) I added a small TV (see photo) that I can preview the song while another song is playing on the computer. That way I know what they are giving me before they get on stage. I use a splitter and it is split between the CDG payer and the A/B switch. I also use a small compressor with LED lights to SEE exactly when the first note of the song starts so that I can pause the song exactly at the start and remove the dead air from the the customer CDG perfectly every time.

Get better singers! Nah i'd rather have two 4 minute performances of nails on chalk board suckatude clearing the bar...... No difference in that respect.

Huh?

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