Karaoke Forums

I don't feel targeted.

I don't feel I am obsessed with the number of songs I sing. I mentioned the number to explain how I was happy that it turned out well. But I try and be honest, and the honest response is that I do like to sing.

I don't drink, so if karaoke is not going on I have absolutely zero desire to be in a bar. I avoid them like the plague unless there is karaoke. Drinking is not a spectator sport.

What I like is good audience and singing enough to make it worthwhile. Sitting for an hour waiting to sing to a good audience? Cool. Sitting for two hours to do same? I won't make the trip.

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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.

From our part of the world, I have never undersood why karaoke and dancing are considered exclusive by some. It can become the goal of some singers to have dancing. When people get that thrill, they start thinking of dance songs to sing.

When I first started going to karaoke, I was just accompanying a singing friend and didn't sing myself but went for the dancing. So I never considered needing music without live singing on it to dance to for karaoke. These days people seem to want to seperate it out. I really don't care--what works for someone works for them. I just wanted to point out that dancing to karaoke also works.

Well the good thing at our gigs here in So. Texas, is most of our singers sing music you can dance to...We still play one or two dj dance songs (requests) after every rotation, seems to work for us, the customers like it, they keep coming back, and the bars are making money...So, we keep doing it that way...

Jon

If the show starts to drag (too many slow songs in a row), I will offer a free drink (whatever they normally drink) to the next 2 singers that change their songs to a dance song. If I get no takers, either I jump in with a dance song, or I play a DJ song. It is amazing how a small jump start will energize the rest of the night.

got an odd venue i guess, if i play Cupid Shuffle, the place explodes. anything else, even requested from the girls who want to dance, and they sit there. nobody will dance to anything but the Cupid Shuffle no matter what, cant figure it out. so.............i keep playing karaoke for the 30+ singers who are already waiting nearly 2 hours to get their second song in.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

I agree in fact i see it as a compliment and so do many of my customers when people dance to songs they are singing. It is just that so many singers sing , songs you wouldn't normally dance to on a weekend night ..........for example one of the chasers sings..

Ain't that a kick in the head , That's life, and City of New Orleans ....now in all the time i have seen him sing these in many venues he gets good amount of applause to very good amount but very rarely dancers , his two friends are not as good as him vocally wise and one has a slow ponderous voice... one of them sings Folsom prison blues but almost as if its in slow motion , he takes all the foot stomping goodness out of it. and again in all the time i have heard him sing it not one person has danced to him.

They really want the whole pub to stop and pay total attention to the singers so you can hear a pin drop..to hear them.

You have to remember country music the general public will dance to is next to non existent in The UK

I tend to sing songs not just for myself but for what i think people will like when I go out as a karaoke singer. so mustang sally , jump in the line ,all right now , cry to me, superstition etc will and do get people moving and dancing..


Drinking in Manchester is a spectator sport and competitive .....many will go out to see others getting "messy" blowing there wages and brain cells on Jagger bombs , cheeky vimtos and absinthe and hopefully between swigs singing on karaoke... then posting the results on facebook

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"Your Never Fully dressed without a smile."

To Visit my website Rob Star Entertainments Click the link in my profile

"Strangers are just friend we haven't met yet"

Don't know how that could work, i've been at the same club 7 nights for nearly 20 years. However our singers generally don't do the same songs over and like to choose stuff that they haven't done as a rule. Sure we will get those that only have a handful and do not branch out, but that is not the majority. I have several singers with over 300 songs listed in their singer history for the last year alone. Most have anywhere from 50-150 different songs they have done last year. Buying what the singers want also help to introduce new songs into the mix - along with the monthly releases, I probably get up to 100 new songs every month specifically requested by the singers.As far as others in the crowd, they are there WITH the singers and the dance floor is open - and gets used (many of our singers also sing danceable songs). Plus I see many that are just there to watch and listen every week, they do not want to sing, but enjoy watching others. We do tend to get better than avg singers most nights so that also helps, there are those nights you'd rather have a gun to your temple, but not as a rule.
I will do through in the Cha Cha Slide or Cupid Shuffle (some line dance) every once in a while, usually requested by singers as well, but no other regular dance music.

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

We get the Cupid Shuffle request, also. Two other shows nearby made it a habit to play it each night and if we get people from those shows, they think we don't know how to run karaoke if we don't do it, too. It doesn't matter if people are singing songs with the same beat. It has to be the Cupid Shuffle. This one person was calling me names and saying I was being mean and obnoxious because I wouldn't play it but it was because we didn't have it at that time. I recenly found a karaoke version (on Karaoke Version) and was going to spring it on them for a joke next time they came in but haven't seen them since before the holidays. The few times we compromised and played it for them, only 3 people danced--.

But we went to yet another show in "the big city" and when the karaoke was done for the night, the first song the DJ played was the Cupid Shuffle and the youngun's rushed the dance floor. So you are not alone, Paradigm.

The cupid shuffle never made it to our shores ..cha cha slide yes but not the cupid shuffle

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"Your Never Fully dressed without a smile."

To Visit my website Rob Star Entertainments Click the link in my profile

"Strangers are just friend we haven't met yet"

We can send it over.....

I also think that age group makes a difference. We tend to 30s and up with the 21 year olds that do come in preferring "the classics" or country. Other shows that cater to the scream and puke crowd have better luck with the mix, I think. We encountered a certain type of karaoke young crowd that didn't care how many times they sang or in what order or if 50 people came up and joined them. The style of music they liked was not easily mastered by the masses so I'm sure that interspersing some would be welcome. I know of shows that have broken every rule and are still mobbed or last for years so I don't think there has to be rules. Just clarity as to what to expect.

That's an interesting point in the UK people legally can drink from 18 so that means kids of 14 and up try it on getting in venues..with fake internet ID being good enough for some door staff. so our pub crowds do sometimes depending on the pub and location have younger crowds.

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"Your Never Fully dressed without a smile."

To Visit my website Rob Star Entertainments Click the link in my profile

"Strangers are just friend we haven't met yet"

Well, your group only dances to the cupid shuffle?

What if you you put up the cha cha slide, and then cue point stutter mixed (That point in the song where he starts talking... you have the 'to the left' cue pointed and skip over it) the 'to the left, to the left, to the left' from cha cha, added a minor back spin and went right into cupid? (The idea being that the first step in Cupid is to the left).

The other thing is to dance mix, and then lead into a singer with a dancing song. I do that all the time. I don't buy drinks, but I do know my singer's histories and if they request a downer song when I need an up, i'll suggest a more upbeat song.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

The Cupid Shuffle is practically an oldie here.... they are on to "The Wobble" now....

oh yeah, the wobble rocks!

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

karaoke and dancing can go together. Just last friday night i was having a miserable time because there were so many people singing *i don't do well in large noisy crowd* but then I got up and sang "Shake Sinora" by Harry Belefonte *some of you will know it best from the movie Beatleguese" and the whole atmosphere changed.. Half way thru the song, there were about 90 people doing a conga line around the bar.


I was really flattered..

-James

I sing jump in the line (shake senora) too , that does get them dancing...well done on the conga reaction !
CLICKY

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"Your Never Fully dressed without a smile."

To Visit my website Rob Star Entertainments Click the link in my profile

"Strangers are just friend we haven't met yet"

Gosh what alot to pick through. You've got a really negative attitude. Hell I thought I was bad enough. The KJ in question is known to half the town where I'm from. He is also well in with the pub owners who asked if he could do a slot on a Saturday evening to try and drum up trade. This he has done to a reasonable level. Well he couldn't do any worse. There was only the owners in on a Sat evening. . My original question is to guage how other KJ's run their shows, that's all. Not big myself up. Some opinions on our lad in question are that he's "given up" trying. Now I disagree. He was on top form that night. It's just that he was playing more music than getting singers up. He is there for karaoke, that's what he is booked for, but the owners just let him sort the evening. Judging by the comments I've heard, the owers should have given him instructions for the evening. You wouldn't believe the language he gets away with either. But that's another story...

ok I've read all the posts now and learnt some things. "Chasers" eh? Not heard of those. Send em to us We've only got about six singers and could do with a few more!! Last week I sang about 20 songs coz a friend (girl) wanted Karaoke on. I made her sing a few she wouldn't normally and got three lads at the bar to do a couple. Must have done a reasonable job as the dominoes players in the back room were singing along. We even have a couple who come in to listen to the karaoke and sing along.
PS Average age in our boozer is approx...60+ !!!!!! Even on a Friday night !!!!!

I have a very positive attitude to people who have been in the industry for many years and can still drum up new business even in dead venues..maybe rather than criticizing a guy who has been in the business that long about playing music on new years eve, actually learning from him and understanding why he does what he does and why he is popular would be a good idea.

It was a new years eve party ..check out any UK karaoke forum or uk facebook group and see if your approach of all karaoke on new years eve would get a positive response ..i can tell you most will not side on your way for a British pub ..but as you say yours is very quiet and full of over 60+ year olds

well if the saturday guy plays a bit of music , gets more and younger drinkers in and livens it up , that is good for business and keeps the place ticking over ..his work is making the doors open so you can have your dedicated karaoke night to 10 people.

i have seen small pubs that didn't want change and when the regulars passed away which regular drinkers at 60+ have a tendency to do the pub had to close as it was known as an old fart venue with stuffy, boring hosts.

A good DJ/KJ will get the balance right not peeing off all the old ones but be entertaining enough to get new younger people in.

If your offended by language , working as a KJ in a British boozer is not for you.. i dont like bad language and personally don't feel the need to use it over the mic , but some great hosts do use language in context of humour. Bruno in sheffield , matt in liverpool etc these are big guys on the UK karaoke scene.

I am a mod on a UK karaoke forum .
Here (US forums) and their (UK Forums) are very different in the approach KJ's take.. I know of only one who did all karaoke on new years but she is also a great entertainer and brilliant personality and even at that show they did music from 11:45 till 12:15

now if you can get your friday nights up to the level of customers who spend money over the bar that the other guy is getting on saturdays on a steady and regular basis then fair enough you will be on firmer ground and maybe you can make a karaoke only night be massive for the venue..but new years and Halloween many of us do karaoke till a certain time (like 10:30) then all music till the end or mix the night up with music to keep everyone entertained on new years eve

I am not negative but passionate and find some one from the UK working in publand saying a established Karaoke host played a lot of music on New years eve a naive question and not understanding of the UK business environment.

I have no animosity towards you and if you want a friendly chat i am available via pm or phone ..many on the UK scene will know that i always try to help people with the little i have learned over the years.. it was just that i taken aback at the criticism of a fellow professional on new years eve.If you have ever worked one you know how hectic it can be.

I hope your Friday gets busier and grows from strength to strength

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"Your Never Fully dressed without a smile."

To Visit my website Rob Star Entertainments Click the link in my profile

"Strangers are just friend we haven't met yet"

Sorry I should have said defensive not negative. Again, I posted this to find out how others ran their shows, just to see if our guy is doing something out of the ordinary. Judging by the responses on here, it would appear not. I have the uttmost respect for the guy in question and in fact have been defending him to others who have raised questions about the way he ran the NYE do.
It would appear that some people had the got the wrong end of the stick regarding how the evening was to be, ourselves included.
Anyhoo, to conclude. Thanks again for the responses. I am adding a few filler songs to my sd card, (for that is how I have my songs stored), to be used as "fillers".
PS Is it possible to again access to work in the US using the premise that I'm a KJ?