Karaoke Forums

I host two different shows at casinos in Northers California and they are great venues with big stages, lighting, etc. I have a pet peeve with the audiance or (non-singers) Recently I have noticed that people don't applaude the singers very much. Is this happening to just me? I have also noticed this in smaller bar venues. I do all I can to generate applause such as saying..Lets's give it up for..Put your hands together for...and other sayings to little effect. Any suggestions? and is this also happening to you? It really bugs me!!!!

Sandra announces we have 3 rules. If you don't sing, then you have to dance, if you don't dance, then you have to clap...Then afterwards goes to people who didn't clap and hands them a book. She can get away with it... They start claping after that, even with our bad singers...

Jon

having been in my place for 3 years, we can get away with literally saying "and this is where we clap" and if that doesn't catch it, next time it's "clap damnit!"
it aint just you, i have noticed it getting worse over the last year or so.

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

It was really bad at a local bar i went to on Friday - the host tried everything to get people to clap and it just wasn't happening.

Drove me crazy!

we seem to see this happen where people separate into "clicks" more than anywhere else. Our solution has always been to try and get people to blend more....but then again we have people dancing to our singers....bake them birthday cakes and play lots of games at our shows too.

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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

Amazing that this thread came up- I was about to start one. I have actually seen singers that come in with 3 or 4 friends, and even THEY don't clap! HUH?

I'm not computerized, but I have a sound effects box that includes applause. Sometimes I'll hit the button while yelling " ..AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!" for a wake up, or berate the bartender for putting Thorazine or Valium in the dr!inks, or some such.

I'll even call out the friends of the singers.. " Hey, I thought you guys were friends!" They generally start clapping as the night goes on, but I'm still kind of surprised that I've had to do this stuff....

I WILL say that this has been starting to happen in the larger venues, but not the smaller. I think maybe that the smaller venues may just be too intimate for people to get away with it. I think that this may also be why smaller venues ( for me) just always seem to be more appreciative in general.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

It varies for me... even at the same bar. Some nights they are loud, cheering, and rambunctious, and other nights they are statues. But the crowd varies... so some weeks the folks are really into it, others they are not.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

I use the sound effects applause as well.

I work 3 different bars during the week. The largest bar has t.v.'s everywhere, 9 pool tables, dart boards, large outside patio, ect. The other 2 dont have as much going on. I get good crowds in all three, but the smaller bars seem to have more crowd participation due to the fact there are less distractions. On ther other hand, as the level of intoxication rises, so does the crowd participation in all three! I also use lots of light, fog, lasers, what every it takes to keep the crowd focused on whats happening on stage.

I am new to all of this but that is something that struck me. I was at a karaoke event last week and was watching the crowd. Most everyone was having a conversation with friends as the singers were singing. I only noticed because my wife pointed it out. One woman in particular was laughing so loud it was resonating above everyone and everything including the singer. She was joking around with a barmaid. I thought that was extremely rude.

I'm new to all of this as I've said; is this normal? That is terrible. When I sang I looked around. A lot of people were having conversations too. There was a group of singers discussing what they would sing next. I knew that because they were discussing that throughout everyone's performance. Laughing? Now that is bad. I'm sure the poor singer was thinking they were being laughed at.

Tommy

Unfortunately it is becoming more the norm. Karaoke has lost alot of it's - let's say respect for other singers as it once had. I started singing karaoke in 89, started working in karaoke in 90. Back then it was pretty much standard everyone got applause - clap because they were good or clap because they were done! Today, unless it's someone who is just blowing the song away with greatness, nobody seems to give a chit anymore. I still try to get people going, but somedays are harder and harder.

On a different topic about getting people going, I when i'm working am always dancing, singing along (not aloud or to bother singer), and generally (what I thought) was encouraging the singer when I would look over and give them a smile & a nod when they are feeling unsure. I got yelled at from a singer last week. She said she thought "wow the dj is getting into my song, I must be doing alright" and started singing a little louder - she was a good singer. Then she came up to me later and told me "What a POS fake I am that I dance along with every song making EVERYONE feel like they are good!" I thought what the Hell?

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

Lonman, I do the same thing... and certainly, you are doing right. One thing I've learned is that people have their own issues, and there's nothing you can do. I would have just have said, "My job is to make sure people come here and have fun... when you were up there, did you have fun? Then what's the problem?" Smile and move on.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

So we take the good night with the bad nights. I will get singers you try to anticipate what the crowd might like. Thats ok, sometimes. I try to encourage "something they can dance to". A slow song is ok. but not all night. So when asked "what sould I sing?", I say DANCE MUSIC! Works everytime.

Same problem here. Hard to get my crowd to applaud to each and every singer. I always acknowledge ALL singers at the end of the song regardless of their performance i.e., “great job, let’s give her/him a round of applause”).

What irks me is when they applaud to their friends and not the rest of the singers. Or, little or no applause for the not so good singers, but a huge thunderous applause for the great ones. Grrrrr!

This might be a little tacky but I am considering buying and installing this studio applause sign. Maybe I'll get more response. What do you think?

http://www.juddpro.com/products/studio- ... -light.php

http://www.ebay.com/itm/APPLAUSE-Broadc ... 3ef23ea8c3

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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!

Had one we made for about a year, it was fun for novelty, but really didn't encourage applause, that's almost worse than no one applauding on their own, but having a big flashing applause sign flashing & still no one applauds!

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

When there are two of us at the show, I hoot and clap for each singer and people join in. When it is just me, I noticed things falling off and it seems even worse to ask a second time for applause--even though it is aimed at the audience, it is like pointing out to the singer that no one clapped......so lately I have been trying to remember to clap myself, even while trying to fade in the bumper music, open the machine and talk on the mic, etc. But it seems like an automatic response that when people hear clapping they kick in so it may be worth the few seconds delay in keeping things rolling to remember to set the example.

I love to get wild and excited, but I have seen some people that just go overboard! You should always encourage people to go up though and the applause keeps em coming back! The night would be dole without it!

Some people sing to unwind, but some people just get more wound up!

Speaking of applause, you never know when or where your applause might come from. Check out comment number 8 in this link:
http://www.rainiervalleypost.com/open-t ... /#comments

My personal experience is it just depends on the crowd, or the night for that matter.

Sometimes the audience will clap sometimes they won't.. Even with myself personally, sometimes I am really into a conversation, or enjoying the food i have ordered and I forget to clap.

On a similar but slightly different note, I just had to share the experience I had last night at the karaoke show I went to.

It was pretty dead for that place, there were a decent amount of people *maybe around 30 but since its such a large bar, it looks like a lot less* but only around 6 or seven people were singing, 7 if you include the hostess.

I actually walked in late, and there was one table that was celebrating someone's birthday. They were yelling and cheering for everyone and yelling out encouragements when I got up to sing.. I had never heard so many comments like "we f'ing love you man, you're my hero"

One person from that table was also definately not a singer, but I had rarely seen anyone with as much stage presence or enthusiasm and it made me enjoy the song anyway.

But the absolute best part for me was when I sang 'Jump in the Line' and they started a conga line AGAIN *this happened to me once before but I didn't think it would happen a second time*

And to top it all off the Host was being a complete goof, and on one song she was wearing a strap-on and had absolutely the whole bar in stiches.. I can't remember the specific song tho.


It was one of the best karaoke nights I have been to in a while.

was it "I'm sexy and I know it" ? we had a singer here do that same prop for that song doing "the wiggle" SO funny

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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