Karaoke Forums

It does appear that a divide has developed on the forum.
It may have always been here.
On one hand we have Hosts and singers who think that the talent of the host is important to the entertainment and in bringing people together to have a good time.
On the other hand some hosts feel that this is a business that should only be enterered into if much money and calculation is available to be invested.
I am sure that some people feel a mix of both is appropriate.

Being a co-host now who can throw money at it if I wish, I feel that the talent and passion of the host is by far the most important ingrediant.
No amount of money if I was a poor host would make me good.
Then, I'm not a businessman.

How do you guys feel about this?

I think you're right Jerry12x....

To answer the question; "What does it take to be a host?" The answer is simple but not complete when you answer; "Money. Just money." Because really that's all you need - money to by equipment, music etc... and then hang out your shingle as a "professional." Because there isn't any formal schooling, no job-related skill testing, no apprenticeship or any such prerequisite. Just money. Most KJ's don't know the difference in keys except for the ones that open their car or home.

Now, if you re-state the question as; "What does it take to be a great host?" Then you have a much larger range of answers that involve the passion, desire, etc. that goes along with this business. And fewer of those answers will be financially-oriented.

Thanks Chip.
Got it.

Oh and guy's...

We are not talking things like fair rotation here.

You can be a GREAT karaoke host if you -

Make it about the singer, not about the host: Enough said.

Appreciate music – even music you don’t care for: Not everyone likes every genre of music. But most KJ’s appreciate the level of commitment and work that original artists put into creating a piece. We all have tunes (and sometimes artists) we despise, but it isn’t about us. It is about the singer.

Enjoy being around people: Crowded bars, drunkards, mean spirited people….these are some of the things we sign up for when we become karaoke hosts. There are lots of good folks out there too. If a host doesn’t like being around people of all kinds then they should probably look for another gig.

Know how to work a crowd: When the energy is low, know how to pick it up. When the energy is high, know how to keep things rolling. When there are hecklers, know how to manage them. When there are shy folks, know how to get them involved. Be a people person.

Know how to recover: Bad things happen - Amps blow, discs skip, lyrics get garbled, and occasionally a god awful singer takes the wind out of everyone's sails. A host that can recover from this and more is a GREAT host.

Can sing AND entertain: Personally, I don’t think that singing is an absolute requirement for a karaoke host. If you can sing, then you will have a much easier time getting the crowd going. Being entertaining is a requirement though. If the host can’t inspire the crowd, then they will have a rough go of it.

Manage your rotation fairly: (I know Jerry said we weren’t talking about this, but I have seen otherwise great hosts screw it all up by letting a $5 bill move someone to the top of the list) What constitutes fair? This has and will continue to generate long discussion threads. I think most of us agree on the basics - 1) Singers sing in the order they sign up; 2) Play no favorites. Beyond this, hosts have different methods of integrating new singers into the mix and whether or not they mix in bumper/filler music and more.

Know how to use the equipment that you have: Soundboards, speakers, amps, lights….they are all tools. Knowing how to use them is important.

See being a KJ less as work and more as getting paid to have fun: Enough said.


-Chris

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-Chris

Yikes... I didn't put myself across very well here.
When I said...
We are not talking things like fair rotation here.

I mean't "Not the normal stock answers."

A host can only be as good, as the people he/she attracts. Not quite sure what that means, but it just popped into my head, and I don't feel like arguing with myself right now.....

I have done over 300 shows now (I know I'm a newb)and most of them have been with my very pretty wife as my team mate. One thing I can definitively say is that my shows are way better with her by my side. She smooths ruffled feathers, takes dozens of photos, greets, welcomes, and thanks all that attend. She listens to their stories and troubles and makes them forget about everything, and think of nothing but having fun. She calms me down when things get crazy, and allows me to get back on track.

I know it is close to Valentines Day, but without a doubt my wife makes ME a great host. I met my wife, Margo, 13 years ago tonight (Friday 13, 1999 @9:00). I can easily do it alone, but at the end of the night when the crowd leaves they remember her as much as they remember me. When you have twice the reasons for coming back, you have twice the chances of succeeding.

And the best part is, I met her at karaoke, and it was the first she had ever been to karaoke!

MrMorag

well put and wonderfully romantic...may you both feed each others souls til time ends

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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

I was just about to pretty much post the exact same thing. This is it. The only thing I could add is to be genuine. Folks, this is a great job... I feel blessed to be able get out there and make people smile, and make their night.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

i agree. we have made many friends from this business and many have commented that they were surprised to see that we are who we are.
just be who you are and that will add a lot to your likability which has a ton to do with growing a solid core group of singers.

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

Oh.

Didn't work mate.
They all wanted to answer the TITLE.

Tho opening post was totally missed.
Mass dyslexia?

I don't think anyone will argue against the "talent of the host" being a key ingredient to a good/successful karaoke show.



For the hosts it is a business and needs to be treated like one. In my case I have done a lot of planning. I have done a lot of calculating to see what it would take to make hosting karaoke my primary income. I have factored in the cost of acquiring music, hardware, software, paying hosts to run the show as I scale out. It is a business.

I absolutely believe one must have skin in the game if they are to truly succeed over time.



I am one of these people. Long term a show won't succeed unless you are willing to invest in it and you have a quality host working the show.



I agree with you. Of course, a great host can fall victim to poor business planning too. They go hand in hand. I would say that excelling in one or the other may extend the life of the package, but if one or the other is in a bad place, then eventually the show will falter and die.

I will give a personal example.

The show I have had for the lasy 1 yr 8 months is the first and only show I have had. When I first started I was in experienced as a host, the sound system was sub-standard, and my music selection was minimal. The first 3 months were rough and I almost got booted.

I honed my skills in those 3 months and I would consider that to be the primary reason why I was able to hang on. But I regularly received complaints (framed as suggestions) about the sound quality. I made a promise to the venue owner that I would upgrade the sound in an effort to get singers in the door that were sticklers for sound. Within that 3 months I upgraded speakers, soundboard, wiring, and the primary singer microphone. I started hearing how much better it sounded and I saw a steady increase in the clientele. I continued to hone my skills during this time.

At the 1 year mark the most common complaint I heard was about song variety and selection. That was when I started pursuing the Stellar CAP agreement, and buying up disc collections. I doubled my library size over the course of the next 6 months. But during that time, I also felt I needed to do two things if I was serious about hosting for a living - 1) Expand (find a second gig) and 2) find another host to take the original gig.

You might think that expansion and finding another host go hand in hand, but the reality of it is that I did not want to host at the original location any longer. I was not enjoyinng that particular venue for a variety of reasons that I don't care to go into. In spite of the money spent on increasing the song variety and selection and getting better sound (I added some lighting too), the show was suffering because my attitude toward that show/venue was declining. I needed to find a host that fit that venue. I was very, very fortunate that someone approached me and I felt they would be a good fit.

Now two months into the new host being there, the show is slowly growing and we have had 3 consecutive weeks of our highest unique singer counts. There is talk of adding a second night again.

I don't believe we would be in this postition if I had not invested in the business *and* found the right host for the venue.

I believe if I skimped on either of those two, my show would be dead. This is a learning I am taking with me on my hunt for new shows this week. As much as I want to expand, I want to expand at the right venue for *me*. I am also willing to spend what it takes to ensure there is good sound, light and music at the location.

-Chris

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-Chris

you are all wrong....

It is the crowd!
It has nothing to do with the host.

You can have the CRAPIEST host, and if they have a great crowd, it makes them "good". I see it a lot in my area, because people going to karaoke don't know that it can and should be better then the crap they are getting now. You would not believe some of the thing I have heard and seen.

On the other hand you can have the BEST HOST EVER, and if the crowd is not into it it makes him/her look bad.

It is all about perception.

Followed by Mass echopraxia.....

Oh well, pass the ranch......

There is something very frightening about the above post.

Yes. I noticed that also.

Have you no suggestions Jerry? Lead us in the right direction. Mush

The inspiration I had to make this cryptic thread came from some members saying the price of discs should be higher, so as not to flood the market with karaoke hosts.
This is a very valid point.
One I don't like because I think a host with passion would be a better host than a business minded host.
The downside is that however talented a person may be as a host.
If they ain't got the money, they ain't going to be a host.

What decisions did you make when deciding to host karaoke in the first place?
Was it an investment? A desire?
There must have been something making you want to take on a load of drunks.
How do you decide what is taken out as a wage?
How do you justify what to put back into the business?
How can you afford those new RCF's?

I know one member here that might be thinking...
Disc, Whiskey, Disk, Guinness, Disk.

Why do you do it?
Is it for the money... or something else?

You do it for the women.
And once you land a woman, you have to keep doing it or she'll realize that you were doing it for the women.

Just like anything else.

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KNOW THYSELF