Karaoke Forums

TopherM, I do the same thing after my normal quitting time. If the after hour singers put money in the tip jar they can sing, if they didn't tip me "no tippy no singy". I get some people mad at me, but I just take them aside and explain that I work for those that pay me, and after the bar stops paying me then my PAYING singers are who I work for. Pretty simple really.

We started coordinating with the bar staff on staying late--even if the singers might want to tip us to stay, if they have winded down on buying drinks then the bar staff is stuck there for nothing. We have also had it where we did it just to build good will when we were first starting out and the barstaff would clean up on tips and we got nothing. So it has to be the double whammy of the crowd is paying all of us to stay.

Not only that, you can even add them at a certain position in the list without re-dragging them (not that it is hard).

And with being able to control the number of next-up singers that show in the scrolling marquee, people don't see where you have added a new singer. I find that people don't like it when they see they are 5th then see themselves drop to 8th. I set the number of "appearing soon" singers to 4, and then make all my rotation changes at 5 and above. Once you are 4th in line, you won't ever drop off the list.

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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'm more in tune with Loni, though, I would let the next few succession of singers be known, like micky. Sometime sh!t happens, and it makes for less hard feelings, when trying to hide the mishap..........just my opinion
Now for "two songs in a row".......as with all rotation rules, what works for some, don't cut it for other individulal tastes.......but if a kj lets someone sing two songs in a row, as a singer, I will finish "one" beer, and if they get to me in time, I will sing "one" song.......and I will leave. I don't care how many singers are in the rotation....I guess I really do, because that would be one or more.......

What mckyj57 refers to is something that has bitten and still bites me now and then. Because of where my current DJ stand is placed in the venue, anyone can walk up and see the full list. I have had a few people give me the WTF treatment when they noticed they were bumped down because of new singers coming in.

-Chris

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-Chris

If the bar's no longer paying for your time, that's totally your call. Now I've seen singers drinking a glass of free water, but throwing a buck into the tip jar, getting better karaoke treatment, than a guy, whom for some reason didn't tip, and was drinking a Long Island Ice Tea.
Many shows don't even have a tip jar, but if they do, I'll throw in a buck for evey song I sing, and usually at the end of the show. I make every effort to do this "with out" the KJ seeing me.......that way I don't feel like such a suck a$$.... hey, chill, it's just my opinion....

As opposed to me, "Mr. Vacuum Keister"....

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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.

If the bar's no longer paying for your time, that's totally your call. Now I've seen singers drinking a glass of free water, but throwing a buck into the tip jar, getting better karaoke treatment, than a guy, whom for some reason didn't tip, and was drinking a Long Island Ice Tea.
Many shows don't even have a tip jar, but if they do, I'll throw in a buck for evey song I sing, and usually at the end of the show. I make every effort to do this "with out" the KJ seeing me.......that way I don't feel like such a suck a$$.... hey, chill, it's just my opinion.... [/quote]
As opposed to me, "Mr. Vacuum Keister"....[/quote]

Oh, he!! no!.....things really get mis-understood, when typing sh!t on a board.....I'm talking someone who spends near nothing in the venue.....I need to be more specific next time.
For the record, Micky spends a ton of money on food(and other people's food, like your's truely.....he calls me mini the moocher, because I'm a tiny, fragile of an old man), and other people's drinks. Plus I don't think we've ever been together, at a place where the KJ had a tip jar.....so I wouldn't have seen your tipping habits, when it comes to a KJ anyway.
Bottom line, Micky doesn't drink, but he knows how to share the wealth. Any confusion, my very bad.
PS, I gave that breakfast lady at the hotel, a fin to cover our free coffee.......I know how generous you are, and I promised you, that I would take care of it......

I have used a full list method since mid 90's when I had a program designed for just that purpose - no reason to hide anything, make it known so they understand how your methods work. It displays all singers, new singers are designated by NEW, time they were entered in the rotation, highlights current singer, estimates the time they would sing next & shows the time they sang last. Will occasionally get a '(@$%&#!)' from someone who has never been there - but then they also think that because their KJ takes bribes to move them, that all will, another shocker for them when I don't - but that is another thread.

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

Not unless the bar wants you shut down at a specific time. I have to be done at 1, I have a few minute leeway on those nights. On the 1:30 nights I have to done & shut down AT 1:30. No 'call' for me.

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

I run my rotation the same way I did when I was disc based. After 10 singers are in the lineup, the 11th goes into the rotation just before the current singer. So, if #9 of 10 is singing, the 11th person to sign up goes in the #8 slot. That way the singers that got there first will sing more during the night than someone who just walked in. There's only one way I bump a person up: Rule #4 in book states, "I keep a strict rotation so don't ask to be moved up. HOWEVER, for $20 I will put you in next.. this is allowed one time per person per night."

This doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I just cite rule 4 and the people know... they don't begrudge me the $20 and some rich guy can't come in and sing every song. Only the one time.

If I put every new singer at the bottom regardless of where I am in the lineup, the 1st singer (the one who's been there longest) wouldn't sing their second song for and hour or more. My rotation is at 10 in the first 15 minutes, and at 20 by 9:30 or so. Last night, 28 singers all the way until the end. Early arrivals sang 2 or 3 times, late comers sang once. Only fair. I started 10 minuets early and played 15 minutes over, no pay... $7 in tips.. But I like my customers, they are fun and that makes me more fun!

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SoundChoice Certification coming soon!

For this very reason, I set my "coming up" scroll to be 33% of my list and periodically adjust (wish it did this automatically...HINT!). 12 on the list, it shows four. If I get 15, I up it to five, etc.

I handle my rotation a bit differently from everyone:

The first rotation is first come-first served. To start rotation 2, new singers will be placed temporarily between first rotation singers. Once rotation 2 is done, the new singers who were given a first song priority are now placed at the bottom of the rotation in the order that they performed. The logic behind that is if you were singer at the bottom of the original rotation and kept having singers being interjected ahead of you, that wouldn't be very fair to you.

If it's not real busy, I will let singers come up with their friend/s to sing one of their songs and not charge them for it. This can be easily abused by singers who will take advantage of that and get their friends to come up on stage simply so they, themselves, can really be the one who is singing, or "featured". So, I manage this closely and won't do it if I feel that someone is abusing it.

When busy, if you appear on stage, that counts as your turn. Everyone singing will be counted as having performed and they will be moved to the next rotation.

Sometimes, serious singers want to do a duet with someone else who is really good. But, sometimes ego's get in the way and those singers don't want to be charged their turn in the rotation for a duet. So, at the end of each round, whenever possible, it's a "featured duet". This will only go to those who have demonstrated average-above average vocal skills, and who have also demonstrated what I consider to be proper karaoke etiquette. (More on that maybe later). Finally, the song must be a bona fide duet. I will not accept requests for the featured duet that aren't genuine duets, unless it is a very special circumstance.

There. That's how I handle mine.

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I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

Oh, one more note:

Most of my singers and I have a deal. You don't need to put in a slip, I'll call you up when it's your turn. But, do NOT sit there and have to think about what you want to sing while on stage. You should already know what you want to sing and whether or not we have it. Those who sit there and say "duh, let me think..." or those who say "do you have this..." will not be afforded future "no-slip status".

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I'm not a cheerleader, but I paid for my pom poms with my own money!

Hum, we provide curbside service. There are advatages to two hosts. Either Sandra or I are mingling with the crowd, sturring them to sing or give us their songs. I couldn't image waiting for them to get there and give us a song...

Jon

kinda similar.
first come first serve on first rotation, i will usually have 15-20 on that one.
after that i put the next new singer 6 out. i always have the next 5 on the scrolling message so this way if they see their name in spot 4, they will be there in spot 4. spot 6 puts them about 20 minutes out, then it's an old singer, new singer, old, etc.
the old singers get a bit of preference, the new singers dont get the shaft.

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

@Troy - I have never used slips. Just pick a song out of the book and come tell me. I don't even require people to submit a sing to get on the list. Just tell me before I call your name. I also add regulars to the list the moment I spot them in the bar. Every 4-5 singers i call out who the next 3 are so they have a heads up.

Also, Karma keeps a history of songs by singer, so I will pick one of those if they take more than 30 secs at the mic to figure it out. Like you, I have a good rapport with my regulars so it flies. With the new folks I am more tolerant. I don't want to pressure or embarrass them since I want them to come back. But I will let them know after the song to try to have a song ready to go next time they are up.

-Chris

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-Chris

Many jocks who do it this way fall into the dreaded dawdle zone....they get used to operating in this fashion and it starts taking 45 seconds to 2 minutes for a song to come up. They don't seem to get that they are doing it. It makes me less likely to come back.

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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 know what you are talking about. I used to have issues with it but have conditioned myself away. I look ahead on the list to see who doesn't have a song ready and I will call them out to come give me a song between singers.

I also used to keep a stop watch timer on my desktop that I would start at the end of a singers song. I set a 45 second limit to get the next singer going. If the singer didn't have a track ready by the 60 second mark I would call the next singer and bump the other down one. They would get moved to the bottom of the rotation if they let it happen twice. I have it pretty well figured out these days.

Don't need a stop watch these days

-chris

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-Chris

I too insist on having a song in cue BEFORE they step on the stage, and no song changes while on the stage either (unless it is my fault). I also must have their "Customer CDG" before they get on the stage. Long rotations can be tolerated much better if the singers know that the host is doing everything he/she can to get as many singers through without needless delays ie: searching for songs with new singer on stage, loading a cd and waiting for the song to start. Dawdling, as Mickey says, is not good, especially on busy nights.

I have gleaned a few new rotation ideas from this thread, but change is always hard for some to handle.