Karaoke Forums

I was recently ask to put together a contest..after thinking about it this past week...I know how many singers keep doing the same songs at every contest or the same style...so i decided to shake things up a bit
They may audition with whatever song they like. 12 will be chosen...every week they will perform a different style ..one week Pop...next country..ect. For semi Finals contestants will perform a Broadway / showtune selection...which they must create a costume for and perform in...the finals will be songs only from the year 2012.
I know this will not be a popular because it will make them work or not be in it...for those who want to try for $500...they wont care.
wait till they get disco night...

You will be miserable and so will the majority of your singers. The quickest way to kill a successful karaoke venue is to have a contest. Bar owners think it's a grand idea, most of your singers won't, especially when it comes to judging the contest. Please report back to us after it's over.

Absolutely. I had several singers that never did come back after our big contest, which many singers will tell you was the best organized contest they had ever competed in.

With that being said, I think you are trying to do too much with your contest. Your preliminary rounds are simply a gimmick to get people in the door, to get them to the in-house finals, and to make the Finals as successful as possible. My experience has shown that only 60-75% of your people that have qualified will return, so you will need to qualify at least 30 people to make your Finals successful.

Too few people, obviously it's a bust. Too many people just dilutes the talent and is miserable to wait 4 hours for a winner. That's why I say 25 people is about perfect. Let's many do a warm up if they get there early enough, and takes about 2 hours to run through them (with a judge's break) and another 20-30 minutes to tabulate the results.

Once you start adding a bunch of twists, IMO you are inviting a lot of trouble and difficulty in filling your slots.

Good luck

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

Sorry Rick... I've heard this argument/opinion over and over, and as a general statement, it just ain't true.

I hold two very successful contests every year, with top prizes as much as $1500.00, and am thinking of adding a third.

Agreed... if not handled properly, contests can be a negative experience, but if you've seen my "Yeah, I'm Bragging" thread, you'll know that contests haven't hurt our shows one iota.

Back to the OP.

In my personal opinion, you're making things too complicated. I suspect that, by requiring different styles and costumes, you'll severly cut down on the talent pool... I'd bounce the idea off several of your regular singers and get their honest opinion before proceeding with your plan.

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Agreed, as mentioned. The only thing that singers care about is 1) What are the prizes, and 2) Who are the judges. You'll get them at "prizes". The more, the better. Don't limit your contestants to just "country" or "rock" - let 'em all compete!

And don't underestimate the judging aspect. For early rounds, it isn't REAL important. But, once you are finished with the prelims, it becomes exponentially more important.

Every singer has in their mind that THEY should win. When they don't, it is natural for them to find something or someone to blame <----- THIS IS WHY CONTESTS DON'T USUALLY WORK OUT.

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

Hot girls will almost always win whether they can sing or not

The last contest i did had a broadway showtunes night and went over great I was also worried about putting costumes as part of the contest but you should had seen what showed up OMG...everyone did show up in costume and it really blew the audience away...because i got several comments about how much people loved the semi finals
AS far as asking to much from them ...I dont think so.....most karaoke contest are...sing what you want...and the same singer and song win time after time.....
Agree you will always have those that complain but most of them relay on a popularity contest...not me I know several band members who i use as judges..and they rate the singer on Tone color...focus...placement...breath control.
THIS IS A VOCAL CONTEST...AS DANCE MOMS..ABBY LEE ..SAYS..IM LOOKING FOR TECH.....
I have seen alot of karaoke contest...and I believe if you going to win you going to earn it by knowing how to sing correctly...just sounding good is not going to cut it. learn about your craft and improving on it shows how much you really love what your doing.

I have seen a couple of karaoke shows tank after badly judged contests. NEVER have people who normally hang at your bar judge your contests. They can never be truly unbiased.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

Sounds a bit like American Idol... where each week is a different genre of music.

I was going to say that requiring the Contestants to wear costumes for one particular week (the Broadway week), might be asking a bit too much, especially since you state the criteria for judging as follows:



But, based on your next statement, I could see that working out...



Good luck with the contest, and please post some pictures of Broadway Week (if you can).

Well, never trust them after the first round - is what I say.

J'ever notice how contest complaints usually come from the people who have the lowest chance of winning? It's that human nature I mentioned above - when a singer doesn't win (or, better put - when they feel rejected as a singer) they will almost always look for something, or someone to blame. Look at American Idol prelims. Some of those people are delusional and when they don't make it - "it's Simon's fault", or "the judges don't know what their talkin' about", etc. Violence may ensue.

I say again, prelims are a gimmick to fill spots in the next round. We'll stay as fair as possible, but simply put, the rules are soooooooo lenient to qualify for the 2nd round that if (you, or) someone does not qualify, they don't deserve to be there. And singers need to be told this, when they start complainin'

...and they will.

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

I disagree with the naysayers, a contest can be very successful. Hurt feelings are going to happen no matter WHAT the contest and anything & EVERYTHING can be & is a contest at some point. Those that want to compete are going to be happy to do so.
I run them every year with no detrimental results.
Agree with no judges that frequent the bar. Get judges that have at least some sort of music background - male & female judges preferred. Musicians (karaoke friendly - they do exist), vocal instructors, local record studio engineers/producers, radio personalities (college radio is usually easier to get) are always good possibles for judges.

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

Just be prepared for the inevitable "RINGERS" that will be drawn to cash prize contests. Professional singers who jump into a "KARAOKE" contest for a quick payday. Just beware.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

good point..i also added contestants can not be a kj... own a karaoke business or make money as a singer...band or soloists

Good ideas!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

I can see not allowing KJs but why would you not allow other gig singers? They used to be a big part of my base so there is no way I would want to cut them out. My shows were better with them and I am certain a contest would be better with them as well.

Back in the day of wet T shirt contests, the winners were almost always girls from strip clubs. Trust me, no one minded. If a non stripper was good enough to win, then the show was "enhanced" that much more.

Gig singers are people too, only they probably spend a lot of time practicing and are much more dedicated than your average Friday night karaoke singer. Otherwise, they are people too and allowing them to make a buck doing what they love to do is only helping them and you. I know that's just my opinion and there is a lot of room for variation here.

All you have to do is make sure everyone knows what the playing field is and if the average Friday night karaoke guy or girl wants to go up against more dedicated singers, then so be it.

I allowed everyone - just because someone gets paid for singing or hosts karaoke doesn't mean they are a good singer - now we did restrict entry for anyone that worked for me and the club. I know plenty of regular joes that do it for fun that would blow the hair off some of those 'kj's' or 'pro singers'. Since we also got alot of those musicians in on a regular basis, there was no way i'd try to block them so they can go spend their money elsewhere.

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

Why??? Just because someone is making money off of this as part of their profession (or even hobby), doesn't mean they're a shoe-in to win.

I agree with MrBoo's and Lonnie's observations.

I don't personally like the idea of a contest, primarily since it would I feel undermine the atmosphere I have tried to create with my show. It is a Golden Oldies show, where everyone is encouraged to sing a song. My challenge is to get a person up on stage that has never sang before. It is sort of like Lay's potato chips you just can't eat one. These singer's are very shaky when they start out and gain confidence with time. My mission I have always felt is to grow karaoke, the only way you to this is to bring new people in and expand the tent. In my experience no singer has a truly objective opinion of their own ability. When I sing some songs I think I nail and like others don't. The one's I thought weren't as good they loved, go figure. My vision is a karaoke family and as such all should be treated equal, with respect. Nothing makes me more angry as a host when some singers demand quiet when they perform, and then sing louder than the person on stage, without a mic I might add, after they have just had their turn. To me there is no practical way to do these contests, without it effecting your patrons that don't win negatively. That is why I don't encourage them. Have a nice day.

I am squarely in Rickgood's corner on this one. Contests are rarely a good idea. Can/Has it been done correctly and successfully? Sure. Is it the norm? Absolutely not. In my not so humble opinion, you will p1ss off more people than you make happy.

If you must proceed anyway, I would be 100% sure you have NOTHING to do with judging or choosing of contestants/winners. Remain Switzerland at all cost.

I understand..that someone is not going to be happy...but thats a given..weather it be a Karaoke contest...Battle Of The Band... dance contest....beauty contest...ect..its not just karaoke. If you not doing a karaoke because worring about pissing off people then...thats not right. I have done several contest over the years and I dont worry about...if they can not be grown up enough to handle losing..thats their problem. As long as you know you ran a fair contest thats all that matters.