Karaoke Forums

Hey everyone,

Karaoke is really gettin' tough down here. I have just realized that I am down to four karaoke shows a week. On a positive note I am doing live trivia 6 nights a week and bar bingo 3 nights a week so the money is still coming in.

I am not as aggressive as I once was in searching for karaoke shows. Between the pay, hours, drama etc. I am pushing my company in a slightly different direction that will focus more on private events, wedding, etc. The bar scene is getting old rather quickly and i ain't no spring chicken anymore.

How are your shows going? More opportunities for new gigs, etc??

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Sound Choice and Chartbuster Certified

I got my first official weekly gig 5 weeks ago, and got a second night at the same place just last week. Things are good. I am doing a party over the weekend. I still run my friend's show on Saturdays when he needs me. Yeah, things are pretty good, right now.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I am gearing up to jump into the private gig scene. I am doing a corporate event tomorrow in fact. DJ/Karaoke for 4 hours. Done by 9:30p.

Since the rig I built for weddings is now being used 3 nights a week, I am building yet another rig for private events. I have gotten to know some of the local Guitar Center folks pretty well and a couple of them are going to help me with DJ stuff as I want to learn basic pitch and beat mixing techniques for DJ work.

I am forcing myself to listen to more pop music too so I can be more in tune with musical trends. THIS is the hardest thing for me to do.

-Chris

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-Chris

Down to just one regular week night show at this point, but thats ok. We do a monthly Karaoke gig as well at another establishment and for now we are fine with this. Our main focus on the weekends is the private gigs, always has been, much more $$$

@Chris, I had to chuckle at your comment about listening to the current pop music to keep up.....I have the stations all programed into my radio and listen to them everyday....and most days I cringe . We DJ a lot of private events and weddings and if I did not do this I would be out of a job, I feel you....either the new music is getting pretty bad, or we are getting older

I have my car radio set to a rock station and my house radio set to the local country station so I can keep up. I actually like a lot of the new music (I'm 60) and sing some of it. But I find there is a lot going on besides what is on the radio. A lot of the younguns are into club and electronic and alternative bands that might not get much play on the mainstream stations. So one thing I do is pay close attention to what they select on the juke box while I'm setting up and tearing down and will often write down songs to get for later.

I also check Billboards top songs, still have my Rolling Stone subscription (I bought it when it first came out when I was a teen so it's hard for me to let it go) and check the local station's playlists also. I'm not a DJ but I do play transition music between singers and at one place the audience wants a few dance songs played all the way through mid show so I try to keep up with that. Of course what they listen to and what they might sing can be two different things.

But I probably spend at least part of one day a week researching and working on my "playlist" and song order list.

Oops. Got off on a tangent there--I am seeing more interest although they seem slow to get started (need to get their live music permits first, etc.). We are having a big presence with BMI etc. in the area right now and that is making a few places think twice about having live entertainment.

I limit my listening to new pop to a couple of hours a week to stay current, using music lists like Billboard instead. I LIKE listening to and learning new country, so I do that more.

While I love bar hosting, the bigger money shots have always been private events. Though I stopped taking weddings a couple of years ago ( I just can't stand doing them) I do some nice corporates that pay nicely ( BTW- you wouldn't believe how many corperate merger events use karaoke for bonding the entities).

I'm also on the Preferred Vendors' list for some of the local banquet halls. They recommend me for all who are looking, but I negotiate my own fees- not a "house" guy.

Thanks to certain entities to go unnamed here, many of the bars in my area have become somewhat wary on the subject of karaoke- some have stopped their shows (all different KJs) and some are simply avoiding it.

I truly believe that only my reputation, results, and time in the work area are keeping me where I am supposed to be. Many others have not been so lucky.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

After all these years...

My longest running show set 4 consecutive sales records in a row in June/July and is still running about +60%. The singers' queue averages 35+ total for the night (approx. 4.5 hrs).

My newest show (debut April 1, 2013) is posting the best sales of any weekly show in the first 4 months of any I've ever done. The singers' queue here has been 40+ for 6 consecutive weeks.

One of my venues offered me the opportunity to host trivia on a different night... at the same base+% rate as karaoke. I have spoken with quite a few "trivia buffs" and am cautiously enthusiastic about looking into this as a viable income stream. I'm thinking, I can pitch it to my karaoke venues as they are already satisfied clients.

With regard to new music... I absolutely love it. I make a point of learning what upbeat tracks are current and no matter what genre, I learn them and acquire them for the show. Macklemore & Lewis, Mumford & Sons, The Black Keys, Of Monsters and Men, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Robin Thick & T.I. & Pharell, The Lumineers, Blake Shelton, Randy Houser and more... there is good, singable music available and in demand... no judgements, no apologies, just encouragement and enthusiasm... sing what you want.

Things are good and the future looks bright. Judging from this thread, most of us are doin' alright.

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Never the same show twice!