Karaoke Forums

I agree with Joe on this.
The effect of paying BMI would be near zero to a small venue since the cost would certainly be less than $1 per day.
Tiny venues can only compete with tiny venues.
They don’t have enough space to compete with larger venues.
I know plenty of “kjs” with fully legit although small libraries that will host in small venues even without pay, out of their love for karaoke. In actuality, they are not competing with anyone because they are only entertaining the regulars that wouldn’t go somewhere else to begin with. Getting paid $35 per show would be plenty for a karaoke lover to cover the cost of adding new music without pirating anything.
The days of a pirate having a competitive edge over a KJ who buys music are over.
These days the only effect I see piracy having in the karaoke business is the damage they do to a karaoke producers’ ability to turn a profit selling piratable material. This does not impact a legit KJ any more than it does a pirate KJ.

The costs involved in becoming a KJ in 2013 are so very close to the same for a pirate KJ as it is for a KJ that pays for music as to be meaningless. It is the improvements in technology and the increased availability of cheap technology that have led to this situation.
Becoming a KJ requires no more skill, education, or investment than selling roses in a bar, mowing lawns, house cleaning, Pet sitting, or gathering metal and selling to a recycler. All of those things are easy to start doing with minimal investment and a sixth grade education, yet there are those who have been able to turn them into profitable business careers and did so in spite of the fact they are easy entry businesses with abundant and perpetual competition from those entering the business without overhead. How can that be?

If a single rig KJ works 7 nights a week at the $150 basic rate, they are going to make at most $54,000/yr. Subtract operating expenses and taxes from this and this are going to be tight particularly in major metropolitan cities. Not to mention the burn out that will take place. I am going to bet there are very few single rig KJ's working 7 nights a week these days so working as a KJ would not be my first career choice by any means.

I honestly don't know how any single rig KJ's can make it unless they live in areas where the cost of living is very low or they have already paid off their mortgages.

Much respect for those that do.

-Chris

You guys are taking it as all or nothing. Yes, hosts have still stayed in business despite piracy. But it still as an affect. It still can affect the bottom line. There is no black and white all or nothing. I keep saying they nibble away. They do. I haven't mentioned music library at all. But there is more than the expense of the music library involved. There is also the cost of licenses and taxes. And so what if music is cheap now, they can still use the money they save on that to replace equipment instead of a legit host having to pay to do both. Not having as many business expenses can be an advantage as far as staying afloat long enough to become known in an area.

It seems to be a theme with people to say if a person says piracy has an affect then they must be a bad host or incompetent business person. Lonman has said he retired his mobile rig due to piracy and that he lost one bar due to it yet I have yet to see a single person pile on him about how he must be not good enough to have had that happen. On the contrary people travel to pop in at his show. He is considered to be a successful host yet he has said piracy has affected him. No, it didn't put him out of business but it did AFFECT him.

It seems to be a theme with people to say if a person says piracy has an affect then they must be a bad host or incompetent business person. Lonman has said he retired his mobile rig due to piracy and that he lost one bar due to it yet I have yet to see a single person pile on him about how he must be not good enough to have had that happen. On the contrary people travel to pop in at his show. He is considered to be a successful host yet he has said piracy has affected him. No, it didn't put him out of business but it did AFFECT him.

But there is more than the expense of the music library involved. There is also the cost of licenses and taxes.

Larger venues also offer longer wait times between songs. This can't be dismissed as a factor. They may also mix DJ and KJ together. I hate that and would rather go to a small place where it's just karaoke. There are a few other possible factors than either "good" or "pirate". And, no, patrons do not know the difference, pirate or not, nor do they care.

Leopard, you have yet to explain why a teeny tiny dive with a $35 host is getting singers from the other, larger venues with better paid hosts.

I don't mind a one time 15 minute hit. I've seen several that do that after every rotation, no matter the rotation size.

We don't play any dj sets as a rule, people are out dancing to singers

Me neither. When somebody comes up and says "Everybody wants to dance!", I say "Pick a dance music song and sing it. "Everybody" will love you for it".