Karaoke Forums

Offer a loophole and people will always find a way to take advantage of it...just like allowing someone to sing multiple duets in the same round. Once Sally knows that she can get away with it; she will ask as many people as possible to put songs in under their name and she will just "help" them out...and she winds up singing lead on every song. Some KJs allow it and some KJs don't. Sally will always go to the shows where they allow it because she is a selfish person and doesn't care about being fair to everyone else.

Again, in my case, only for those who have to work during part of the show. And just like I never allowed others to turn in songs for someone besides themselves, I would not take a text message request from word of mouth.

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KingBing Entertainment C'mon Up! I have a song for you!!! [font=MS Sans Serif][/font]

I will add this...

It's absolutely no fun for the singer when the rotation has 30 or more people. With such a rotation, you'll only get to sing once, maybe twice a night. Singers get frustrated with this and usually end up leaving and finding a place that's less crowded where they can sing more often. I would too.

I can understand this both as a singer and KJ. I usually get an average of 15 singers at the establishments I work. I like that just fine and the singers are happy that they get to sing more often.

You can't imagine how many complaints I've gotten from people saying; I've just came from "whatever karaoke bar" and had to wait two hours to sing. I'm never going back there again.

So, all the talk about the right or wrong way to run a rotation is a moot point. If you really want to satisfy your customers, cut your rotation after 20 people. Meaning...do not add any more people to the rotation after you reach 20 singers. If someone leaves then you can fill that spot, but keep it at twenty. Most customers can live with that.

So the point is, singers go out to sing. Nobody wants to wait an hour or more to sing or they're going to be finding someplace else to go. So if you really want a fair rotation cut the amount of singers in your rotation.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

So you are saying instead of making them wait to sing (which means potentially eating and drinking during the wait time), tell them they can't sing at all (which means they will likely just leave, taking their money with them).

-Chris

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-Chris

I guess you didn't read what I had to say.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

That's exactly what I'm saying. If they came to sing, and find out that there is a two hour wait, they are NOT going to stay. They're going to go someplace else. I know I would. So NO, they're not going to stay to eat and drink and hang out. They're going to leave anyway. Like I said, people have told me how they left other karaoke bars that had a two hour wait.

I have done it myself in the past. If I went out for karaoke and found out that there was a long wait, I'm outta there. It becomes no fun when you have to wait an hour or more to sing.

Think of this scenario: It's a Friday night, you're starving, and you go out to your favorite restaurant. You arrive to find people out the door waiting. You ask how long for a table and your told at least two hours. Sorry, I can't wait that long to eat, I'm hungry now. So what do you do? Go to the place down the road where the wait is only 20 minutes. Even though it may not be as good, I'll settle to eat something now then have to wait for two hours.

I hope you can get it.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Just seems like bad business to tell someone "I only allows XX singers in my queue". That leaves zero incentive for them to stay and basically say means "go somewhere else to sing". I set proper expectations and let them make their own decision.

-Chris

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-Chris

It all depends on the singer, and the reason they are into karaoke.

My friend Joe's ideal karaoke night is an empty bar with a rotation of five people, so he can sing a lot. My ideal night is a bar that is packed, regardless of the rotation, because singing to an empty room doesn't feel like karaoke to me.

Joe would probably hate your twenty person rotation because he might only sing two or three times in a four hour karaoke night. I'd be cool with it, because that's enough--sometimes, more than enough--for me. I've had a lot of fun on nights with thirty-five singers in the rotation.

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Co-host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly), a karaoke-themed podcast

I understand what is being said. I too have left to go somewhere else when I find it is going to be a very long wait. But I would never come back to a place that limits the length of their rotation and tells me they won't even add me to the list until someone else drops off.

I love to sing and love to feed my ego as much as the next singer, but when I plan a karaoke outing I am usually going with my wife and meeting friends. We decide where we are going and that is where we go. We don't hop around unless we just don't like where we are.

To be honest, if there are diva types that are so full of themselves they have to sing 4-6 times a night or go somewhere else, I would prefer they go somewhere else. I want people to enjoy themselves, have a great time and also share the experience with other singers that are doing the same.

I think I have said the following to a nervous, skittish singer every night I have ever hosted - "This isn't about how well you sing, it's about how much fun you have!"

-Chris

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-Chris

I think of karaoke as a 4 or 5 hour concert with a wide variety of acts that are there to entertain an audience for the night. I go to enjoy the ENTIRE SHOW. I don't go for the sole purpose of being the center of attention for a few minutes at a time. As long as the rotation is fair; I don't mind singing only twice in the course of a busy show. Some nights will be busier than others. Some nights everyone might get to sing 4 or even 5 times. I enjoy both types of shows. If it is one of the busier nights and I get there early and sing early in the first rotation; I know that it will probably be well over an hour and a half before I get to sing again. That never causes me to leave and go somewhere else. I see no reason why someone who shows up at 10:30 can't wait the same amount of time before they get to sing as I have to wait to sing my next song. I usually order food after singing my first song because I know I will get my food long before I get called up to sing again and I won't have to eat cold food. I chat with my friends and listen to the show while waiting for my next turn. If it were a 2 hour wait and all of the singers were hard to listen to; that might be a reason to leave; because the show just isn't very good, but if the singers are entertaining, the time just flies by. The last rotation of the night is always a little different. Once people(singers) know that they will not get to sing again; many of them tend to pack up and leave. By the time the last few singers get to sing; the place usually resembles a ghost town. Many folks(singers) just don't want to sit and listen to the other singers if they know they will not get another turn on the stage. It's just human nature. The people who never sing but enjoy going to karaoke bars will usually stay for the entire show because they are there for THE SHOW; not to be part of the show.

Interesting. A busy show is determined by how many singers there are - new and old. If you are willing to wait an hour and a half on a busy night, what difference does it make if a host mixes new singers in or not? Because....



-Chris

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-Chris

I have people that will wait an hour or 2 for 1 song. They may leave right after that. I don't like singing to an empty room either. I like a 15-20 person rotation on avg. But if the sound system is good, singers are tolerable and service/prices of the club are fine, i'll wait.
I have one guy that want s a packed house but only 4-5 singers, and everyone needs to be watching him when he's singing (doesn't happen).

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

AMEN

I'm not one that likes a long rotation, when I am hanging out. Down here, no show have such long lines, but on Long Island a few places had long waits like that. I would leave and go to a less busy place.

I worked Saturday night, and had a fifteen person rotation. It was a busy night for a change. That being said, around here, the singer counts NEVER get too deep. It's nice because nobody waits too long to sing. Meanwhile there were plenty of non singers drinking, playing pool and having a good time. We went right til the last minute.

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I am the ONLY SANE 1 HERE

I just want to clarify that I have never cut a rotation myself. I never had to since I usually never get more than 20 singers on average. I'm just throwing out that it may not be such a bad idea and something worth considering for those who have a lot of singers like 30 or more. In that case, it's something to think about and I have pondered the idea.

Like I said, many people who came out to sing will not hang out for 2 hours and move on to someplace less crowded. I've done that myself.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Yeah. I don't think folks like that guy realize it's typically few singers/small audience or many singers/large audience. On the rare cases I've seen few singers/large audience, the large audience was more irritated by the presence of karaoke than they were sitting in rapt attention.

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Co-host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly), a karaoke-themed podcast

I've never experienced the irritation factor - there are two reasons you come to the club I work in - darts or karaoke - we've been at it long enough there if you don't know there is karaoke, you are new in town . Funny thing is when we started karaoke, dart players HATED/DESPISED/LOATHED karaoke. Nowdays, half the dart players are also singers, and the other half will still request songs from their singing friends.

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

What usually happens at the venue I frequent is it will either be very few people *20 or less* but EVERYONE there is a singer, so the rotation still ends up being pretty long or the place is absolutely jam packed, so there is an even longer wait, but at least there is an audience to listen to you

When you "first" come in, and it's the beginning of karaoke, then you get to sing in the on-going rotation(which just happens to be the first rotation). So when someone "first" comes in, and the on-going rotation just happens to be the 3rd or 4th....why shouldn't he/she be given the same treatment?

In my best days, the bar had six boards all in one area. The area was always standing room only. The dropped down to two boards on the other side of the room and the dart people vanished. Same same.. Dart people hated at first, then got into it one way or another..