Karaoke Forums

It is funny you mentioned taking a picture with the Karaoke host.
One night I was singing and I looked up to see 6 or 7 people holding their
phones up watching me. I'm not sure why people do that, if they are taking a picture or what. I was really embarrassed.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

It just happened to me tonight.   Had a guy come up after I was just starting to turn everything off.    Asks me how much for a half hour.   I told him $20, he said how about $50.    I said OK.     There were only 7 people in the bar.    He is trying to get back together with his hot looking wife that sings like a bird.   He was trying to impress her.   She's up from Florida.    She sings karaoke in Port Saint John.    Said she loved my format.   No stage, no waiting in between singers, no dead air.   Just kept the mood flowing with continuous music.     Plus she loved the way she sounded.     Her KJ has a laptop with 35,000 songs on it.    Calls out a singer,  :no: they walk to the stage,  they tell him their song, he finds it and then they start to sing.  :asleep:  :yes:  :O  LMAO   Sound like crap.    LMAO

Babs so sorry you had such a bad night.
I tend to agree with the folks who err on the side of those that pay you to stay on. If they object to paying so as the stingier ones can sing then I dont blame them.
We all of us work because the economy is just bouyant enough that people can still afford to go out for a little entertainment. The first sign of a tightening of the belts and many will give up luxury items such as a night out first
if someone pays for your services then you have the right to turn down a non payer in favour of the ones who have paid

I do however admire the stance you have always taken. You are a fair KJ and a bruddy nice lady

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

The only comment I have...

I started my Sunday night Karaoke 8 to 11 it was busy so we started staying to 12.

Well about 2 weeks later 12 became 1 and 1 became 2.

The bar pays me hourly and i get bonus' based on gross sales. It's nice to make $300 or more in a night but 6 hours of karaoke singers a night has gotten old real quick.

Karaoke Junkies --are just that
The more you give them the more they want

Some singers don't understand that what we do is a JOB ( a great one) but still a job .

They will expect you to work OT for nothing just so they can get their closing song in

Start making annoucements early on and frequently about your quitting time
and start stopping ON TIME!!

Remember we are dealing with people who have been consuming ALCOHOL

If you start getting paid by the patrons instead of the bar owner after a certain hour, one problem you may run into is that after awhile the owner may conclude that this would be a good way to run the entire show.

Which may not be a problem if you're sure you've got enough regulars who are willing to shell out the cash on a continuing basis.  But I'd be very careful about the precedent you may set.

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Reward: nine yen in drawer.

Hi Tom  :wave:
You are only a few hours from me in Champaign, Il. Maybe I'll come visit
someday.
One nice thing is the owner does appreciate the crowd I bring in. He may not be very
business savy, but he knows I make him money. He also knows the competition has tried to steal me under his nose. If he ever tried a stunt like not paying me I'd have to walk. He has seen now that this has caused a problem, so I can use it to my advantage. The regulars also know what will happen if they try to stir up this kind of conflict again. It will get them no where, so it is their decision if they are willing to pay to have me stay or not. From this I think what will happen is the patrons will stop paying me to stay and the bar owner will pay me to keep his crowd there. It may have been a bad experience, but in the long run it may turn out better for me.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Good.


I like a happy ending.

Tom,

One thing to remember for your extreme example is, how can he do that AND get Babs to even come in there?? I'm MORE than certain that Babs would balk at such a business exchange. Besides, her staying over is more of a by the hour rather than the fee for the night. I've done what she's doing... been paid $20 by the crowd to stay over another hour!

The patrons are buying her FREE time. She's still contracted by the venue for her normal show. If he renigs on that one, then she won't show UP. Kinda hard for the singers to pay someone when they ain't even there!

Exactly Knightshow  :hi5:

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

You'll starve if you wait for the singers to pay week after week.   They can always find a free show.   It might be full of dance/filler music but it's still free.

Point out to the owner that its to his ADVANTAGE to eliminate this problem once and for all quietly and behind the scenes. Dont even have the discussion in front of custies--its crass and unseemly to be squabbling about money. The simple solution that meets the custie demands is to have it be a new standard policy that karaoke now goes one hour later. And he pays you for the extra hour. If the custies demand it then provide what they OBVIOUSLY need--an extra hour of Karaoke. The custies will love him because of it! Simple solution. It will PAY HIM MANY MANY TIMES OVER over the LONG HAUL.

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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

He is not that smart  LOL
I've tried.

He did pay me to stay late tonight.  :hi5: But I know it will be
by a night by night basis.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Night by night basis is Ok just so long as there is a standing agreement and he understand that. If its based on how many left in the bar(ie enough biz to justify staying open) then thats a fair premise. Agreement just needs to be in place ahead of time so your not trying to negotiate it on the spot in front of custies. If theres too few and the bar wants to shut it down one night and the custies are whining--just blame it on the bar tender/owner that night and direct them to him. Gets you off the hook. I always get people who come up 5 mins after music shuts off and start whining to sing more. I simply ask them why didnt they come in EARLIER!!!!????? Tell them OLCC makes us shut the music at 2(liqour control commission).

Just make sure at last song you make one of those closing speeches---OK thats it for tonight.........thanks eveyone for coming in.............have a nice night..........well be back here tommorrow night. ............and drive safe!!! (lights go up and music shuts off).

It sounds from this and some of your other posts that you may be having trouble CONTROLLING your show----owner and or custies are pushing you around simply cause your female.  YOu may need to become a bit more FORCEFUL and DIRECT(not mean or rude) but more assertive when dealing with them. Make It CLEAR to them that YOU RUN THE SHOW and there will be no NONSENSE.

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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

This site rocks. I'm learning so much here.

Nobody has mentioned that the bar owner is making money during the extra hour of karaoke. I would be a hardnose about it; the owner pays for the extra time or you leave. If you really have a stainless steel backbone, renegotiate your contract to include that extra hour instead of handling it case-by-case. But let the owner know that you know he is raking in bucks after the "official" end of the show.

That said, I think you handled the situation supremely well and, while I can talk the talk, I am too much of a jellyfish to walk the walk when it comes to standing up for myself.    :oops:   Hopefully all the advice everyone has offered can help.

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

All the KH I sing with use the $5 per song after hours, IF they work after hours.  Works great!!!!

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Still kickin', jes' aint raisin' much dust !

Yes, it for sure becomes a addiction, but the people that take karaoke that 'serious' and can not have fun with it...bother me.  Some of the people come in a have to sing the song perfect and act like they are being judged on american idol or something or get all pissed off about stupid little things.  I hate that, takes all of the fun out of it.  I love karaoke, honestly I can't sing worth a crap, but I'm not trying to sell records or make millions.  I'm trying to have fun at sport, that with practice..you can get to be pretty good at...MrD

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