Karaoke Forums

Here I am about to embark on helping a venue run a karaoke contest. They don't know what they are getting in however I want to help them. I've hosted at this place 3 times in the past 3 years or so, helping my buddy when he can't make it. Small bar that typically has 2 shows per month on Saturday nights.


They plan on doing a karaoke contest in one night. I think that is a bad idea. 60 songs in a karaoke show if no annoucements and other interruptions. They asked me to be the judge. I already told them no, that's not a good idea. I told her I will do my best to mix the vocals eq and make the singers sound as good as possible.

I told them to try to get local celebrities (this town is maybe 2000 but 10 minutes from the quad cities with a met pop of about 300,000 and has some local tv and radio celebrities).

I know they shouldn't have the bar population to be the judges, a woman that works for me used to be a bartender and told me today of a story of their contest and my interview of her discovered that yes, big crowd that night but after that, they were gone and some of the reg customers were gone. Of course heard that here before.


So,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,help me out, this is how I would like them to run it.

No one nighters (would be good for me too of course). Make it 2,3 or 4 nights. By the way they asked me for May 4th which is a Saturday night.

Someone that won't be considered bias in anyway be the judge. Whether a local mayor, teacher, whatever. Of course as long as they aren't related to the bar owner/managers or singers. How about members of this forum? Johnny you could be the foreman!

Song time limit of 5:15. That extra 15 seconds will open up the song choices a bit (yes I know the end of the songs can be cut short once the vocals are done).

The contest starts at 9. The show ends at 1. Those aren't set in stone but prolly aren't negotiatable by the bar standards.

I want the end of the contest each night to end by 12:15. That gives us 45 minutes for those that had no balls to come up and have some fun and maybe help them build for the immediate future.

Having said all that, I haven't told them yet or suggested that one night isn't enough. If they don't agree, I'm guessing a bit of chaos. "We didn't have enough singers by 10:00 to have a contest, we only have 5 singers, we had too many singers to have rounds".


Hit me with your best shot, I'd like to try a contest in the states before I move. Throw it out there for me tonight, I need to give her a game plan tonight!

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

I have done one nighters. Worked out as long as you advertise the %^$# out of it. Hardest thing is getting someone to judge it. I went with five judges, but 3 will do. I also gave 1st 2nd 3rd prizes. Never run one with fewer than 10 singers. They don't come in no contest. Have them sign up weekend before. That way you know about how many will be in it. Wear bullet proof vest.

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Still love to sing!

One nighters are what I consider the regular crowd contests - they usually don't bring in the ringers or contest hoppers and can be run weekly, bi-weekly, monthly - although weekly will bring the regs out a little more - sucide contests can be done in 1 night shots. No big money, but not drawn out for weeks either like bigger prized contests usually are. You didn't state what the cash prize is. Little contests, in house judging - usually people that don't sing or not with contestants but are there enough to know they enjoy karaoke as a whole. I wouldn't try to recruit a bunch of local celeb judges for a low pay contest or a one nighter (unless they are coming in for a finals).
But if they are trying to do some big contest in one night - that is just going to bring out all the ringers that typically don't spend (the bar can always put a minimum spending limit to enter - we've done that as well), no regulars will even have a chance usually.

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

Homeless people make the best judges.....they've got nothing to lose, and a chance to be warm for a few hours...

You said you want to hear it again, so I'll post it again:


I'm gonna be the fly in the ointment and issue a caveat: I have seen at least four venues completely lose/close out karaoke due to contests. I tell owners up front that I will NEVER do one. Here's my reasoning, all from past experience:

1) 99% of new customers will return to their regular venue after the contest, unless you are EXCEPTIONAL, and if you are, you probably still won't have the opportunity to showcase during the contest.


2) Newbies walking into the bar will be too nervous to try singing around all that talent, and these ARE possible new regulars


3) Regulars not entered in the contest will get upset about the lack of air time for them, forcing them to look for a different venue.


4) Judging: No one will be convinced it's fair. Applause? Singers will load the place with their friends if they can. Impartial judges? If they're anywhere near local they will know at least some of the singers, and the singers will know that, and never believe they are impartial.


5) You get to deal with all of the egos and whining for no extra pay. Then, the sore losers, who may have been regulars at your shows at OTHER venues, disappear both from the contest venues and your others. It has been my experience that most bars AND HOSTS lose much more than they gain with contests....AND the host ALWAYS gets most of the blame/bad feelings..

Now, a BRAND NEW host may gain some exposure, but the bar show will still suffer in the end.

All of this is the result of the MAJORITY of shows, but that doesn't mean you can't get lucky-....once.

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

I disagree, contests can be good if held in the right capacity. A 1 off BIG money contest will never work. Big money contests need a few weeks. But small money weekly contests can work just fine with regulars not being angry they didn't win. The small money contests do not draw the contest hoppers. If you keep the winner of the small money out of the next 1 or 2 contests - that opens up the chance for others to win as well.

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

Thanks guys.

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

Back in the day I employed every way possible to run Karaoke Contests, and no matter how fair I tried to make it people's feelings got hurt, and the result was either myself or the venue was accused of "fixing" the outcome. All of which ultimately resulted with loss of customers, as well as a smear on my reputation!

To this day I REFUSE to have a contest at any of my shows based on talent. I want my customers to have fun, to keep coming back and to bring their friends.

As far as a contest, I wouldn't mind having the singers who have sung put their names in a hat(1 per singer) and then draw one for a small prize like a $20.00 gift certificate for the venue etc.... I think that would keep things fun without the hassle fo an actual singing contest. Oh well......just my thoughts on the subject.

Instead of a "contest", do a drawing.

Every song sung throughout the evening gets you another ticket in the drawing.

You can get the tickets in the party section at wallyworld.

You can do it nightly, weekly, monthly, whatever. You could do smaller prizes weekly and build up a larger amount of tickets for a monthly.

It rewards singing without the complications of judgement.

It feels like a contest if you promote it and incorporate it into the evening. Make a big deal out of getting the singers' info on the back of the ticket and be sure to frequently remind patrons of the drawing.

Cash prizes and gift certs/cards for the venue as well as having the venue offer a party as a prize to bring patrons back.

It has worked for me.

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Never the same show twice!

Feelings get hurt in quilting contests too - that's the nature of people WANTING to compete.

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

Agreed. However, I'm not in the quilting business. I'm in the Karaoke business. If a quilter's feelings get hurt it doesn't affect my livelihood or reputation.

Doesn't matter, people (it's human nature) like to compete whether it be quilting, a spelling bee, bowling or karaoke. There used to be lip sync contests. People LIKE to compete. If someones feel bads get hurt, so be it, they WANTED to compete. If the contest is ran without bias, there will be no ill effects, and those that do leave because they though they should have won were not worth keeping in the first place. I run contests all the time, am doing a 6 week right now, the people that lost the last one, are getting into this one as well.

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

This is true. But in quilting you don't have to cater to 20 quilters a night where every single one of them thinks they are the best quilter in the house. I've never done a contest because I never saw a good reason to point out that 19 of them actually are not the best singers in the house.

We do relatively big money contests twice a year ($1500 1st prize), in the fall and spring, and have been doing so for the past eight years.

And yes... there's always grumbling and sore losers, and 97 people in the audience who know much more about judging that the volunteer judges themselves.

But despite the minor downsides, our contests have invariably been great successes, with standing-room-only crowds particularly in the semi-finals and finals.

Yes, we've lost a few singers who thought they should have won, or at least placed higher... but, as was said earlier, they're not the kind of folks I want to see at my shows anyway...

I get sick & tired of people who make definitive statements like "Contests don't work." They can, and do work if run properly, and we are living proof.

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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]

Can it work? Yes.
In general, are they more trouble then they are worth? Yes.
Do you run the risk of pissing off valuable return clients and the majority of the room? Yes.
Would I host a contest? Never again.

Yes. It does matter. Perhaps contest behavior varies from region to region....I don't know. What I do know is any karaoke contest that I have been involved were run without bias, yet they weren't worth the trouble of having. I work and live in the worst economic area of the country. (Google Youngstown, Ohio to see what I mean) People here will do more than get their panties in a bunch for a little $25.00 karaoke contest, with a grand prize of $500.00. I've seen it turn nice, normal folk into complete a$$holes no matter how fairly and unbiased the contest was. Been there. Done that. Want no part of it.

back on track please.

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

I don’t do contest after I lost a few ‘friends’ who thought they should’ve been the winner.
Covered extensively, I have nothing more to add but just recommendation on the judging part. 6 columns on a piece of paper handed to 3 or 4 serious & unbiased judges.

1. Names
2. Showmanship – stage presence, interpretation, performance.
3. Voice – Tone, clarity, quality.
4. Technique – familiarity, comfort, degree of difficulty.
5. Intonation – exactitude of pitch relations, as in stayed on key
6. Scores. Last row, the grand score total.

Scores: Scale 1 – 4 (4 being highest) in categories # 2 – 5. Total the scores. Good luck, ripman!

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To be fortunate enough to derive an income from a source as fulfilling as karaoke music has got to be as close to heaven as we can get here on earth!

I keep the judging simple - vocal and stage presence. Even the most qualified judge isn't going to be able to pick out all the technical aspects of a performance - that would give no chance for a general customer to understand. I just want them to like what they hear & like what they see overall.

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

every venue i know in AZ and IL hurt after the contests. i will never do one again, that being said.....
the one place in IL that seemed to get the least ill effects from it had six judges in the bar (regulars, strangers, etc) and it was vocal talent and stage presence 1-5. after everyone sang the top and bottom score for each person was discarded (your best buggy cant pump up your score and that douche next to you can t tank it either) and the other 4 scores were tallied.

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens