Karaoke Forums

Here's a couple of song trivia facts:
The song was done by Arthur Brown in 1968 and reached #2.  His group was called The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown.  Album's associate producer was the Who's Pete Townshend (who also produced Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air").  Drummer, Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake and Palmer was also in the Crazy World.... band.

Not to single anyone out (TTT) but, the subject of income came up when someone asked if you could make a living doing karaoke.  I can, can you?  Second, I mentioned how much I spent on discs to prove that I'm not one of those illegal downloaders.   You?   You're probably a $25 per night guy.   Just a guess.  No one in their right mind wants to walk away from a two night [highlight=crimson]$18,000[/highlight] a year gig, over a stupid practical joke.  I happen to be very proud of the money I have made from putting on a professional karaoke show.   There aren't a whole lot of KJs that can make this kind of money at it.   I'm not a wannabe with a Ken & Barbie play toy karaoke system that sets up in ten minutes.   13 years ago, I set the bar for this entire area.   Ask any KJ around here, they know who has the best system.  They are fighting amongst themselves to take a very low position under me.   The wannabes can't or won't put up the investment I have.  13 years later there is still no one on my level.   They're happy to schlub along the bottom.  With their 600 songs, $25 corded mikes and speakers that have the sound running through lightbulbs in the speaker box, if it overloads.  They have been using the same crap for years with out an improvement.   And it sounds like it.   Crowds of people don't run around saying "Let's all go to Bob's Bar tonight to spend our hard earned money, because the karaoke really sux."  Wonder why you can't get and keep a crowd?  I have always attracted people that are a little more serious and have a little more talent.  It's much more appealing than listening to a bunch of screaming drunks night after night.   If you can't do it first class and you take no pride in your product, why?  I like my reputation and have worked very hard to get it.  People all know the quality of my business.   Most of the wannnabes and washed up Dj's that couldn't make money doing their thing, bought a bunch of crap and jumped on the wagon to make some quick money so they wouldn't starve.  This is why we can't make the kind of money we should be making.   I made up my mind from the beginning with my investment to be the best KJ I could be.   I have worked more consistantly than everyone around here.  I don't have to undercut anyone.  I can take over your wannabe job and get paid more money to do it.  I'm not happy sucking hind tit.  I deserve better.   Do you want to keep doing what you're doing or do you want to do it right and make a lot of money?  Who makes enough money?    Even Bill Gates hasn't made enough money to quit his job, yet!!!!   I don't like working for nothing.   I'm not saying this all pertains to you.   Just stating the facts, if you can't run with the bigdogs, stay behind with the porch puppies.

Well honestly no I can't make a living doing club works because of the saturation level here & the undercutters I could not command my normal price anymore...normally $200-$250 per night.  So I just do private parties every weekend at $500 per show minimum....that would be Sat & Sun at those prices every weekend sometimes more per week...you do the math slick!



Well as far as discs go, I have over 15K songs from cdg's & the original laser set from Pioneer.  The cdg's consist of 60% Sound Choice spots, 20% Chartbuster, 10% PHM & the rest are some of the oddball brands that had special requests not available on the main labels.  I don't buy just to have it first or buy every crap label just to get every song in the world, that's plain stupidity hen most of those songs will never get used in the first place.



Already answered you there slick!



That avgs $175 per night, if that's good in your area, great.  



Yeah i've been running karaoke since approx '91 as well.  BTW, MOST speakers systems use the "light bulb" for speaker protection...especially some of the BETTER models & manus.  You don't state what kind of system you use, what do YOU consider good?



Never said anything about not being able to keep a crowd, stingy bar owners & lowballer companies ruined that!



Big dogs often bark louder than their bite  LMAO

_________________
[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

I don't know why people get offended when people are proud of the
system they've built. It takes work and money to put together even small
systems. I take no offense to hearing people talk of the library they've compiled
or the equipment they have - they should be proud. Now if someone is boosting to put someone else down that is a different story.

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

People are pround of their systems?

Ever Hear you can't polish a turd?

I'm taking this thread in a differnt driection.

KJ's constantly cry that undercutters and downloaders are taking their jobs.

Most of the time better gear will equal better sound.
JBL Srx speakers sound alot better than Yamaha Club Speakers.
A better reverb unit will sound better than your built in Behringer Reverb.

Most business run at about a 25% profit margin. KJ are so CHEAP!!! Quit being so cheap!!!

Spend some $$ on you equipment. Oh dear god that microphone is $400 I find on average you will get 2 years out of a mic. That's 78cents if you use it 3 nights a week!

TTT,  If your answers are honest and I believe they are, I respect you as a man of integrity.   I'm being totally serious.   I don't like my feathers ruffled, didn't mean to ruffle yours.   I hate wannabes for the destruction they have caused our industry.   They are a total embarrassment  to all of the KJs that do care and invest in quality equipment.  Wannabes have ruined the reputations of the serious jocks.   Bar owners get a cheap guy the first try, to save money then nobody shows and the first thing they tell you is I tried  karaoke and it doesn't work.   NO, it's bad karaoke that doesn't work.  I'm glad you could find steady weekend party work.  Your weekends sound pretty sweet.   You found a nitch and took command.   I'll bet money that your steady work is directlly linked to your reputation and the quality of your system.   $ 175 is pretty much all I can get around here, everyone else is working for the same or less, mostly or less.  Not what it should be by a long shot.    These bar owners are making over $50,000 a year on my night.   They could spread the wealth a little more.   But some knuckhead wannabe is always circling around like a starving vulture.  I just heard tonight about a wannabe that quit because he couldn't make any money.   The guy that told me about it said his stuff sounded like crap.  Singers know how they want to sound and it usually isn't bad.   If you can't get and keep jobs, I'll bet it's your system, people.   Listen to some good sounding systems.   Think about your reputation.   It's what gets you the job.   What do you want people saying about your business.    That guy sucks or Hey, I want to hire him.  Remember you are a business person.   When you need any type of service performed at your house, don't you hire someone with a good reputation.   I've replaced a lot of bad sounding wannbes over the years.   The bar owners called me, I didn't go there and undercut anyone.    I charged more.   The bar owner realized that you have to spend a little money to make money.   I'm all for competiton, but lets do apples to apples.  Bar owners have told me about visits from undercutters trying to take my jobs.   Optimum word here is [highlight=crimson]trying.[/highlight]   Lyquiddye is right if the wannabes had better systems we could all make more money, with higher prices.   Don't undercut the industry, help it to get bigger, upgrade to a better system.   If you have to be the cheapest jock in town to get a job, ask yourself why?  Karaoke is not going away, but the wannabes are dropping like flys.   Remember your granny saying the cream always rises to the top?   Most of us got into the business because we love it.  And it shows.   If you are only giving it a half a**ed attempt, what do you expect for an outcome.   Why is Bill Gates the worlds richest man????  Watch it, this is a trick question.   Because he has the [highlight=crimson]BEST SYSTEM.[/highlight]   THINK ABOUT IT.   It's not some wannabe.  If the wannabes take this personally....TOO BAD!!!    Upgrade.  Quit sleazing around somebody elses job.  Walk upright and get a job based on your reputation for having a quality business.   Not on being the cheapest huckster...sell used cars or insurance or become an ambulance chasing lawyer.

Maybe a Better somg suggestion would have been " Burning down the House" at lest you can dance to it.

Now I know you are talking outta you arse
1.  Bill gstes is not the richest man in the world.
2. Bill Gates's WINDOWS OS is not the BEST SYSTEM, in fact is is one of the worst.
3. The only reason that Gates got rich becasue he almost has a monopoly, nothing to do with BEST SYSTEM.
4. Just becasue someone undercuts you does not make them a sleeze, perhaps that are just getting into the business, and need to get a foot in the door.  Or perhaps they are trying to run you out of business, it called competion, quit whining.
5. 90% of bar owners don't give a rats (@$%&#!) about your QUALITY equipment, and will higher the cheaper guy using the $40 for 3 Samson mics, instead of theQUALITY guy using a $400 sure cordless.
6. 90% of singers don't give a rats (@$%&#!) about your QUALITY equipment.  ALl they want to do is get a buzz on, and sing a couple songs.

Please don't be offened, but the above is the truth.  Of course there are exceptions to the above, but they hold true most often.  It is just part of the KJ life.

I've spent a lot of money on my system. No it isn't the best in the land, but I'm
very confident in what I have. I have done a lot of things for better sound that my patrons wouldn't even notice. I do it more because I enjoy it. I like new toys.

I've had other KJs try to steal my main gig, but they haven't succeded as of yet.
I think most bar owners have no clue what a good system is or what it takes to run one. I am fortunate that I have a loyal following and the bar owner knows they would leave with me. It does make me nervous he is cheap. If i didn't have the following I do, I think he would sell me out to a cheaper KJ if the price was right. He
wouldn't even consider what kind of equipment the guy was using because he doesn't have the knowledge to know the difference.

I don't like under cutters or fly by night KJs with cheap systems either. My point before is you don't have to have a 40,000 system to be proud of what you have.
I think it also depends on what kind of jobs you take. I work in small venues only.
I would never try to take a big job I'm not equipped for.

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

Damn straight!  

The wannabes, though, I have to disagree about the dropping like flys.  These are the ones that don't need to rely on this for an income so they do it "because of the 'love' of it" or have so little invested ie preloaded illegal hard drive systems with not an original disc to show thus they don't need to charge more or invest in anything more, therefore driving prices down to the point that karaoke is going to become a joke as a viable form of entertainment - it's getting close to that now.  
I once had 4 systems at 1 time, except for my main system (and they were all pretty comparable), I sold them all.  There has been no work for them - at least no REAL paying work the last couple years.  Sure I could've had them all going for $125 per night, there is no way I would even load them up for that.  I've been at my main gig since '94 (on my own), since '92 with another company.
I don't mind competition, but when it devalues the overall value of the service we provide, that's when it becomes a problem.  I know 1 company in particular that has 5 sytems, all burns, crap equipment, charges $50-75 per night, yet has all his sytems working, paying his hosts $10 per hour.  I don't understand how he can even fathom setting up a system for the return.

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

Lonman - I'm sorry to hear that has happened to you. I can understand why you
are furious with under cutters etc...

I think the main problem here is people don't have the knowledge to know the difference between a quality host with good equipment and a fly by night. To many people look at the bottom dollar when they should be considering quality.

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

I use $600 mikes.  I'm not affraid or intimidated with any system in a 500 mile area. If all you got out of that was Bill Gates.....   I know where you stand in this mess.

WOW  big whoop $600 mic...Once again, since you misssed it...



My point is/was MOST PEOPLR DON'T CARE of they are using a $600 mic or $30 mic, and can not tell the difference either.

So is quality passe?  Mediocrity, cutting corners and a who cares attitude now rules?
Just squeak through another night?!    

You are missing my point.  QUALITY IS GOOD, but to what point.  But if no one is going to notice the difference between BIGDOG's $600 mic, and a samson $20 mic.  Why spend the money on the $600 mic?

I could go out and spend $10,000 or more on my system, and make it sound better, but it is not going to get me any more gigs.  So why spend the money if it is not necessary?

It all comes down to a profit margin.  I could purchase three $600 microphones, like BIGDOG's, and not increase my business.  Did I not just toss $1800 in the trash?

Now if I was to purchase three $600 mics, and it increase my business by $2000, I might consider it.  It it inreeased my business by $3000, I would seriously consider it.  If it increased my business by $4000, I would do it.

But 90% of people are not going to  care if they sing Karaoke on a $600 mic or a $20 mic.

Then of course, if someone has a $30,000 PA system, and makes it sound like you are singing in a cardboard box, what is the point?  The point is QUALITY ISN'T EVERYTHING!

One of the differences is I would notice crap sound and it would drive me crazy to listen to it 4 5 or 6 hours in a night and when you have QUALITY singers coming to your shows (which I do) it makes a difference to them. It also makes a difference to the average patron who's sitting out in the crowd listening to your sound all night buying drinks supporting the bar and your show and not leaving because your sound sounds like a screeching cat. I also record most of my singers with a DVD recorder hooked up through my control room out from my board and email them a copy of their songs performed that evening and they have to sound great or it's me that looks like a fool/ Bottom line if your show sounds like crap it is!

_________________
ROBDOG *WOOF WOOF*

100% agree!

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

Well, having good equipment doesn't automatically guarantee great sound.  You do need to know how to EQ a room, control feedback and think quick on your feet.

It'd be interesting to do a sound test contest and see just what percentage of average listeners could tell the difference between a high priced/high quality mic
and a budget yet passable mic.

Here's a question for the KJ's.  Do you make a point to adjust the vocal volume or soundtrack volume for each singer?  I personally, just as a listener, hate it when a KJ
just gets the next singer up there, starts the song then wanders off to sit with his girl friend.  Then the singer is up there fumbling around because he/she can't hear themselves. Or they have to plug an ear because they're too loud.  Maybe I'm just asking for too much!!  LOL

I do an individual mix for each singer, if they are too loud, I will adjust the compressor, if they are too soft, I will do some eq adjustments on the music to try  bring their voice out a bit more - sometimes they sing SO low, there isn't much that can be done.  Will eq each voice & music (all cd's are recorded different as well.  Even will tailor effects to the song if it was in the original (that i'm aware of).

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

That may be for you/your area, but here in BFE Iowa, people don't give a rats @#$. If they did my competion would be out of business.  Like I said if spending the extra $$$ will brign in more $$$ then of course I would do it.  But here it makes no difference, it may be different where you live.