Karaoke Forums

Oh no, nobody wants to see that. I could be sued for so many frivolous lawsuits because of "pain and suffering" that I would need three more lifetimes to pay it off.

...but yes, I am.

Yeah, me too.  Why should the chicks wear all the thongs, I always say...  (or not)

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Who loves ya baby?

Heck yah. They shouldn't hord this discomfort all to themselves.

I always keep my karaoke library up to date with the latest selections AND keep my filler music up to date with the latest dance songs. I just check the billboard top 40 about every 2-3 weeks and go download the good songs I don't have (85c a song). With the song samples, you can definately tell within the first 15 seconds if a song is a good dance song, and since I'm only playing about 30-45 seconds of the song anyway before the next karaoke singer is up, it has to be groovy in the first 15 seconds to be good for my purposes anyway. I usually find myself downloading about 4-5 songs every 2-3 weeks at a cost of about $4-$5 a month for dance filler...

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C Mc
KJ, FL

Let me clarify for Bigdog and try to put it simple terms so he can understand.....


My business thinking for specialty nights is trying to get ALL the people in the bar to participate, not just the singers. When people start talking outside of the bar, (their normal day jobs, other social gatherings, etc), about how much fun they had dressing up, it creates a buzz,(word of mouth advertising), it gets other singers and non-singers to come in to check out what the hub-bub is all about.


If they like my show they will come back, so I have turned non regular customers into regular customers, and as someone aptly put it earlier in this thread more ca-ching in the register that the owners like hearing.


The story about the older couple is an example of: somebody who doesn't normally come into the bar at night, especially a karaoke night, that participated in a themed party, and spent more money in the bar than they normally do.


The next theme night is this Wed., the general manager wanted country night, and I do what I am told, no problems. Next month it falls on a Sat. night and just so happens to fall on MY b-day weekend and we are doing leather & lace night. I want all the ladies to dress up sexy for my b-day, so how much talk do you think it will generate about that night?


The more sexy & outrageous the party the more people come in, did I mention the female bar staff HAS to participate in all dress up events too.

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Lito
"It's all about having FUN"

Timing is everything.  I went to a place in Waukesha, WI on Saturday night.  It was toga night.  The KJ and her retinue of about 4 other very overweight ladies wore "togas" but I don't think they researched the theme at all.  One had obviously gone to the store where they sell material and dress patterns.  She bought what had to be a whole bunch of yards of leoard print material.  So she looked like an extremely large Wilma Flintstone.

The other togas looked pretty much like either print bedsheets or curtains.  Nobody wore a white toga.  John Belushi must have been turning over in his grave.

This coming Saturday is "pajama" night.  The KJ announced that those of us who sleep in the raw (that would be me, but nobody would want me to come to a Karaoke show that way) merely had to wrap themseves with yellow "Caution" tape.  As an aside, that wasn't an original idea.  I tried it once.  The tape tends to chaff after awhile.  Daily applications of Jergens lotion helped butit took about a week to get rid of the sore spots.

I think the theme night thing is kind of interesting.  But I think it takes a certain type of person to participate.  Saturday night only one singer showed up with a "toga".  Here's wasn't a white bedsheet either (I'm beginning to think that the Waukesha public school district needs to put some work in on their history curriculum.  Apparently, it's being taught by Martha Stewart—not a good idea.)  At this particular venue the crowd is mostly in the 40 + age category and I think a more mature crowd is less apt to get into the theme thing than younger folks are.

Larry

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"Life is too short for diet soda and lite beer"

Thanks for all the comments guys ! Keep 'em comin' !

Oh and thanks for the hygene tips too  LMAO  Yall are too funny !!

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]

LMFAO!!!  

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[glow=violet] **Sing like nobody's listening...live like there's no tomorrow**[/glow]

Ohhhhhhhh...never tried THAT before....  

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[glow=violet] **Sing like nobody's listening...live like there's no tomorrow**[/glow]

I love the idea of theme night. Great idea!

Keeping it fresh and not boring is always a constant for me.

*Up to date song list

* Keeping the crowd entertained with games, props to play with and sing-a-long
songs.

* Getting regulars to sing different songs and not the same songs night after night.

After doing the same venue for many years I find my crowd is constantly changing
over except for maybe a handful of regulars. So keeping it fresh is sometimes more for me then them.  LMAO I figure if I'm getting bored they must be and if I'm getting bored my enthusiam goes down and the mood of the night is set by the KJ. I need to be fresh to keep things rocking. I hope this helped.  :D

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

Would you expand on the games for me?  I take it they probably don't take very long.

Thanks,
Susie

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You do it in the shower,
you do it in the car,
Ccome do it with us,
and be a star!!!!

Karaoke with Full House Entertainment

[scroll]Just because I have a short attention span doesn't mean...... [/scroll]

Lito, the comment about only one singer dressing up..... should be a signal to you.   It may be fun for everyone else, but it ain't for the real reason you're there... the singers.    It's all about the singers.   I'm willing to bet, if there was another place close by, the serious singers would be singing there.    

I'm run a professional Karaoke business.... Not a theme night, party hosting business.   That is my reputation.    Top quality karaoke.    Everyone knows what to expect.    Nobody getting stupid.    They all like it that way.   You can get stupid any and everywhere.   It's much harder to find serious quality.   Again, that's just me.

Originally Posted by Bigdog:


Uh, get your facts straight......where did I say anything about amount of SINGERS dressing up? I gave a story about NON-SINGERS.......


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


I have to agree that karaoke should be about the singers, I gladly take myself out of the rotation when I get 6 or more singers when it gets busy and I tell them: "It's not about ME singing, but it's about YOU GUYS singing." Having a little fun and putting a twist to the karaoke nights makes it more entertaining for all, singers and non-singers alike.


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


Serious singers? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't karaoke suppose to be fun for everybody, whether people can or cannot sing, as long as they are having a good time?  I have karaoke junkies that come in every night that I perform at this particular venue, if they had their way they would like me to perform 5-6 nights a week there, which is too much for me.

We have somebody here in Orlando that is on the other side of town that advertises: "Come hear the best voices in Orlando." Quite a few performers from Disney, Universal, etc..... go there on their nights off to sing karaoke, and they ARE phoenominal singers. Do you think that the regular joe shmo is intimidated by the quality of all the good singers? Most, yes, some, no. That's why most of the average singers do not go there to sing, they just listen. Also if the host does not know you or do not sing too good, you get pushed back in the rotation, seen it happen quite a few times.

And yes there is actually 2 places close by, (we - 3 bars - are within a 2 miles radius of each other), that I compete with: one venue about the same size as mine on Wed. nights to the north, the other a bigger venue on Sat. nights to the southeast. I hold my own against them and actually I have been getting some of their customers,(new faces / singers in the bar), lately finding out what's the buzz of specialty nights......

I try,(I know that I am not perfect), to do all the right things that make a succesful show that my singers like: fair rotation,(I cannot be bribed to push someone up, and they ALL know it, which is in itself another story), adjusting sound for each singer so they can sound they best they can be,(NOT doing one setting for all - set & forget), get them most of the new songs they request when I do an update, encouarging my singers of a good job,(even the ones that can't carry a tune in a bucket), at the end of the night not worrying about my tip jar,(because I DO NOT HAVE ONE, never have and never will, also part of the bribe story), and most important: having fun WITH my singers, even tho that I AM working.


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


Well that is your perrogative, good for you.


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


This is hard to believe in any venue that serves any kind of alcohol......


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


That's what I was thinking when I proposed the theme nights to the general manager and the owners of doing something creative and fun for all to participate in that sets us different from the rest of the other bars doing karaoke. Not just having something for the karaoke singers only but for the whole bar. In any bar the number of non-singers is going outnumber the anoumt of singers you have, keeping that fine balance of keeping everybody entertained and happy.

Going from the average sales on Wed. nights to $400 to $600 above the average and on Sat. nights $500 to $800  above average on sales on theme nights, sounds like I must be doing something right, and it's gonna keep on getting better. How I know the numbers? I always talk with the general manager and owners about the back side of the business, not just about the front side of the show.


Originally Posted by Bigdog:


I'm not gonna touch this one, I don't want to get in a peeing match.  


Bigdog,
You are entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. I am also a professional at what I do, but I am also willing to share ideas with people who are open minded to new ideas, that's what the original poster of this thread,(Karaoke Kelley) was asking.

To give you more insight on to who I am, I visit a few other chat boards, when I visit and post on a subject,I do not care about the piddley BS stuff, peoples post counts, or the politcs of a chat board. I come to learn and share ideas and hopefully make a few friends to network with...that's all.


Have a nice day....

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Lito
"It's all about having FUN"

Didn't say there was anything wrong with what you are doing.   If the cash is flowing, keep it going.     Being in Orlando, where everyone dresses up "Goofy" anyway, (Disneyland) you can get away with it with out too much problem.    I wouldn't be able to.    The fantasy aura helps, no doubt.     My crowds take their singing a little more on the serious side.    Non stop music, fairly good singers and everybody is happier than pigs in mud.    They might think it cute or funny once, but after that I think it would get old.    I'm not saying they aren't having fun, because they are.    But they take their fun in a different way.   Their fun comes from sounding good.

As a side note, you must have reedited your post, because I could have sworn that you said you had one singer dress up.

This might be the post you are thinking of BigDog

I stand corrected....  :worship:  :yes:  :hug:

It still makes my point though.  

The serious singers are more worried about singing and sounding good, than dressing funny.     This is where I spend all of my effort.   Making everyone sound the best.    I'm not saying it's not fun and that nobody would enjoy it.     It does sound like fun, I just wouldn't do it at karaoke, maybe for a DJ kinda thing.   There would have to be a lot of participation too.   Most of the crowd would have to be doing it.    I would feel out of place, if I wasn't dressed funny.   Know what I mean.    I would hate to stick out like a sore thumb.  

It's a free country....Live like you wanna live, baby....*Chuck Berry, My Ding-a-ling

The cool thing is that everyone seems to be basing their answers on what their customers want.

I just noticed that.

I was born fresh and 9 days early.

I spend every day trying to remember not to be early and not to be fresh.

Every venue is different - You have to do what works for you.

Boy that sounds formiliar.  LMAO

I play effects after songs. My patrons ask me to play the fart
sound more than any other one.  LMAO
Potty humor still works here in Chicago.

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

Ive actually thught about this. Sounds better than playing a piece of a song that as soon as the crowd gets used to it has to be cut off because the next singer is up. Thanks

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Kelley
Star Sounds Karaoke & Mobile Recording Studio


[shadow=black][scroll]You have to respect your audience. Without them, you're essentially standing alone, singing to yourself....KD Lang[/scroll][/shadow]