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In the area that I live there is more work than there is KJ's available..I work full time and run the Karaoke business as a sideline that has exceeded my expectations. After a couple of years running myself ragged, giving up every weekend, turning business down, and having no life I put  together another system that is ready to go.

I can book it readily...my dilemma is I am not sure about the financial side of hiring a KJ..... to run it.

I would prefer to do the bookings and pay a KJ Host a percentage. What kind of split should that be with the hired KJ doing the setup and tear down???

Or I could rent it not sure how well that would work

Any advice out there or someone in a similiar situation?

Any input would be valued...

At my venues I usually between 200 and 250 a night. With my second rig I have no problem finding KJ's to work for me But I do have a problem finding "Good" KJ's. When I start 1 out I'll begin with a flat rate of $60.00 a night which includes setup and tear down. This will last 4 weeks. After that I'll check with the bar owner and my spies to see what kind of job they are doing. If they all say he/she is great I split the show 50/50 as incentive for a good job. This way I have had some keep jobs for a couple of years for me.

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The going rate is 50-60%...

However the person you hire should be someone you have known for years and trust implicitly.. The temptation to steal your music and customers is a big one.

After you do this the first thing you notice is you dont have the same financial recourses to buy new music or update that system unless you are in good paying venues.

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Hi,

It's been a long time since I've been here and time is short so I'm glad I saw your topic...

We pay 50% - regardless of set up / tear down.  However, the set up / tear down is minimal at our current shows as all of it is kept at the clubs.  One of our clubs has employed us for over 5 years and we've had the same KJ there for over 4 years.  We had known her for quite some time and she runs a great show.  The other club is relatively new to us but we are there Tues - Sat 8:30 - 1:30.  One of our KJ's runs it Tues - Thurs and another has Fri & Sat.  We've also know both of them for a loooong time.  We also leave everything there so the set up / tear down is not bad. ***Crossing fingers for both shows, I'm not superstitious mind you - just careful.

In the past we have had up to 17 shows a week with the equipment being transported, for the most part, to each show by the individual KJ's.  At that time we also paid 50% but if we were to do it again we might have to increase it slightly due to gas prices and the additional work of loading / unloading / setting up / tearing down / loading / unloading...

We do offer rentals but it is on a different scale.   You never know what the person renting might end up doing; of course you never know what your KJ may be doing either but you typically know more about them.

Unfortunately we do not get $200 - $250 a night but we are lucky in that we know the club owners and feel safe keeping our equipment there.   ***Again, I'm crossing my fingers.

Well, I guess I've just muddied the waters for you but with all the different input you are sure to find one that works for you.

Susie
Full House Entertainment

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I would think 50% is a fair amount -  Typically in this area $150 per 4 hr bar gig

If the KJ was to make $75 for the night ( 4hrs plus 1hr setup/teardown) Thats $15 per hour ..Not BAD for a part time job ..where you get to sing, drink and meet people . ( when I say drink I of course mean moderately)

Thanks so much for the advice......Also very consistant across the board in all replies

Gives me something to go on.

I would offer $60 a night for the first month and then 50% of the gig pay thereafter plus tips of course. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are running your show above the radar (reporting your income) you will have to report theirs as well.

In the past I had independent contractor agreements with my KJ's and I would 1099 them at the end of the year if they made over $600. For me this was the easiest method as the paperwork is minimal. It also allows me to deduct their wages at the end of the year for tax purposes.

If you charge enough....say $250 - $300 a night then it's worth a go at it. It would be very difficult to make it work at $150. Assuming you purchase an equivalent library for each system (making it legal) and have normal upkeep on equipment, books, new music for your library etc. It would be very hard to do that on $75 a night gross profit before taxes.

I would recommend you consult a CPA or Tax Advisor on the best way to handle this for your own application. One thing is for sure, the amount of work and expense will increase dramatically, and you need to properly budget yourself so that you can enjoy increased profits to make it all worthwhile.

After 4 years of having KJ's on the payroll....I elected to downsize back to just little ol' me. I actually work less hours, and make more money now than I did back then.

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