Karaoke Forums

I've had more and more people complain about duets and rotations...  I have a couple of singers who are "duet sluts" (pardon the expression), but they want to sing several duets over the course of the evening and this is becoming problematic.

Right now, this is how I handle duets:

If the night is slow, and I have less than 8 singers, I will allow both singers to sing their own solos, and add the duet in the rotation.

As the evening progresses and gets busier, I will replace one of the singers' solos with a duet.  Typically whomever gave me the request.  Then they start complaining that they haven't sung.  When I point out that they sang a duet with another person on their own turn, they complain.

<sigh>

Is there a more fair way to handle duets?

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Karaoke:  Freedom of expression, or cruel and unusual punishment?

Any karaoke place I have been to counts a duet as the solo for one of the performers.  It never occured to me that it would work any other way - so I usually make sure it's the other persons turn if they ask me to sing a duet...*impish grin*

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"I hold the key to an open door....will I ever be free...?"

I deal with it kind of like you do on a slow night - will bring up one of the solos, have them sing their solo,  then call the duet partner up for the duet,  then send the first soloist back to their seat Once it is busier, though, I will usually put the duet in one of the singer's rotation spots.

It is a pain for sure because it seems that the same people get up and over and over - I find this with the "groups" too - especially if there is some sort of party - if they each put up a song (say, 8 people), and they all get up and sing together, they sing 8 times.  Once I figure out who is in the group, I'll start separating them. Again, though, it depends on how busy it is, who the other singers are, and in the end, how much money the group is spending (sucks for sure).

You sound like you have a fair method, but like you said, depending on the crowd, you have to handle it a bit differently. To me, having the vast majority of the cutomers happy, trumps the risk of getting a select few people upset at you......course that depends on who that select people/person are....

For me duets count for both persons turn.  Only reason I went that way is because people started abusing it in the past where a handful of people would get up several times in a rotation with a 'duet' with another, even though technically it was the other persons turn & time wise it shouldn't matter who they sing with, however audience perception saw it differently & saw that certain people were getting up several times in a round BEFORE they got their song, so it appeared unfair & that we were playing favorites and started losing customers because of it.  So I changed the rule & started enforcing it.  now when someone hands in a duet I make sure they know the rule & that the other person really wants to sing it especially if they have another song up already.  Most understand & agree.

Slow rotations may be exceptions but don't try to make it habit.

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

Duets suck.  I don't have an exact science.  If I have solos for each singer I will let them each take their turn in the rotation.  If I have a couple different duets I'll stack them up at the end of the rotation.  I will generally lose a few if I see that someone is trying to abuse the system.  Happens all the time.  Someone comes in and hands in five slips each a duet with a different person.  I'll explain to them what's likely to happen and give them the choice to change their 'tactic'.  

I state unequivocally in my guidelines that I reserve the right to ban a singer from the show for the evening if they either submit a slip with a false name or try to manipulate the rotation to their advantage.  I haven't had to yet, but I do reserve the right.

If it's a slow night, it's never an issue.  If it's a busy night I will count the duet as both singers turn, and then do their solos the next rotation.  Again, no exact science.  More a feeling kind of a thing.  Duets suck!

Pretty clear cut and easy to understand......think twice before you du et.....
You're right, a lot of people in the crowd see it like you stated.....what about threesomes, foursomes.....etc.....

I don't generally get more than 2 on stage, occasionally 3, but usually the 3rd person is someone that wouldn't sing by themselves anyway.  Any more than 4 I consider as a group & may stick the group song in at the end of the rotation - although this is generally pretty rare as well.

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

We handle the duets as the person who handed it in is their turn. We have one girl who tried to turn in duets with people who are not singing and tell us to put it under the other person's name. I simply tell her that the other person has not sang all night and that it will go under her turn. She is constantly telling me she is trying to work the system. And I reply by telling her that I know and it isn't going to work.

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Will sing or fish for food!!I'm not quite right!!

Damn... I need to figure out a way to "post" my policies and not just enforce them.  Sounds like we're all doing about the same thing... and yet it works better in some locations and occasions.

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Karaoke:  Freedom of expression, or cruel and unusual punishment?

Put a rules/policy page in the front of your book - not everyone will read them, but many will, now whether they follow or not is a different story.  If you can, make a bigger copy to put on the fron of your equipment where people can see them.  Our club made an 8x4 foot (floor to ceiling) wall board with my rules posted on the wall.

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

yep, read the F*n first page!

duets for me are a turn for both singers, as like Isis, you see someone working the system.

sadly, adults turn into the biggest cheats and children doing this activity... it's not just the alcohol. Many non-drinkers do this kinda bull!