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What would you do? i've been asked to tell an older gentleman singer that he "sucks' and management no longer wants him at my venue.

Wow, now this is a hard situation!  It sounds like you've all but done all you can do.  One last thing you might try is (gently) telling him he's welcome to sings those songs, but it's going to have to be at another time of the night, like with another slow or depressing song.  Tell him you can't continue to put those type of songs in rotation with the faster/upbeat/better liked songs.  It's very hard to find a happy medium here, I am interested in how you end up handling this, as well as his reaction to you action.  Maybe you can get him to try some other songs 'offline' somewhere?  Keep up posted & good luck!  MrD

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[highlight=midnightblue]MrD - KJ/DJ Specialist
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if the venue wants him gone, then THEY need to control it. You personally don't mind his business, despite it being a bit depressing.

I've never censored anyone in any of my shows... in fact, I tell the bars that when you do get the clunkers, it makes the gems that much more kewl to listen and enjoy!

If the venues want him outta there, then THEY need to take the steps.

You're being paid to provide a service to the public. I didn't know that public karaoke was only for the GREAT singers...

I actually feel sorry for that guy.

Introduce him to fellow Kj that specialized in that genre of songs.

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This is a lonely old guy.  Worse, it's a lonely old guy who doesn't drink and can't sing.  Tell him there is a problem and you just can't let him sing those songs anymore.  Then he can get a new act or get a new bar.  This will make him a lonelier old guy but that is not your problem.

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If the BAR (staff/owners/managers) wants him gone, it's THEIR job to tell him, not yours.  
Your were hired to let people sing, good or bad - it's karaoke, you ARE doing your job.

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Any successful bar operation or karaoke show is not bothered 1 or 2 like this and it does not detract from profit in any way. Take it from real hard experience One of these days he will be gone. Now if you have 10-15 like him then you have a problem.

9 minutes (3 songs) would hardly have a bearing or major affect in any show. If patrons are bitching I would have a tendency to move on to a different venue. I am probably older than he is.

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This almost makes me mad. So what if he is old and sings yucky songs. He only sings 3 songs! It is hard to believe people are upset by that and would leave.

I agree if management wants him gone, it is their responsibilty.

Your only job is to make sure the crowd is entertained. A way around a person who sings the same boring songs. Make at least one of his songs a sing-a long some how. Get the crowd to play along by singing back to the song. When someone sings the same song all the time people are familiar with it and are looing for a way to tolerate it. I would set my regulars up with words to repeat back after certain phrases and tell them why. Make a boring song fun.  :D

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Wow what kind if place is that ?  Obviously  this "young enviroment"  has no repect for their elders.  You can do one of 2 things --Talk to management and explain Karaoke is about singing and these 3 sad songs probably remind him of a love that passed away or some other fond memory.  You should be fighting for his right to sing instead of looking for a way to "86" him.

OR


The next time you see him ask him to stand up and kick him square in the balls .
He won't be back......

There was this elderly man that came into my Saturday show, he started coming in about 1-1/2 year ago and all he sang were COUNTRY SONGS....Classic real old stuff.
He would come every week and people used to have similiar feelings about his songs.  He was a HEAVY older  guy.   Then all of a sudden I didn't see him for months and I found out that he had a STROKE.  

One day a few months back he walks in , all skinny and frail.   Walks in slowy and takes a seat.  I didn't make him fill out slips or get a book I would go over and ask him what he wanted to sing and make him feel special.   One of his favorite songs to sing was "lost in the fifties" he did a great job singing the old stuff.   He would'nt come in every week and he no longer could stay all night but did stay long enough to sing one or 2 songs .  he was a "nice guy"  I always called him and annouced him as "BIG AL"   he like that .

Big Al passed away Last  Sunday.

I have this gal who comes in to my Wednesday night shows every week.  She's an adorable half-wit (just stating the facts).  She's an odd karaoke type.  First, she's barely 21, so this is her first experience with karaoke in a bar (I imagine).  I feel responsible in part for how her experience is shaped.  Second, she can't sing to save her life.  I'm not kidding.  She doesn't sing, she talks through the songs.  I don't know if she's tone deaf, or just deaf, but her attempts have made me cringe on more than one occassion.  I had a really cute girl tell me last night she was going to kick my (@$%&#!) if I ever let her sing again.     Bring it on lovey!  Anyway, everyone mocks her, and she's oblivious to it all.  I often times will come up to those that are doing so rudely and ask then to tone it down.  One thing she does is borrow people's songs.  She hears a song, and whether she's ever heard it before or not, she'll sing it.  Sometimes she hears someone singing a song, and she's at my side with a slip wanting to sing that song next time 'round (we've chatted about that).  Other girls will put up slips in an effort to show her up.  It's an odd situation all around.  Entertaining though.

It's part of the game.  Who's to say who can or can't sing, or who should or shouldn't sing.  I agree if the owner wants them out, it's their call, not yours.

Woah seems like someone has been looking in on our Monday night show! In the last six weeks or so, a very eccentric, mentally challenged, middle-aged woman has been coming in to sing with us.  The establishment is a YOUNG PERSON'S club. Majority of the people eating and drinking there are average 25 years old, I'd say.

Everyone on the karaoke circuit seems to know who this woman is. She can't carry a tune in a bucket. She also sings the OOOOLLLDDD country stuff. (Sometimes it is not possible to discern which song it is, even with the lyrics viewable.) She wears bizarre hats. She finds people and glues herself to them and talks and talks and talks.  She likes to say something after her song or before her song about Joe or the place, or whatever.  

I am a tolerant person. I believe we owe it to anyone who wants to sing that we allow them their 4 minutes of glory. My concern is that this woman is now starting to affect business negatively. Hubby runs the show and was appalled at the suggestion that she be denied the opportunity to sing. The two fellows who chaperone her (they give her a ride home) always buy food and drink sodas so it isn't an issue of her not paying her way there. She sits and plays solitaire at the free computer so no one else can use it.

This is an interesting dilemma and I would also be interested to see how others deal with it. Guess we're not the only ones dealing with this....

K

I'm with Lonnie, everyone gets to sing.  Everyone is treated equally.  If management has a problem, then management deals with it.  We've had management come to us and we tell them this.  They have yet told anyone they couldn't sing.  We work three venues six times a week, the newest being 5 years, the oldest 10 years.  We do the karaoke, they run the venue, works perfectly.

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I agree, Tim. Management is looking for a scapegoat, or a sacrificial lamb here... they want the karaoke host to be the "bad guy".

I agree with Babs... mention this is nine freakin' minutes ALL SHOW LONG... that's IT! I mean, I hear more than nine minutes of bad songs of radio airplay! I just deal with it. I heard some clunkers last night. You know what? I STILL applauded them... the bad singers make the okay singers sound even better! And they're still buying something.

If management is unhappy with the buying power of ANY of their customers, then they need to address THAT.

Personally, I'd change tactics as the karaoke host. If they want to start having "great singers only", mention that to run a "showcase" kind of show isn't your normal thing, and that you'd have to charge double, since now you have to pick and choose who gets to be showcased.

Usually money makes them sit up and pay attention...

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If you still use CDs the cds with those songs could get "Scratched"/ worn out.

I feel for you, the guy is probably harmless, but a downer.  The best approach may be to work through one of his friends if he has any, who are regulars. Hearing it from the kj or bartender is going to be heartless.

In any case a "bad singer" can actually good for the karaoke sometimes. It helps people to go sing because they can think "At least I wont be as bad as THAT guy" maybe they wont say it but many will think it. Even for people who would sing anyway it can remove some of the pressure. Some people who need encouragement may end up being good singers and help the scene.

If you still use CDs the cds with those songs could get "Scratched"/ worn out.

I feel for you, the guy is probably harmless, but a downer.  The best approach may be to work through one of his friends if he has any, who are regulars. Hearing it from the kj or bartender is going to be heartless.

In any case a "bad singer" can actually good for the karaoke sometimes. It helps people to go sing because they can think "At least I wont be as bad as THAT guy" maybe they wont say it but many will think it. Even for people who would sing anyway it can remove some of the pressure. Some people who need encouragement may end up being good singers and help the scene.

without reading through all of the replies, here's what i would do.

i'd have a talk with the management.  are customer really leaving whe this guy sings or do they just not want him there because he's not that good.  if there's no one leaving the bar, explain to the owner that he's not hurting anything but a few folks' ears.  in my venues, EVERYONE gets applause.  doens't matter what you sing or how great or poorly you sing it.  obviously some get more applause than others, but EVERYONE gets applause.  i have "conditioned" my patrons that it's not about how good you are, but more about how good you feel when you sing.  they all know there are ceratin singers who sing certain songs that drive us nuts for whatever reason, but the singers are there to have fun not win contests or record deals.  if the guy isn't running customers away, there's nothing to be done.  i'd explain it to the owners that way also.  

now, if you continually see customers leaving and not coming back when he sings, then you can gently speak with him.  maybe those songs hold a certain personal value to him.  maybe he feels like they are the only three he can sing (regardless of how you or anyone else thinks he sounds).  if he's been coming to your shows for that long and that often, he will understand if you ask him to sing different songs or sing them later.  he will understand that if customers keep leaving, he won't be able to sing those songs there anyway, because you won't be there for him to sing them!

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What a sad story.