Karaoke Forums

well I've hosted 2 r 3 karaoke party's lately and I'm really having a hard time staying with the rotation.
it's a hard room to make sure everyone can hear, it's a 22x35 room with 2 large door openings plus a 6x6 opening in the middle of that wall which goes into the bar area about the same size. I tried putting a speaker in there but there's really no safe place to put it, so that's out..i crank it up in that 1 room but it just doesn't make it into the other room and when I call out the next singer no one can hear it soooo I walk in there and tell them it's their turn...that got old quick, and after I called then 2 r 3 times and just moved on to the next one...then 2 r 3 singers later whoever I skipped would come in complaining I skipped them...so I would tell them ok your up next but please try to listen for your name being called. then after he would sing the other singers would start complaining that they got skipped because he sang...at the end of the night I was ready to shoot myself...
what would ya'll do in that case..i believe I got 2 more jobs off of that, the owners were very pleased...not crazy about hosting ...

Hopefully you are using modern karaoke hosting software Like Hoster, CompuHost or Karma that has at least a scroller and preferable a between singers display that can show the rotation. Make sure that is displayed strategically through out the venue screens so singers can self-monitor rotation.

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-Chris

Hosting isn't all what it's cracked up to be. Singers come up to us thinking 'wow you have such a fun job, I'd love to be able to listen to music and have fun all night' - or they lambast you thinking they know more about mixing and how to run the sound over you or for screwing with the rotation when 9 out of 10 times it was their fault to begin with and just weren't listening for their names.
I've seen many singer turn hosts that don't have a clue it's actually a job, don't know how to do it well & hate doing it and give it up shortly after or just continue being frustrated and put on a bad show.

How did you put the speaker in the other room? See if you can get a small speaker to mount in there somewhere and not on the floor to be safer.
As far as people not being there when you call their name, I will call their name a couple times, move their name after the next singer & get the next singer up. I will then try to call the singer back up - again if it happens, move them after the next singer & if it happens a 3rd time, pull them from rotation because they are either not paying attention enough to sing or gone.

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I don't think I would worry about singers in another room other than where the action is. If they aren't in that room to listen to\enjoy the other singers, I would call them and move on if they were not paying attention. I did the running around for a while when they added a smoking patio but it got tired fast. The show was dull because everyone was hanging out outside, running in to sing their song to a dead room then running back out. I stopped it and started running the show for people who WERE there to participate, singers and non-singers. I bet if you change your policy for a few weeks that other room wouldn't be much of an issue for you and it gives bar flies a place to drink without the noise because that isn't why they are there at all.

One thing I've tried with people who don't pay attention is to enlist crowd support. You can ask someone to go find them or make light of the inconvenient set up and institute a relay system of people yelling out the archway.

I had one singer who was always talking and never heard her name being called no matter how many times I said it. Finally I asked the crowd to yell it out in unison. It got so that her introduction was just me saying, "And now--1--2--3---" and everyone would shout her name. It was a bit low tech but it worked.

I don't even wait for someone to go find someone - I have it set on the audience screen that shows the next 3 singers - a little attention by the singer is needed, if they aren't up in a reasonable amount of time (usually 15-25 seconds), or am told they are outside or in the 'rehearsal hall', then they get moved down one & on to the next.

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

Not all places let you plug into their TV system so I was trying to account for that. I once attended a show at a venue much as he describes--the karaoke was in one room and due to the pool tables there was only seating for a few people. There was an arch with the bar and more seating outside the room plus there was a patio in addition to that. It seemed like it would be a difficult place to engage a crowd but they had karaoke there for years. Not all of us get the optimum set up, especially when we are new on the scene.

As far as waiting to find people, if it isn't going to be quick then I just go on to the next and then work the person back in when they are found. Sometimes nature calls at the wrong moment.

If I can't plug into theirs, I would bring one to set up on the side somewhere and aim out. But to date I've never worked a place I couldn't hook into the house.

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

good idea, I use karma..no I didn't use the scroller, but I will next time...ty

I knew it wasn't a fun job before I took it, but I needed the extra money...for sure this is not a job I want to keep.
I normally do a 1 man band type of thing, sooo much easier..
I have 3 zlx and I place 1 so that it atleast had some chance of getting into the other room..i use powered speakers and in order to get a speaker in the other room I would need atleast 3 more cords...truth is I think there just in there own little world in there, most were to drunk to even remember they had sang at all, UNTIL all of a sudden 3 songs later they remembered... ty

most if not all were in the other room, until it started filling up...I so suck at hosting karaoke.....

but I have to say my p. a. sounded like a million bucks...tyy

oh I had people yelling for others..

I do believe that most were just to into talking to hear their names called but my bro was there and I could see him sitting at the bar and I called him 3 times he didn't hear me at all...I agree somehow I HAVE to get a small speaker in there...
tyyyy

I think I will try that moving them down 1...tyy

no t. v. in the place..and if there were it would be a long way to run to it..

I believe I'm only doing this when someone has a b/d...not sure yet..tyyyyy

I didn't intend for it to sound as if you suck as a host. Lots of great hosts chase down singers. For me, my show's energy picked back up when I stopped and focused the show to those in the seats in front of me. As others have said, if this area is too small then I would certainly handle it a little differently. But if the venue has two large areas I would allow the bar to have two key areas. One with karaoke, one without. Having a display out there as Lon and a few others have suggested would be as far as I would go.

Having two areas with different things going on would be a blessing. I can't tell you how many times we had to put singers on hold while some sort of game was in progress. Having an area just for karaoke would have been a huge step toward fixing that.

Good idea! it gives people chance to go to the loo, go to the bar or have a fag.

I always tap into existing screens. I am a very good salesman when making that happen. Easier to sell if you can use wireless HDMI and they realize you won't be running a bunch of extra cables. Just make sure to ALWAYS flip the TV back to whatever they watch during the day. Amazing how many bartenders don't know how to switch inputs on a modern TV.

I do chase down singers. I totally understand that smokers smoke, talkers talk, and people have to pee. I would rather wait another 30-60 seconds to keep the rotation in order and get people up on stage than have to start flipping people around and generate a bunch of questions.

If they are still out of pocket after that first 30 secs and I have no idea where they are, I bump them down one, bring up the next singer, and give them one more shot afterwards. If they still aren't around, they get skipped. If they show up, I nicely explain that I go out of my way to ensure they get to sing by using video and audio to find them. But they now have to wait through the rotation to sing.

_________________
-Chris

Not to derail this OP but Chris what HDMI wireless setup do you use? I may want to do that for some trivia locations.

_________________
-Chris

Being in another room away from the bar is always tough, be it a big bar or private house party. People are always going to hang out where the drinks are, at least in the beginning. If a bar/home owner ever asks "where do you think I should put you?" I always reply "As close to the bar as possible, wherever that is".

Unfortunately some places just don't have the room and you are fighting a tough battle. Many years ago I visited a bar/restaurant that had NO room for karaoke near the bar. Tiny area. They had set the KJ up in another room, out of site and down a small hall. It was awful and I really felt for the guy as he was in a no-win situation. People would come sing, then promptly leave to go back to the bar.