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I Lose karaoke Books
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Author:  Karaokehstess31 [ Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:30 pm ]
Post subject:  I Lose karaoke Books
Ok, what's up with people taking your karaoke books? I print my books out once every three months. I start out the quarter with ten books. When it comes time to print again I am usually down to about five. Why do people do this? What is the point in walking off with a book full of songs? I know it is none of my regulars because my entire book...updated...is available to them anytime they want it.

The owner of the major bar that I play in asked me where all the books were one night (I think I was down to six at the time) and I said to her "I don't know....ask some of your idiot customers". Over six years we have become pretty good friends so my rude remark just made her laugh and off she walked.

At the end of the night I explained to her when I print my books and how many that I have at the beginning and they always disappear in here. It's too damn expensive to keep replacing them.
Author:  Melly [ Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
Occupational hazard. I start with twenty ...after a few weeks i'm down to between 16...i know that last year one was taken from another karaoke lady. I also lose pencils by the jazillions...ya gotta wonder huh?
Author:  Flipper [ Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
I'm losing them too!  I find 1/2" stacks of my song slips sitting in pools of spilled drink puddles. I find my brand new binders all torn and needing replacement
(and I use the Heavy Duty Binders!) 3 weeks after the are put out.

I'm getting very close to going paperless. There is one software setup I'm close to investing in that will allow remote terminals for people to select songs and then transmit that info via wireless to my hosting computer. All I need is a couple older laptops or a couple older desktops w/windows 95 or later and I'm in business.

It would save on pencils, slips, and all book reprint related expenses. The setup time is minimal and will work seamlessly with my current software.

The initial investment in hardware and software is about  $500.00 which is about a years worth of the above mentioned expenses. After the first year it begins paying for itself.
Author:  Jian [ Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
Flipper @ 13th April 2006, 12:45 pm wrote:
I'm losing them too!  I find 1/2" stacks of my song slips sitting in pools of spilled drink puddles. I find my brand new binders all torn and needing replacement
(and I use the Heavy Duty Binders!) 3 weeks after the are put out.

I'm getting very close to going paperless. There is one software setup I'm close to investing in that will allow remote terminals for people to select songs and then transmit that info via wireless to my hosting computer. All I need is a couple older laptops or a couple older desktops w/windows 95 or later and I'm in business.

It would save on pencils, slips, and all book reprint related expenses. The setup time is minimal and will work seamlessly with my current software.

The initial investment in hardware and software is about  $500.00 which is about a years worth of the above mentioned expenses. After the first year it begins paying for itself.


What if your 'old lap top grows legs and walk out of the door? LOL
Author:  Flipper [ Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
security cables w/key locks that connect to base of the table it sits on. My preference is to use desktop models which are much harder to take. Either way I can pick them up for $50-$75 each.

I would probably only use the laptops for Private Functions.
Author:  Lonman [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 1:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
I lose them too, not as many or as often since I started listing them online though.
Author:  Babs [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 5:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
I am shocked.  :O
I have never lost a book - knock on wood.

I've had people ask me to send them the PDF file or to borrow a book, but
never has anyone taken one. I'm not surprised this happens - I am surprised it hasn't happened to me.  LMAO

Now pencils thats another story. I swear they eat them.
Author:  Karaokehstess31 [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 9:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
My husband writes software and the program that I use keeps all songs singers sing and when they sing them....so forth and so on. I've been capable of going paperless but the bar I work in numerous nights of the week is always very crowded with minimal seating other than the bar. So I have no place to set up extra terminals.

And on the pencil note....I use pens and I lose most of them every night. I am THRILLED on the occassion that I have more at the end than at the start of the night.

On the paper note.....I used to print out special slips with all the bells and whistles and quit doing that. I tried putting them in books and like someone else said they get thrown into puddles and drinks spilled all over them. At that point I started to keep them with me and people had to come up to me to get them. That didn't work because I couldn't stand always having a crowd of people around me. So now, I have a singer that does payroll and she brings me the blank side of the checks and that's what they write on. No cost to me. Sure, it looks cheesey but my sound is good enough that peole over look it.
Author:  Lonman [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
Karaokehstess31 @ Thu Apr 13, 2006 9:58 am wrote:
And on the pencil note....I use pens and I lose most of them every night. I am THRILLED on the occassion that I have more at the end than at the start of the night.


Hope you don't pay too much for your pens.  

Quote:
On the paper note.....I used to print out special slips with all the bells and whistles and quit doing that. I tried putting them in books and like someone else said they get thrown into puddles and drinks spilled all over them. At that point I started to keep them with me and people had to come up to me to get them. That didn't work because I couldn't stand always having a crowd of people around me. So now, I have a singer that does payroll and she brings me the blank side of the checks and that's what they write on. No cost to me. Sure, it looks cheesey but my sound is good enough that peole over look it.


I quit doing the slips in the book years ago, I have a nice setup with all the slips & pens in 1 box by me.  Most people will grab what they need, although I have had some grab a ridiculous stack of blanks.  As far as printing, I don't think i'd ever stop that.  It contains contact info as a business card would.
Author:  twansenne [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:17 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
I can say that we have never had a book stolen, in 10 or so years of doing karaoke.  Well print custom slips with names/song/song# & contact info on them, and will never get away from that.

As far as pens, we don't have to worry about that, we got a couple thousand from local business and we spread them around.

Perhaps the stolen book situation is other karaoke companies taking them to see just exactly what you have.
Author:  robdogkaraoke [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
As for books I lose them all the time but sometimes I get them back the following eg: the bar finds em and puts them away until the following week. As for pencils I buy boxes of golf pencils 144 in a box and i go through about 3 boxes a month.
Author:  timberlea [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 1:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
We'll lose the odd book through the year but when we do print the new books, we offer the old books to our singers.  We use golf pencils with our logo on them.  As for slips we have them professionally made and paid for by an advertiser.
Author:  Guest [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
If you didn't spend all your money on books, slips and pencils you would be stubbing your toes, tripping over piles of money in your livingroom.    The serious singer would like to look over your selection at home, where it's quiet.   Been there.  I like to put 5 slips in the book.   Nobody can sing more than that in a good night anyway.    If they need more they can walk up and get more.   I tell them to use the back of the slips and write their list on it.   I don't need a new slip for every song.    I can spot stray pencils a mile away.    Look under the tables.   I have seen some dingbat waitress' picking up my pencils with the rest of the garbage on the table.   I thought about the PDA thing.   I came back to reality.    The books get ruined do you think they would act any better with the computer?    I saw a singer set his beer bottle on a guys mixer one night.  It fell over.... show over.    I don't even think he offered to pay for it.
Author:  WazAnOkie [ Thu Apr 13, 2006 6:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
So far, I guess we have been lucky and never lost any books.  Pens and song slips however seem to disappear.  Gonna have to look into going the pencil route.  When using pens, we make sure and get the cheaper ones, and then we keep the top, cause we have found that they are less likely to keep them without the top to the pen.  

As far as setting drinks on or near our equipment, that is more than just a pet peeve of mine, I feel that is downright rude.  Had someone last weekend set a draft beer down right next to my brand new laptop - somehow the drink disappeared, and when he asked later if i had seen it, I just said sorry, I have no clue. :no:
Author:  Babs [ Fri Apr 14, 2006 6:01 am ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
Pens verses pencils- I have learned through the years pencils work
better for me. I started off using pens and a few pencils, it seems the pens walk off
by themselves more frequently then pencils. I keep a pencil sharpener with me on stage. I don't know why people take pencils, it seems silly. If I use pens they all disappear. If i use pencils I only lose a few.
Author:  big jimmy c [ Fri May 12, 2006 3:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
Downside for me is that my books cost about 25.00 each to replace. The retards who take them could simply do a song search online.

Lets spend 40.00 on drinks and glom big jimmy's 25.00 song book as restitution, DOH!!
Author:  pflugerville [ Fri May 12, 2006 4:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
i'm with babs  (Knocking on wood as i type this).  i've never lost a book either.  i've let folks borrow them, but they always come back.
Author:  big jimmy c [ Fri May 12, 2006 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
No vocs, God bless you , You are operating in a perfect world, Vallhallah
Author:  Jian [ Fri May 12, 2006 6:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
On every page print your logo at the top and bottom. or better still get the logo printed as a background.
If they use it even at home their friend will know where it come from.
Author:  SouthPaw [ Mon May 15, 2006 11:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: I Lose karaoke Books
I have not lost any books as of yet ... tho I have been expecting to.  My competitors are into doing petty things like that.  

We also print up custom song request slips ... We too was losing alot of them to the wet tables and being pushed off into the floor ... what worked for me was actually binding the slips to make little note pads .. easy to do with a little hot glue, cardboard backing sheet protects it from the water for the most part.  Another way we cut down on the use is by tracking our singers, I go thru all the slips and for regulars I actually print them tags already filled out on card stock ... I label a business card sized ziploc baggie with their name, put all their tag &/or song request slips into the baggie.  When the show up to sing I give them their baggie ... no fuss no muss.  I'll never stop with the custom song request slips or tracking my singers.

Haven't tried it but I have seen alot of people adding the little pencil bags that go into the 3 ring binders and putting the slips in pencils in the books that way.

I personally get my pencils from the lottery  (golf pencils)  that or buy really cheap pencils and cut them in half, they go twice as far that way.  
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