Karaoke Forums

The other night a karaoke club owner told a karaoke singer that if he wasn't going to order more drinks to leave.  The singer had ordered only one ice tea.  He didn't drink.  The problem as I see it, however I could be wrong, is that this singer was an exceptionally good singer and the crowd really got into his singing.  Mainly because he sang mostly really upbeat songs.  I know the singer only bought one ice tea but he was entertaining the audience to the max.  Anyway the singer left and the audience died down with his departure.  I think the owner screwed up.

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Singing just for you

I wonder if it would have been different if the singer had only ordered one beer?

I don't always drink when I go out, but I make sure that I order SOMETHING, because I know that's how the bar pays for the entertainment.

What I don't understand is that this person DID order something rather than expecting water for free like I have seen some losers do over the years.  Bar owners are notoriously focused on the bottom line.  Sadly that blinds them to what they need to do to please their customers.  This is a textbook example.

YEah, stupid move by the bar owner.  But it is his bar and he can run it into the ground if he wants.  Just make sure you jump ship before you get a bad reputatiuon too.

One ice tea, and he didn't even drink that?....bet he didn't have to pee all night.....

C'mon guys/gals.  This question has been reviewed in different threads.

Two questions need to be addressed, IMO:
  - How much is an iced tea?
  - Does the place serve food?

Yes, let's all agree tht the singer drinking iced tea was great.  What if every other singer were equally as good, or thought they were?  Could any bar continue offering Karaoke with 30 singers that just order one iced tea each?  And if it can, why are my wife and I ordering alcoholic beverages (and food when available) when we go to Karaoke?

I mentioned in another thread that I went to shows, even when I was unable to sing, because I enjoyed the crowd and being there.  I also know that if I don't support the venues that offer karaoke, they may not be around for my enjoyment.  And in spite of my efforts,  5 places that offered karaoke have closed in my area in the last 60 days.

How does a business survive without an owner watching the bottom line?  And please don't tell me that the one great singer will always be so entertaining as to make it profitable for the bar to have him/her there without he/she contributing to the costs of maintaining the karaoke.  I have seen as good singers here in S Florida as anywhere.  Some have sung professonally.  None deserve a free ride if they want to enjoy singing karaoke!

Maybe the Iced Tea was old.   Just like orange juice, that stuff goes south pretty fast.

A Long Island Iced Tea cost $8.50 here.

Now are you sure he was tossed because he only bought one?   How long was he there?      

Was someone (one of the no talent regulars) jealous of his talent?

At least the bar owners down there, are as stupid as the ones up here.   It's not just a regional thing.   I wonder if it's world wide?

Actually someone that sucks can chase away more people than a good singer.

And a stupid bar owner can kill an entire crowd.    LMAO  :whistle:  :O  :shock:  :worship:

The reputation thing is a valid point.   If the bar owner chases away all of the crowd and a potential new bar owner looking for a KJ comes in to check you out, and they see nobody around, the first thing he is going to think is that you (KJ) suck.  He will never think it's because the owner is an idiot.  So your reputation in his eyes will be  (You can not draw a crowd).


Thank you Mr. Stupid Idiot Bar Owner, for not only killing the crowd, but you killed your and my reputation.     All at once.  :O   You have to give them credit.    They are very good at something.   Making money just doesn't happen to be on their list.    :no:

AMEN MR. BD!! I just bailed on the gig I had been at because of the stupid bar owner being his usual stupid self. Id been able to overlook it and justify it and make excuses/allowances for his behavior up until Friday of last week but then he went off and I just lit into him, came in that Sat and packed up my junk and left. They are just as stupid here on the west coast. I know--Ive observed many here in PDX. It NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE!!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

*hums john the revelator*
Kurt

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

I was at a bar in Little Itlay, NY when the owner cmae up to a guy who was singing, (and doing a great job of it), grabbed the mike out of his hands mid-song, and told him to leave.  Turns out the guy hadn't bought any drinks at all.  BUT, his wife (who had sung the previous song) and their friends at the table, were all drinking.  So the guy left, with his wife and all their friends!
Go figure!

hiya kiwi

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Wow! Some people! There are some singers who come to my show that don't drink at all, they just get water. The bartenders don't like it, but they come support the show. They'll bring friends who will buy food & drinks - so I guess it balances out.

Dumb move the the bar owner in my opinion

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Snare drum pounds on the two and four
All the party people get on the floor

If I owned a bar there would be a sign posted that says

"During the entertainment, minimum drink prices will be in effect."    

Meaning, Bottled water, pop, and draft beer will all be the same price.     Someone has to pay for the entertainment and it will be everyone here tonight.    Nothing in this world is free.

On a different subject.   I expect there to come a day when we will all pay a clean air/water tax.

I'm willing to pay money for the right to drink water in a karaoke club. I will drink as many or moer than I would of beer or mixed drinks. With the crackdown on drinking lately it would be prudent.

In my opinion, if the bar owner has a problem with the amount of whatever a patron is ordering, he should either post a sign that states that a certain minimum needs to be ordered before you can sing, or else charge a cover charge at the door. Just kicking someone out because of not ordering more is insane. Besides, who's to say that he wouldn't later start buying a beer or something else. And hey, that's one more body in the bar to help make it look busy, and may actually attract more customers. How many times have you drove by a bar and not seeing many cars thought "well, there must not be anything going on, so I'll go down the road".

Bright move kicking people out for such a small thing.....

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Minimums and cover charges are the same almost.   I have never seen a bar charge for karaoke in 14 years.      I wouldn't pay to sing.

They would have to pay me.  :whistle:  :O

I used to have a guy that came in every week, only ordered a water, stayed all night to sing, and left without paying a dime to anyone. After 3-4 weeks of this, and several complaints from both the wait staff and other customers, I politely explained to him that karaoke and the wait staff's time is not free, and if he was going to take up a seat in the bar and a spot in the rotation for five hours, he should at least tip for the services he was taking advantage of.

The guy never came back, and I'm glad, because if the any bar has 3-4 more people like him then there would be just that much less karaoke for the people who are actually indirectly paying my salary for the night!!

I happen to be diabetic and don't drink alchohol and can't usually eat the kinda food they serve at your average karaoke bar, but when I go out to sing I always make a point to order some juice or diet coke or something and ALWAYS leave the waitress $3-5 on my $1.25 tab for "rent" for the seat I take up all night and tip the KJ. RULKeep the wait staff happy and you'll never have ANY problems (i.e., even if you are kinda freeloading, it won't get back to the owner/manager). Anyone who doesn't understand that karaoke and the wait staff's time and efforts are not complimentary services SHOULD be kicked out of the bar!!

Remember that FIRST AND FOREMOST at the most basic level, your job as a KJ is TO MAKE MONEY FOR THE BAR....

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C Mc
KJ, FL

The reality of the situation couldn't have been stated more clearly than in your post, Topher.  I don't understand all of "RATIONALIZATIONS" that appear in this forum for ignoring people who don't spend money when they sing karaoke.

I would rather hear suggestions on how to diplomatically deal with non-spending singers than the ongoing excuses made for them.  I have related in the past that I spend a good deal of money in Karaoke venues and am well aware when there are singers who do not spend a significant amount when they sing.  I DON'T LIKE IT.  WHY SHOULD I SPEND MONEY TO ENJOY MYSELF IF OTHERS DON'T?

Stop excusing such behavior because of the quality of singing displayed by the non-paying customer.
Stop excusing such behavior because a crowd of people accompany a singer.
Stop excusing such behavior because a non-spending singer enhances the perception that the place is crowded.  And can one or two people really do that, anyway?

I think, in short, there's more to running a fair rotation than just determining whose turn it is to sing. If someone is just in the house to sing and consciously spends little if any money, is that fair to those in the rotation who spend freely?

ONLY MONEY IN A VENUE'S CASH REGISTER PAYS FOR KARAOKE. IF THE MONEY IS NOT THERE, THE KARAOKE WON'T LAST.  IF SINGERS WHO WOULD SPEND FREELY THINK A PARTICULAR VENUE'S ROTATION IS TOO LONG, AND IT HAPPENS THAT FIVE OF THOSE IN THE ROTATION ARE NOT PROVIDING MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL SUPPORT, MIGHT IT BE SAID THAT SOME PAYING CUSTOMERS WILL END UP ELSEWHERE BECAUSE OF CUSTOMERS WHO DO NOT SPEND?

CONSIDER WHAT IT COSTS THESE DAYS TO GO TO A 2 HR MOVIE.  HOW CAN ANY OF YOU JUSTIFY SOMEONE ATTENDING 3-4 HOURS OF KARAOKE AND SPENDING JUST $2-5?  IS YOUR SHOW SO BAD THAT YOU ACCEPT SUCH A PITTANCE IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR EFFORTS?

Ok, one  diplomatic way of dealing with it is to anounce on the mic "Hey guys, I keep my job if you spend money. So if you're enjoying the show, please take care of the bar."

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If you think attending 3-4 hours of karaoke is as entertaining as
a 3-hour movie, perhaps you find listening to a mixed bag of singers
more interesting than I do.

I go to karaoke to sing, personally. I don't drink, but when the
establishment offers food I often go there before the show to eat -- I
have two shows that I attend twice a month each where I do that,
spending $20-30 each time for my wife and me. When I don't eat,
I tip the bartender well, usually 100% or more on my soft-drink bill
and at least $3 to $5.

Be that as it may, I still don't go to the wildly-popular shows. Why? I want
to sing. I don't want to listen to others, not really. If the rotation is
too long, or there is too much filler or dance music, I will be going bye-bye.

Some KJs seem to have a policy that they don't want singers to sing too often,
ever. If there is a short rotation, they will play a three- or four-song set
of DJ music. Their rotation soon becomes shorter, because I am gone...and I
notice that these shows rarely have staying power.

I agree with you, mckyj57. I think there are 3 types of karaoke singers:

I have a very popular show if not the most popular show here in Tampa/St. Pete, FL. On a Saturday night, I'll put 150-200 people in my 5,000 square ft. bar, standing room only, with a singing rotation of 30-35 people.

TYPE #1:
Being so popular, I get complaints from regulars and lose regulars all the time who say that the rotation is too long (I don't play favorites and run a very strict, fair rotation). Most of these type of singers inevitably end up at the dive bar right down the street that is never packed and has what BD would call a HACK KJ with a very small song selection and a crappy system. BUT they then get their wish and get to sing 7-8 times a night as opposed to 2-3 times at my bar, and that is what is important to them!!

However, I know that my job is first and foremost to make money for the bar, which I am certainly doing. Also, everytime a regular leaves, there is ALWAYS a new singer who becomes a regular to take their place, and so the cycle goes.

TYPE #2:
When I go out to sing, on the other hand, I would rather have a huge crowd to sing to and only sing a few times then have a small crowd and sing a ton of times. For me, karaoke is more about my time in the spotlight, and I want it to be as grand as it can be.

TYPE #3:
Then you have your people who would never, in a 1,000 years, get up and sing karaoke sober. These are the ones who either need a little liquid confidence or just like to have fun and are not really singers. Unfortunately, this is the LARGEST group of all, and if you are a KJ, you are an idiot not to embrace and cater to this group, not matter how annoying they are, because when it comes down to it, they are the ones spending the most $$$!!!

That's my take....

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C Mc
KJ, FL