Karaoke Forums

I finally discovered a beer the taste of which I can stand,

Hey Tom. Beer is really an acquired taste.  LOL
You can't sip it the same as any other beverage....it has to go down a certain way or it is kinda nasty. I have noticed this many times before. I'll go to take a drink of beer and realize....wait a second, I'm doing this wrong, I lost my rhythm.  LOL

Actually, I do like the taste of beer. Enough so, that I ordered a non-alcoholic brew called Odoul's one time. It was okay I guess....but I felt cheated....no buzz.  LOL

And yes, beer does make my mouth dry....I have to hold the bottle in my hand while I'm singing to drink in between verses, but I try to get rid of the belches before being called up to sing.  LOL

If I do ever drink beer it would have to be a XX or Tequiza with plenty of limons in it, or a smirnoff ice with some cherry grenadine in it.  But occasionally I'll take a plain guiness that doesnt give an aftertaste.

There are places where in Malaysia where you pay to sing. I have never been to those places. They are mostly Muslim run restaurant and do not served alcohol. The karaoke are mostly open air type. I am not sure how much one need to pay to sing but from what I heard, it is very popular esp, among the Muslim who do not drink.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I'm a non-drinker so I usually order ginger ale at the hiked up prices but get revenge by asking that they put a cherry and one of those little paper umbrellas in it and dip the rim in salt--everything thing I can think of out of spite!

$1 a song over and above the agreed price would be wonderful.   But you would starve charging only a dollar per song.


I keep telling my idiot bar owners they need to have a one price policy.   Water, pop and draft beer.   ONE PRICE.    That way it doesn't matter what you drink.

actually, soda and water should be higher priced.

alcoholic drinks you'll drink more often than you will soda or water!

Ginger ale! I may try that! When we went to Pflugerville, I drank about 4,213 Sprites and I don't even like the stuff--it just looks more like my favorite vodka-and-tonic than a Coke does and I was not in the mood for water.

They fed me the drinks free, though, which I appreciated. I was the designated driver. I fully intended to pay (although I was hoping about 4,200 of them would be gratis).

Interesting aside: When I started running a show, I started drinking sober and had to learn how all over again. Luckily I am ambidextrous and can sing either drunk or sober. (Ummm, it was a joke. I know what ambidextrous means.)

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

It is an interesting question, over which some of you are making light.  While it may be true that the PERCENTAGE markup on soda is greater than the markup on liquor, I frequent places where I've been charged as much as $7 for my drink of choice (other places charge half as much).  Even at half, $3.50, the bar is making $3.00 per drink.  How much are they making on a sometime less and never more than $2,  soft drink?

With my wife along (who doesn't sing), I have often "dropped" $70 dollars on dinner and drinks before I have had a second turn to sing.  I stopped frequenting KJ's who don't have a defined end to the rotation and cavalierly slide every late arrivals into it before me, expecially when those late arrivals are sipping Perrier.  While this is an extreme example it happens all to often.

And wouldn't it be better for the owner, the KJ and the paying guests that those who come early and spend the most money sing the most?  Would such a policy foster the habit of coming early if you want to sing?  I know one show that only allows one song per singer throughout the night, but the first one who arrives gets to sing two songs.

How do you experienced KJ's react to these comments?

We were told by the prior bar owners upon taking over this bar that you have to mark up every drink 3X our cost. If it costs me 0.65 for a beer, I'm supposed to charge a minimum $2 for that bottle of beer. If the price is increased, so goes the increase to the customer. I don't mind if someone is drinking water/soda or the Virgin drinks, as long as their drinking something and contributing to the bar environment. If everyones having a good time it corresponds to a good nights draw.

Bigdog's suggestion that one charge for water/pop/beer might not be a bad idea. I'll take it under advisement. Please lose the idiot owner slogan, or I'm gonna start calling you Baghdad Bob.  LOL

I have talked to my wife/daughter about the non-alcohol drinkers for Karaoke nights. There was a thread about this a while back. I told them to stock up on the Jello shots (slight alcohol), bottled water (no free water) and be prepared for extra Virgin (same as alcohol drink, w/o alcohol) drink orders, coffees and sodas. We will charge for everything, but its because of the show thats there for everyone.

Just to be clear, sometimes an owner appreciates warm bodies...it makes the place look more inviting. An empty parking lot or bar is a killer. Get some warm bodies in there and things will start to snowball. My wife and I make a point of parking the cars out front, just so it looks like there's patrons. I was walking ouside to put up a poster one day when a couple pulled up and said "you open?". I said yeah, we are. When they parked and were walking in, I asked "what made you think we were'nt open?" They said it was because they did'nt see any cars in the parking lot. both of our cars were in back...needless to say...we always park in front now.

Don't be afraid if you're purchasing the cheaper drinks, it does'nt matter, you're contributing to the bars atmosphere. You should get to sing as many times as the rotation allows. The big spenders are happy, your happy, everyones happy and having fun. Thats what makes a good night overall for not just the owners, but patrons as well.

                                                                                      bigjim56

My owners are idiots.  :shock:


Stick with me and you'll graduate with a PHD.  :hug:

About 10 years ago I worked a Holiday Inn.    Fountain pop was as much as a draft beer.   $1.75        Pop was close to 95% profit.

When you have entertainment, it is expected that the drink price should reflect the cost of that entetainment.     Nothing in this world is free.   So a price increase on karaoke night should not be unacceptable.   Don't go over board.   We had a bar raise prices 50-75 on each drink one time.   30-40 people came up and said they would not be back.     That's a lot of income to chase away.

If the singers are good, they tend to drink more water or pop.    The DUI laws (getting stricter) are forcing more people to drink less alcohol.     Making Draft beer, bottled water and pop the same price, makes perfect sense.    It won't matter what they drink, they will all be paying their fair share for the entertainment.

Have a waitress pick up the empty water and pop containers fast.   They will take them out to the restroom for refills.    Seen it happen too many times.    Can't refill something that isn't there.

I park my van right in front of every bar, if I can.    They don't need to know I'm working there.


As far as the rotation.   I treat everyone the same.    How can I tell if you spent $4 or 40?     If you want to sing more get there early.     Put your songs in right away.   Don't sit for an hour and then decide to put one in after the rotation has grown to 1 hour long.       Tonight at 9PM starting time it was me and the bartender.    Who could have been singing at 9?     I ended up with 23 singers.      People started leaving because the rotation was over an hour.    Its part of the game.   How many songs can you sing at home?     You have to be there and be early and stay late.    That's who sings the most songs.

Thanks Bigjim, that is a very helpful bit of advice.

As a singer, I would hate to feel forced into paying for drinks I did not want just so I could sing more, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

Warm bodies are welcome for the singers as well as the bar owners. I like audience, and I like audience that is not made up entirely of people who are waiting for me to get off the stage so THEY can sing.

I would not freqeunt a bar that raised prices for karaoke night. That smacks of greed to me, and feels like a rip-off. If the bar owner is not making enough with his usual prices, perhaps he should consider getting rid of karaoke or else promoting the heck out of it to build his clientele for that night.

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[glow=darkorchid]Musica delenit bestiam feram[/glow]

In sales, they say, 20% of the Salesman make 80% of the sales.

So let me see if I've got this right?  It makes complete business sense to have someone walk in soley to sing, who pays for one drink all night (hard or soft), while I and other PAYING customers share the actual burden of paying for the show?

There are those less analytical than myself, but after awhile, everyone can tell when they're being used.  And, yes, with all of my equipment, I can stay home and sing.  I, too, go out to have a good time.  But why should I pay for your pleasure?

You're not paying for mine.

Just an opinion.  If you go into Wal-Mart or any store for that matter and just "look", it of course doesn't cost you anything.  However, if you go in and intend to "take " something with you, you of course must pay.

I tend to look at karaoke the same way.  If I go into a bar and "sing"  then I have utilized something that the bar has to pay for.  A non-alcohol drinker should not fuss about paying at least $1 or $2 dollars for a water or coke.  That's still pretty cheap entertainment.  

Many bars have a 2 drink minimum even if you just intend to sit there.  Otherwise you are taking up space (especially on a busy night) for someone that does spend money.  Being a fire chief, I am full aware that bars also have seating capacity limits.  It wouldn't make good business sense to have 25 people in the bar not spending anything and another 25 possible paying customers being turned away from the door because you have reached your occupancy limit.

I don't feel a bar should raise prices on this night or that.  Be consistent.  Bottom line; if a person goes into a place that has entertainment, and you are going to be able to observe or participate; then you should be expected to pay for something.  A buck or 2 on non-alcohol drinks shouldn't be unexpected.

Kelly

I agree Kelly. I would be more than willing to buy  bottled waater since I can't have as much alcohol as I used to. I would certainly have more than 2 at any visit. I simply don't go out much since my only choice now is to drink or not go out. I hate loitering so I don't loiter.

Most bars I've worked at raised their prices by 25 or 50 cents...

They have to pay for that karaoke somehow! With some areas, you're covering a cost of a couple hundred a night! With 20-60 warm bodies, it doesn't take a mathematician to realize that means some marked up drinks and food to cover such a cost!! Granted, the owner is counting on MORE participation to help cover those costs... if he gets at least a 30% increase in sales, hopefully it's enough to cover the cost of the entertainment that night!

Bigjim's sentence about the cost of beer sometimes doesn't cover local costs such as county, city and state taxes. It's not just the breakdown of the cost per bottle or can, or even glass... A smart business owner will factor in other costs such as labor, electricity, rent, etc... so soon it's not a mere 65 cents for a beer can or bottle, but upwards of a whole buck each! So yeah, they're going to have to sell that beer for at least TWICE that to cover their expenses!

One other way I look at it is as soon as the patron gets up on stage to sing, ...they become an entertainer. How much does it cost to bring in a band? So, the cost of their drinks, or the amount of their drinking becomes less negligible. By singing they are (hopefully in one way or another) encouraging others to sing. One things for sure, they are contributing to the bars party/sing along atmosphere which is what a successful night requires.

Besides, their keeping me from singing...and thats a good thing .....

                                                                               

                                                                              bigjim56

Unfortunately, BigJim, some out there think they ARE entertainers and are doing you a favor by singing in your establishment.  Included in that sector are those who, furthermore, feel that they have no responsibility towards supporting the show, financially.

As to the money saved by a venue from not having a band, the KJ is replacing the band, not the singers!  And while there are a couple of places with drink minimums in my area, no one levies a cover charge.  There are, however, few places with bands that you can access without paying a cover charge.

I have, in a way, been playing "devil's advocate" with this question regarding the rotation.  It is very complicated issue and I have perplexed many a local KJ with my point of view.  However, I am a PAYING customer that has stopped going to shows where "new" people get up to sing, almost upon arrival, after I waited up to an hour for my initial turn in the rotation.  I think new arrivals, particularly based upon the economics I have presented, should wait until the "original" rotation has been gone through twice, before they sing for the first time.   If that is not acceptable to new folks, suggest they come early/earlier (and spend money).  And, again, I've seen 'em pop in for one song and leave!

my rotation philosophy is almost like yours.

I liken it to a line in the grocery store or bank. that in essence is the LINE for karaoke singers. Once your done, you go to the end of the line. New singers, upon entering the store or bank, go to the end of the line JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!

I too have seen plenty of the bar-hoppers because they've learned how to tweak the system... they know if they go to another place that inserts people, they'll be able to sing more and more than if they went in and were a loyal patron of the establishment!