Karaoke Forums

Hey all... I need some advice here. A friend of mine is trying her hand at opening up a new club in town and she wants me to run karaoke for her on opening night. Now I know that around here when a new club opens up it will have next to nobody there for the first few weeks. So what should I ask for payment. She is a friend who I'm trying to help out. But I don't want to be taken advantage of either. If this club takes off like it should, it might turn into one of the primier joints in town. At that point I'm sure salary won't be an issue anymore.

Some info about the locale here is that it's a military town. Most local KJ's make anywhere from $75 to $175 for a regular 4 to 6 hour gig depending on the clientel and/or owner. Well, my friend wants me to try it out for $50 for the first night and go up from there depending on the clientel. I know that sounds rediculously low, but I understand her position and see the potential of this possibly turning into one of the higher end paying gigs in town.

As far as equipment goes, I would be using the house sound system. All I would be bringing in would be my music, books, mics and a couple players. I actually hooked up the sound system myself so I am very familiar with it. I'd probably get free drinks, but wouldn't drink more than a beer or two all night anyway. After all I'd be working.

Any input will be greatly appreciated. She wants me to start Friday night.

Thanks all.

$50, that is barely a wage that hosts make anymore - using NONE of their own stuff. It is up to you ultimately, but you will be selling yourself short. I can't tell you what you SHOULD charge as every area is different & command different prices, but I personally would not do it for that price.

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

Why not try asking for a percentage of the total receipts...explain to your friend what you usually get for a night, and work from there. If this show takes off like you think it will, then it should work out nicely for both of you!

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Spreading the karaoke gospel

I would agree with Big Mike only because she's a friend and just starting out. However that said, tell her $50 minimum or 20% of the net bar sales. That means if a drink is $2 and that includes a 10% sales tax then the net is about $1.80 of which you get 20%. Further, if you do this for her, tell her to advertise you in the newspapers. The biggest sin most bars commit is not advertising karaoke, they don't want to spend the money. They forget the axiom "You have to spend money to make money". Good Luck.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

A venue new to Karaoke is always hard to get into. It's a crossed toss-up between asking what you're worth, not wanting to sound greedy and, above all else MAKING SURE MANAGEMENT UNDERSTANDS YOU WON'T FILL THE BAR WITH SINGERS ON THE FIRST NIGHT! (especially if they don't advertise it anywhere).

This is especially hard when you're dealing with a friend - be VERY careful there. I work closely on a number of projects with several friends and we strive hard to keep business/personal relationships and interactions/feelings separate (so, yes, we can have all-out screaming arguments at work - then go out for beer-N-nosh afterwards with no hard feelings).

I've recently started at the local Bennigan's and I told them as much - luckily I'm dealing with a manager who's on the ball and understands that it's going to take several steady weeks to get a regular crowd coming in. Hopefully the momentum we've generated thus far will continue to build.

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DJ Shadowfax

Eventually, YES. You're right on that Big Mike. However, if I settle for 20% now, I'm likely to get 20% of $50.00 worth of receipts. That's about what we're expecting for the first night. So I'm thinking "selling myself short" on the first few nights might be a gamble I'd be willing to take for a regular gig that could pay off BIG in the long run. Maybe I could just order shot after shot and salt them away in a bottle under the table to enjoy later.

Two thoughts...
1) If she is a GOOD friend then maybe "opening night" you can cut her a break...I suggest minimum of $75 with the "PROMISE" of bigger and better things if the club takes off!
2) If she is opening a new club , she would have to expect to LAY out some money to get the club going .... I'm sure her other suppliers didn't GIVE their services away....

Its really up to you ..How good a friend ? Whats the potential for future business ? How many nights is she hosting Karaoke? Whatever you decide to charge her in the begining ....Talk about the future!!!

Well, she's part of a small ring of friends who have been hanging out with us for years. She wants me on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The potential for this club could rival two or three of the big time well established joints in town. But as stated earlier, it's all about advertising at this stage of the game. It takes big bucks to make big bucks. Which brings me to my next question. How much should I offer (if any) to help pay for advertising?

If you go in that low now, who's to say she will raise your pay once the club gets going - friend or not. You could get the place going & ask for the raise & she says , well sorry this isn't working out right now. Contracts in clubs don't mean squat, there are many ways they can get out of them - and unless you want to spend the time & $$ to take them to court, they may not pay anything anyway if you were to be awarded - you could put a ding on their credit report but you are still out the money. You already said the average prices started at $75 with other companies - what would stop her from getting one of these companies once you ask for your raise? Is this what you would be willing to work for? I don't care if it were my Mother starting a place, they know it's going to take money to make money & while I may cut a break ($25-$50 off regular price) to a new business or someone that doesn't have karaoke, i'm still not going to cut my throat doing it. I give discounts to clubs doing multiple, consecutive nights.

As far as advertising, I would do what I could on all free outlets I could find. If you have a karaoke paper in your area, get an ad in there otherwise go in halves on some print ads for your local papers. Get a 6x6 & split it up, half hers/half yours, she could adverstise grand opening specials - have a mention this ad & recieve ?? coupon. You push the karaoke aspect on your side. You could also do giveaways to say the first 25 new singers with cheap ?? Dollar store is great for giveaway items.

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

From a bar owner in business for almost 20 years, Grand openings are usually very good nights, if advertised properly. Is she selling herself short on expections? or just trying to get you for a cheap price?
Pushing the "What Lonnie said button" In this area the local beer distributors love to get out and advertise, check with them, most will make vinal signs for free and depending on the area and local laws have lots of freebies, hats, pins, t-shirts etc. If I were promoting something special, with a few phone calls I could get a Budweiser tractor trailer parked out front or a lifesize fiberglass Clydsdale, or Coors light girls, or a Miller display. If she hasn't checked out things like that she needs to NOW.

One thing that would bother me is if you go that low, she could double your pay a little down the road, and you'd still only be making 100.00. Think about it - I wouldn't do a show for that, friends or not. If you think she's really concerned about the business, money across the bar, maybe go ahead and do it for the 50.00 plus 10% of the bar revenue. If it's advertised at all, the bar should bring in as least 400, which would net you 90.00. At least that way you're not giving it away. That having been said, I still wouldn't do it more than one or two times for 90.

If she weren't a Friend, and all the other factors you mentioned were still in place, would you still do that show for $50 (for an unknown/unspecified amount of weeks)?

Personally, I wouldn't. I would still ask for my full price. If a place is new, and they're afraid to spend money on hiring Entertainment (such as Karaoke), I would leave them my card with a comment that they know how to reach me if they change tehir minds, and then I would wait a few weeks for a clientel to start frequenting the place (and come back to talk with the Manager/Owner again). In the meantime, I would still be looking into finding other places to work at.