Karaoke Forums

anyone ever use an applause meter, any tips on where I might find one...I'm going to start doing small one night contests with audiance applause to determain the winner anyone ever do this, pros, cons, help me , have a slow week night that needs a boost..any suggestions or ideas would sure be appricaited.......

Any contest based on applause is going to seem rigged as it will always turn into a contestant who brought in the most people contest & not based on actual vocal ability, while this may seem great for the bar on that given night, your singers will not like the idea that they couldn't pack a house to win a small contest, thus possibly/probably losing customers because it isn't fair to all contestants. Some will cry that any contest is unfair to singers as karaoke shouldn't be about competition. Competition is an American way of life & there is competition in ANY event/activity/pastime/etc....People like to compete, if they didn't people wouldn't get into karaoke contests - even today, American Idol, Star Search, Nashville Star, etc.....! But there are ways you can try to make them as fair as possible & applause realisticly shouldn't be a judging catagory. I personally quit using that as a judging criteria several years ago & the contestant is judged either solely on their vocals & song delivery or vocals, stage presence & song delivery - depending on the contest. I run them all the time & haven't lost customers over them, & if even if I had, they are probably the kind of people I wouldn't want to babysit anyway!
Also with a meter - I have tried them, there is no place in a bar that is going to be fair to the meter as people closer to it are going to trigger it higher than people further from it. Always a false/inaccurate reading.

You may want to rethink this idea, it really doesn't work.

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I agree that judging contests can be VERY tricky and someone will almost always come away pissed.

Perfect example? Local contest, 3 categories for judging - 1 of which is costume. 2 people in costume, 1 doesn't even place. That person was pretty upset... and justifiably so.

I don't know if they still carry them but if you plan on still using a meter, Radio Shack used to carry them. We used them at pep rallys in high school to determine the winner in 'most spirited' class (freshman, etc). Since we had so many people (school had over 3000 students) it was pretty easy to judge by walking in front of the group and having them cheer. Not so easy in an enclosed space w/ lots of reverberation - especially if it's crowded.

You may want to rethink the whole contest idea.

Audience response is definitely not the way to go. Nearly every place I go, the audience is either too busy talking to each other to really pay attention, too soused to care, or as mentioned, rigged. I know one girl who always brings all her friends to cheer her on. It always backfires, as they end up rooting for the person/people who sing better than her. !
For the contests I judge, the categories are:

1. Intonation and pitch control. 1-10

Awareness of the intended key and mode.
Strength and range of voice.
How accurately does the singer blend with the music?
(ARE THEY IN TUNE WITH THE MUSIC?)

2. Expression. 1-10

The use of phrasing (starting and stopping nicely).
Articulation (understandable words).
Dynamics (loud and soft).
Tone (clear, nasal, breathy).
(ARE THEY CLEAR AND UNDERSTANDABLE?)

3. Tempo and rhythm. 1-10

How well does the performer stay in tempo?
Duration of the notes (holding notes too long or not long enough?).
Awareness of the rhythmic style of the piece.
(CAN THEY KEEP THE BEAT?)

4. Stage presence. 1-10

Facial expression.
Command of the audience through eye contact, etc.
Appearance of confidence and relaxation on stage.
How absorbing and entertaining was the performance?
(DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING?)

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans
~John Lennon~

That's not bad as long as your judges understand HOW to judge. Even the fairest judge will judge everything higher IF they sing good - this is from experience mind you, we run contests all the time. Don't make the judging too technical, the average singer isn't going to understand - sure the "pro" contest hoppers will. Contests aren't a bad thing if run correctly.

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Ya, that's why the layman's clarification is there in parentheses. (Do they know what they are doing...) and such. I pick my judges for their knowledge and experience. I sit the singers down ahead of time and explain what everything means, and answer any questions for them. I've found it always helps to make sure everyone is one the same page before we start.

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Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans
~John Lennon~

Applause meters are definitely no judge of the person's performance.. as stated by someone before, many people are having their own conversations, drunk, and may I add especially WATCHING A GAME ON THE BIG SCREEN AT THE BAR,no matter how good the performance of the singer..Case in point, the other night I was singing at a local bar..there was probably less than 25 people ..Applause was sparse, but minutes later folks came up to me and remarked about my performance detailing what I had sung, so there were listeners..perhaps they had drinks in their hand or were chugging at applause time!

jlv

Heres what I've found about contests--invariably they will be won by the cute little blonde who has a group of her friends with her. Anyone else doenst stand a chance. Only once a in a VERY RARE while will someone else win --like the VERY GIFTED blues/gospel/R & B singer. Other than that you dont stand a chance--no matter how superbly you may sing, command the stage or have the best perfromance. It wil always be the cute blond with the drunk group of friends. Thats why I will niether participate in nor judge karaoke contests. They always result in bruised egos and alot of hurt feelings. And do FAR more DAMAGE than any good.

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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

edited-duplicate post

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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

Not so! We run contests all the time & it is judged on who sings the best - unless stage presence is a factor, then it is judged on who sings AND performs on stage the best. Been running contests since 92 at the same place, always packed - many with the same contestants, some have lost, some have won, but they always return. People LIKE to compete, otherwise there wouldn't be contests anywhere. If you don't want to have hurt feelings or bruised ego's, then you simply DON'T enter, otherwise it's a possibility you may lose.

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I don't think that any contest is ever fair, I honestly believe that when you have judges, no matter how much you would like to think it is fair, it will never be fair, and that is something that just has to be accepted.

I am by no means a sore loser. I enter contests to grow personally and professionally. Winning is just, to me, a perk. If I come out of a contest knowing I did my best, that is all that matters to me.

I have seen it all, and I have won at times I don't think I should have. I have had judges not like me because of the kind of clothing I was wearing, not because I sang good or bad.

The last contest I was in, I had one judge give me a 10's for all categories on a song (vocal, performance and overall), while a second judge gave me 3's and 2's.

And as for the cute blonde with all the friends winning, sometimes it has happend to me.

However, I have also beat people that have had 20 years of singing/performing experience and have gone to school to learn how to sing. Why? Perhaps I chose the right song for that night's crowd. Or, maybe they felt sorry for me. Who knows. I just sing for me, and that is the way it will always be.

Look at American Idol. Some people get voted for cause they are cute. Some get voted for cause they can sing.

My motto is, there is no point in getting upset for something you can't control. You just have to do your best, and learn from every competition you enter, which will in the end make you a better performer/singer. Just give it your all and smile

Here is my experience with the infamous Karaoke contest: The company I formerly worked for had a contest, gals against the guys..I never thought i would enter a contest because of the politics I heard involved and just enjoy performing..I was in a band years ago, am professional and enjoy sharing the gift of music..anyway, I figured what the heck, it's fun, it will be a team effort so I entered..the last few days before the contest began they changed it to an individual competition..I didn't dropout and invited a few friends. I didn't know the judges since I was the only satellite worker so no one but a few knew me. I performed my best song and i have been noted before for my stage presence. The scoring was based 1-10..the judges annouced my scores as 10, 9 and 7 1/2 with 10 plus for enthusiasm..the problem came when they wrote the scores down..my friends I invited insisted I'd be winning because when other's scores were announced they were lower..what turned out happening was they gave 1st prize to a guy that pranced around the stage, singing off key "It's Not Unusual" that took off his pants to reveal purple spandex shorts, then 2nd and 3rd prize was a tie between 2 guys that screamed their songs.. I went up to the judges and inquired..turns out they wrote down my scores differently than they announced..my 10 became a 7 etc...everyone was drunk so there was no way I could prove otherwise..I lost out on 500 dollars but gained in experience..by the way, about the "cute blond" previously mentioned..I am one of the cute blonds that didn't win!

SwingcatKurt said,



ritisroo said,



Hey ritisroo,

maybe you are the cute little blonde he was talking about.

Just kidding.....I would vote for you against some of the pro's out there.

I've heard what you're capable of

Now for my opinion on this subject.....in case any of out there were holding your breath waiting for me to speak..... I think it is nearly impossible to have a fair karaoke contest. In order for that to happen you have to have professional judges. Most KJ's I know can't afford to shell out the kind of cash required to get quality judges who know anything about music.

There is no such thing as fairness in most contests, as in life, you just take your chances. If you feel the need to compete you just have to understand that going in. They can be fun and you can learn a lot about yourself as a musician and a person, but don't expect to win even if you are the best performer.

Some contests simply are rigged or set up in a way that isn't fair. Sometimes you get beat out by someone worse than you are and sometimes you may beat out someone who is better than you. Some people think they sing better than they actually do and get bent out of shape if they get beat by anyone. It's all about the competition and having fun.

So just go out there and have fun Y'all and check your ego at the door.

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Too soon old......too late smart.

You are Funny!

I am blonde.....by the way !

You hit it right on the head as to what I was thinking

You should see my BF. He is totally my stage mom. He gets so mad when I lose (cause of course in his eyes, I am the most spectacular thing in the world). Especially when they comment on my clothing. He is so cute when he gets mad !

He can not understand as to why I don't get mad when I lose. I just tell him he does that for me ! He also can't understand that I just do competitions for fun, and the winning does not matter....I think he thinks I am crazy !

But, what are BF's for

Yeah....

From a KJ point of view the boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives and various admirers of the singers can be more annoying than the singers. (I'm sure your BF is not annoying) The singers usually have the patience and respect for the rotation to wait,but other's may want to see you headlining in Vegas. They can be a little biased about how the rotation should be run and who should win a contest. I'm sure he would never say to you, "Wow, that good looking chick up there is ten times better than you and should win" even if he thinks it. He's probably smarter than that. I certainly wouldn't want to hear it even if it's the same thing I was thinking. I think he should make you feel like you are the hottest most talented person in the world and there's nothing wrong with that kind of bias. Unless you're the Kj or contest judge who has to deal with him I suppose, But that is also part of the job.

Nobody ever said it was going to be easy.

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Too soon old......too late smart.

Yes, it's difficult to get a contest that's run fairly. We did pretty close to getting it done fairly but recruiting the vocal coaches from the local college. They do know vocal talent when they hear it and in return for judging the venue gave them a dinner and a drink tab for the night. All in all - not a bad deal for a couple hours work.

That being said, I feel they are a better judge of vocal talent, but perhaps not on any other categories you might have, like - stage presence, costumes, etc. You'd almost have to get a judge for each category and that category only... or maybe 5 judges, drop the lowest and highest score from each person and average the remaining?

I've entered a couple contests and felt cheated. I didn't even place once because one of the judges was 'offended' by my costume. I guess she didn't realize the boxers with the fake butt hanging out wasn't real.... or at least that's what she told one person. She was offended because I had 'mooned' the audience..... Wasn't offended at my second song - a medley where I had on a 2 1/2' tall afro though.... strange.... (BTW, costume was part of the judging criteria).

Some KJ,s have found their niche in contests. Thats their gimmick. Same people everyweek same songs. Some singers love those comfort zones. More power to them. I've been in this biz since 1996 and haven't had one contest or karaoke game , props or giveaways . The bottom line is can you deliver the goods.

Unfortuneately if I had a choice, I wouldn't run a contest - not because I hate them, more because of the hassle organizing it. But the club i'm at WANTS them, & I am not going to tell the hand that feeds me - NO! 7 nights a week since '94 @ $200 per, I doubt ANY of you would tell them no either, because you wouldn't be there if you did.
So don't assume it's the KJ's "gimmick". The last couple we were in was open statewide being held at over 40 different venues in the Puget Sound region of Washington. One of the contests prizes was to be the opening act for Peter Frampton (along with record agents & booking managers), along with $1,000 cash, 2nd place recieved $500 & 3rd recieved $250 plus all also recieved $200 gift pack from the local karaoke store sponsoring it. The other one has more than 20 different venues involved & the singers are competing for $2,000 first prize, $1,000 2nd & $500 3rd. plus they all recieve a $200 gift pack from the local karaoke store.
So these aren't the "same singers week after week contests".
Last year they ran a contest similar to the Peter Frampton contest except the winner opened for Diamond Rio - our qualifier won that one. From there she was invited by the stage managers to tryout for Nashville Star at their expense. She went down & auditioned & went to the regionals. Not sure how far in she placed, but it was pretty cool that one of our own went that far.

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Contests are the suck. Besides, the people that come in for a contest, usually don't come back anyway.