Karaoke Forums

I may fall into the KDH category.

I don't actively go out a solicit new customers for the bar, other than posting on FB/Twitter where my show(s) is for the weekend. I feel it is the bar who needs to do the advertising.

But as a GOOD host, I do my BEST to keep the people at the bar spending money.

What I always tell perspective clients, it is not my job to get people in the door, it is my job to keep them there if they want to do/listen to karaoke.

It's NOT the police who are killing the crowd. It's the bar's BAD REPUTATION and BAD NEWS OWNERS. That gets around town quicker than anything. Just go do a YELP search on your bar and see how many UGLY comments are about it. Kill a place quicker than anything!!
(Also, any other bar search websites in your town...remarks will be just as UGLY)

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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

I am like you (for the rare show I might do). I have a massive e-mail list, which I send out to everyone announcing my show. That's about all I am able to do to try and get people to come to one of my shows. I don't go out to other KJs shows with the intent of trying to steal the people away (like some KJs that I have witnessed doing).

I try to run a show the best I can. I am always adjusting (and readjusting) my sound system until I am satisfied with how the Singer sounds. I don't leave the settings the same all night long. When I did have a (sort of) regular gig, I used to hold onto the Regulars song slip requests (so that they could refer to them (and use them again) the next time I am there. I have even made up compilation discs of some of the Regular's songs (which I keep with my full library) so that they could just look at the disc of their songs and tell me which track number they want to sing next (of course, they are free to try other songs as well).

I always set up early, and usually have at least 20 minutes before my scheduled show time. During that time, I have even allowed some open "Practice" time, where the people waiting could try out a song that they were not sure of (and even try it at different key adjustment levels), or they could just listen to a little bit of the song (without singing along). During this free time, I also get to just relax and talk with the people there (because once the show starts, I don't have much time between Singers to socialize).

There are no Yelp reviews of any of the bars in that town. I did find one of the small casinos got 3 reviews and one of them said that the good thing about the town was that there were 4 directions in which to leave it. I don't think you will ever get it unless you have been there.

There may be no Yelp but word of mouth and social media is still strong. It doesn't take long for a place's bad reputation to get around.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

And it's PRECISELY because of it's BAD REPUTATION that the police watch it so closely and behave so aggressively towards it and it's patrons.

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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

You don't have to believe me but please don't presume to know more about where I live than I do.

I described a situation where I was pulled over constantly just for being out late at night. I was not going to or coming from a bar. It was not a big city with a ghetto or huge crime problem. It was one of those small towns where a major crime was a shocker. The explanation given was that the town had turned over policing from their own force to the county and they were "trying to get to know us." It was too nerve-wracking to get pulled over all the time, sit there waiting and wondering why, having to show my license, registration and car insurance, answer questions still not knowing why I was pulled over and then be let go with a warning on some obscure thing (once it was my muffler sounded loud when I went by and I had just gotten a new one a few months before). I am a short, older female, I don't drive a hot rod and I think I've gotten all of one traffic ticket in my life, knock on wood. Why should I be a police target? If I was rethinking going to the market at night to avoid that than what effect would it have on a bar?

Well HELL YEAH, Kurt! Yes, it's not only about bringing them in, but keeping them there and buying.

Also, as you stated, ANY good karaoke show is a match of host AND venue.

Don't know if I'm being unclear, but I was just speaking of host attitude in the OP.

" I'm paid to play music- that's it- whether someone is there to hear it or sing it or not" kind of attitude.

An owner has no need to pay for anything or anyone that generates a loss to the bar. A host that doesn't create enough revenue to even cover their pay, much less a profit is a parasite to the venue.
Yes, the venue should be a large part of the effort, but some are and some aren't.

Do you say " Screw it- if they won't promote why should I?" and just play til the show fails, or do you work harder to take up the slack?
The bottom line is there is simply no NEED to pay someone for no benefit to the business.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I do expect a club to plan on paying me if I am their the entire night - regardless of the turn out. I may work out a deal with them if it was slow, but that will be my choice - not theirs.
If a club does not promote, I will do what I can to promote it. The advertising may not be directly for the club, but I will advertise my show - which will inadvertantly include the club anyway whether it be internet or print ads. I will produce flyers, posters and outside banners. If they have a message board outside, i'll go and change the letters personally if allowed to show karaoke.

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

Lonnie, I've KJ'd at a place that wouldn't even do that much for themselves (Change the letters on the roadside marquee sign), so me and my co-KJ did the local bar mag print ad, got the NWKG story, put up inside flyer signs at the door and made and put out our own roadside sandwhich signs. No social media tho, this was before the explosion of Facebook and even Myspace(or we would have done that too), and we did ask them to have the beer distributor make up a banner for the side of the building. So we did everything we could but they wouldn't make even the minimum effort for themselves. So, of course, it ended badly and over time they finally ran themselves out of business. Again, you can ONLY DO SO MUCH on your own. A CAUTIONARY TALE!!

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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

Oh that is a fact. One place I worked (before I really knew about ASCAP) I made an outside banner which they placed up. I swear no more than 1 week later ASCAP was sending them crap about paying for the new karaoke entertainment & they made me take all karaoke references down outside and and ads I made. I played there about 3 more weeks watching the crowd die down to the few people I knew that came in. I let them know it wasnt going to work out & shook their hand and left. They are still in business, but have had no entertainment since.

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

I've just never had the luxury of going into a bar that already had a full night going. Usually they are trying karaoke in hopes of attracting in more people. So that means one way or another you have to attract those people before you can keep them and it would ideally involve a mutual effort.

I've also had the experience of doing it all and even though it worked it was never appreciated. The owner just started expecting more and more without wanting to lift a finger himself. It did not end well other than the fact that I ended up somewhere better.

Of course it never ends well when one takes repeated advantage of the other.

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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

With regard to that (and to add to my previous post), I can't make the people come to my show (I posted what I am able to do), and I can't make them stay all night. All I can do is run my show to the best of my capabilities. I don't go policing the area to see if everyone is spending money at the venue. Shoot!!! I'm too busy keeping my Rotation in order and monitoring each of the Singers (to adjust and readjust my sound system), and answering questions that some of the Singers have, and helping them to find specific songs from my books. Even if they aren't spending money, I can't force them to. The places where I have done shows have been at your typical Dive Bar... a place that has NO DRINK SPECIALS, and does NOT SERVE FOOD. There's not much to work with on those counts. The best I am able to do with that, is to make the occasional announcement to "Take care of XXXXX (Bartender's name here), because he/she has been working very hard for you." That at least plants a small seed in your mind to buy something (if you haven't done so).

Agree with all of the above 100% You are promoting YOUR business, as you should. Of course we get paid for the night regarless of turnout for that particular night. However, any show that CONSISTENTLY fails to produce an income for the venue would and should be terminated. Yes, we own our own businesses, but so does the bar. Our business- when working that sort of venue- is making them money. If we don't, then we are not fulfilling the expectations of those who hire us for that purpose.

So, it seems most now understand that, as the posts all seem to mention anything from ads and banners to FB, Twitter, E-mail lists, etc...

It looks like the KDHs seem to be a vanishing breed...

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

I would most likely terminate a show if it isn't bringing in anything before the club does - unless they just don't give it a chance. I usually expect at least 6-8 weeks before a turnaround will even happen. I it hasn't happened by that time period, chances are it will not work!

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

Look at my signature line.

"My job is to keep more people coming back.... than people leaving, and never coming back". It is difficult to get them to come in for the first time, but with a good skill set you can get them to come back.

OK, must be a shortage of meds- way too much agreement between us here.. Of course, could be two good hosts...who knows?

I relation to your post, part of my venue agreement is a 6 week minimum, same night, no cancellations run for starters. After that it either stays or goes.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

You TELL THEM THAT, and you phrase it that way?
Not only isn't it your job to bring in customers, but those who come in whether you are there or not may or may not stay, depending?

Twansenne, I've been reading your posts for years. I KNOW that you have good hosting skills- but that is the scariest thing that I've seen in decades. However. you're a working host, so good for you.

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"No Contests, No Divas, Just A Good Time!"

" Disc based and loving it..."

Just curious, why wouldn't you try to promote your own shows other than FB/Twitter? I expect the bar to something, but I will always promote my own shows in any means necesary - even if it advertises the bar (which it indirectly will).

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