Karaoke Forums

OK, so the judging part is a real dilemma. Celebrity judges? Well rounded musicians, vocalists? Radio DJ? Hmmmm...

The idea we think is best is to have a well rounded panel of judges (4) with a 5th secret judge to break any ties. That judge would be doing the same rating as the judges are, but from video booth with headphones, or other location... Just thinking if I ought to go with 3 or 5 and be done with the possibility of ties...

We will video tape all performances (digitally) and they can be reviewed at any time (instant recall/playback) if questions arise or judges need to see them again.

I have a couple if ideas for judges. One is and ex-Eagle (1971-1975) with whom I have had conversations, and met in person. He PROBABLY would not do it, but that is the celebrity I actually have had meaningful contact with. There are a number of other ideas - radio DJ personalities, music critics for our local entertainment scene, high end musicians, and the like. Still trying to figure this part out.

If we could arrive at the right combination of the right people, the next thing would be rules and criteria...

It's a singing contest, so singing is the most important thing, right? For many, appearance is important, and then for others, it is not... The show The Voice starts out with the judges' backs to the contestants and they respond only to vocal ability... so that overweight lady or man, that strange tattooed and pierced girl, or that person who just does not score high in the appearance arena are not judged by their appearance - vocal ability only. I think this has merit. Not sure if is the way it should go though.

Judges would fill out a rating card during each performance, and there would be a total score on the card - 0 to 100. There would be 5 different rating criterias on the card, and all would be related to vocal ability. At the end of the nights' competitions, the highest scores would be announced and those folks would advance into the semi-finals. In the event that there is a tie for 5th place, secret judge would be the tie breaker.

Once you are a 'winner' and move into the semi-finals, then I think appearance/attire, stage presence, and connection with the audience should all be a part of the judging criteria, with vocal ability still accounting for 75% of the score. Secret 5th judge on duty and reviewing all of the performances.

In the finals, judging would occur much the same way, with commentary from the judges for each performance. Same rating system, same scoring. Secret 5th judge on duty and reviewing all of the performances.

Rules and limitations:

There are many 'contest applications' I have gathered and am trying to take the best parts of to come up with contest rules...

I have compiled a first attempt and will post that shortly.

Please comment on what I have so far. Give me your 'experienced' opinions as KJ's as well as a performer/singer.

Thanks folks!

As you've said, and I agree... the most important part of a contest would be the quality of the judges. You want professionals who can be non biased and impartial. Preferably people in the music business as you have said. I like the idea of the Voice-Style judging. I've never seen it done before for a karaoke contest. I would also go with the odd number of judges, 3 or 5.

Good luck.

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Electro-Voice Evolve 50... Taking Sound To The Next Level.

Please correct me if I am misinterpreting this. From what I am understanding here, your girlfriend basically works for a Travel Agency, and MIGHT be able to offer some better rates than one of those major Cruise Lines. You mentioned destination cruises to the Caribbean or Canada for 8 days. Those cruises usually take place on very large ships (3,000 + passengers). Is that what your Girlfriend is planning to organize? Since you said she is not affiliated with any Cruise Lines, I take it to mean that, as a Travel Agent, she would be able to hold/obtain a whole block of tickets/rooms (say 100, 150, or 200), and then sell these reservations at a discounted price (due to the quantity reserved).

Based on that, which Cruise Line would your Girlfriend use to arrange all of this (since you said that she is just a Cruise Planner/Travel Agent, and is not affiliated with any Cruise Line Company)? What type of rooms would she be reserving in bulk?

I just went on my very first cruise about 7 months ago. It was an 8 day Caribbean Cruise out of NY, which included 3 Port Stops (San Juan, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk). I went with 3 Friends, and we had 2 adjoining Balcony Rooms. The cost came to $3000 total (not counting what we spent on and off the Ship for Gambling, Drinks and Shopping) for the 4 of us. The rooms we got were obviously not the cheapest available on the ship. If we had sacrificed the desire to have Balcony Rooms, and opted for either a smaller cabin or even an Ocean View Room (a room with just a window), it probably would have cost us closer to half the amount we paid.

I'm not trying to say that your Girlfriend does not have the ability to offer a lower rate, but I have seen many No-Name sites CLAIMING to offer rates as low as 50% cheaper than the actual Cruise Lines, but when all was said and done for our (me and my Friends) criteria, the rates ended up being equal to or even higher than booking directly with the Cruise Line. Plus, we even got a LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE, which meant that if the Cruise Line offered a lower rate for our exact booking, they would either deduct that from the price (if we were still paying for the reservation), or issue us a Ship Board Credit for the difference. Cruises may be desirable and fun, but they are not as affordable to everyone. And then there's also the Airfare to deal with (if you don't live in the State where the Ship will be leaving from). Unlike the Cruise Lines who seem to have fixed prices, Airlines do not. You are at their mercy from day to day, and the first date that you mentioned (November/December 2014) is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE times to travel by Air... It is Thanksgiving week, and the Airlines usually DOUBLE their airfares during that week.

You mentioned that you and your Girlfriend would be running this 7 day long Contest. Since you stated that your Girlfriend does not work for a Cruise Line, I take that to mean you and your Girlfriend would be part of the hired Entertainment on board these cruises, and the Sponsors you have lined up would be providing all the prizes.

** Edit **
In addition to the questions I posted above and in my previous post, I would like to know a little bit more about the individual's expected costs, and what the Cruise Itinerary will be like (not just the Karaoke Contest Itinerary) before you go further into what your planned Judging Criteria will be.

plus no one ever mentions all the taxes, port fees etc that they tack on to your bill, and some cruises even add a mandatory tip for the cabin and wait staff.

However, I have done singing on a cruise before, and it was a HECK of a lot of fun.. Heck even hanging out in the piano bar was a real experience.

-James

I have to disagree with a lot of this, Bruce.



I think that's an overstatement at best, particularly considering most patrons aren't going out strictly for karaoke. If karaoke were actually fun for *everyone,* then every karaoke night, everywhere, would be packed.



I disagree with this, too. Now, I do have a preference for contests being on non-regular karaoke nights, but around here, you kind of take what you get sometimes with karaoke, and the one bar runs it's contests on regular karaoke nights. Sometimes, they are about the performance, and sometimes they are about a random drawing of gathered singers. The three contests they did based on performance, I was a contestant all the way through the finals, and won one. The two I didn't win? I had just as much fun, because not only was it karaoke, but it was a busier night of karaoke, and it had a much more exciting atmosphere. Some folks brought friends to support them and clap, and those people seemed like they had a good time. The bar was packed even after the contest ended at midnight.

And the one I won? I clinched it by song choice and performance. Everyone else was choosing ballads and whatnot to highlight their strengths, and I amped everything up with DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat."

I mean, I am a die-hard karaoke person. I go out somewhere between three to seven nights a week, depending on what else is going on. I can't say that everyone is going to reflect on contests the same way as I do, but if folks like Earl have luck with them, you can't say "AAAH ALL CONTESTS ARE TERRIBLE TO HELL WITH CONTESTS" just because it's not your particular cup of tea.

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Co-host of The Greatest Song Ever Sung (Poorly), a karaoke-themed podcast

You are correct about the additional TIP added on to the cost of the Cruise, although that really is minimal (what they tacked on to mine came to about $11 a day for the TIPs, and we left extra for the Waiters and Room Cleaning staff afterwards).

This was an unnecessary comment on your part, as it makes me view you as being a bit insecure that you felt the need to mention it at all. Are you implying that every other Cruise Karaoke has lousy Sound, and uses an Illegal Library?

I participated in the on-board Karaoke almost every single day of the Cruise I went on. Like jclaydon, I had a lot of fun participating as well. Not only that, but I felt the Sound System was excellent when it was held in a designated Club Room location (as versus in a walkway area such as by the Casino Bar area). I did not feel it was cheap or cheesy, and the KJ also had a "Legal" Library with lots to choose from (since you felt the need to point this out, I figured I would point it out as well). I guess some Cruises have good Karaoke and others don't... that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Hello, I am "the girlfriend" of SingrPlayr and I wanted to qualify and explain my "job" in this endeavor. I am an agency owner, not only a travel agent/counselor...but, I work with a larger company who is able to supply me with better pricing to be able to compete in this difficult and competitive market.

To Cueball: Yes, I may be able to offer good/better pricing on cruises and land travel than the vendor themselves or other agencies.
Correct, I am not affiliated with any specific cruise line.
Yes, I would hold group space with several types of cabins to purchase (balcony being my favorite). And yes, this karaoke contest would be held on a large main cruise line. I am looking at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line right now but it depends on how they will be to work with for this type of group. It would be one contest with all competitions held on-board, carefully noting times that would not conflict with some activities being offered on the ship. Flights may be needed to get to the cruise ship but we would be cautious to stay away from holiday time.
This is obviously an incentive to have a great vacation, singing (which, of course, is what most karaoke participants love to do)and competing while enjoying some sunshine and visiting new places.
I have hosted groups before and honestly, I think that cruising with a group is just so much more enjoyable. On this cruise we would have this karaoke contest theme to connect us all. What do you think?

I am NOT a singer, but SingrPlayr is, however, he will be running the contest while I will be taking care of the group as cruisers.

We really just wanted to see what others thought of the idea: A Karaoke Cruise Contest.
We have never attempted this endeavor before and were hoping to see if anyone has...or has participated. We realize that not everyone can afford to cruise but what if there was a chance to vacation AND maybe win enough to defray the cost? Of course, we can offer lower cost cabins (inside)as well as higher cost (balcony or mini-suite)for every budget. I am able to get some perks and extra amenities to make it a little more fun! The larger the group the more perks I can offer.
Sorry, I am so long winded but...is this sounding like it could work? What would entice a karaoke singer want to participate?

Also, to Cueball: You mention that SingrPlayr should not have mentioned the quality of karaoke. If you'd been on as many cruises as we have...you would probably understand. On one particular cruise line (not to be mentioned here) the karaoke quality was so horrible that some singers would quit in the middle of the song and literally walk out of the room. The musical arrangement sounded like it was just an organ playing background music and singers just could not follow along. Kind of funny to me but frustrating for singers and I couldn't blame them. A vacationer brought his guitar on-board so we found ourselves sitting in the main lobby singing with him and others instead of going to the cruise-offered karaoke!
I hope this answers some of the questions, if not...I'm happy to clear up any other thoughts.
Any of your thoughts are so appreciated.

Thank you very much for that response. It answers a lot more than before. I might be interested in something like this if my schedule allows for it. There are certain times of the year that I like to take time off from work, and certain times where I need to have time off (due to Observance of Religious Holidays). Booking a vacation such as this one, would probably require me to plan at least 7 or 8 months in advance... (regarding putting aside money to pay for this and also managing my regular time off so that I don't run out of days to take off in the year (when I need them for other things)). Plus, I already have to start saving up for a Cruise as a gift for my Best Friend on her 55th Birthday (1 1/2 years from now), and I keep putting my plans for a Transylvania Tour vacation (Halloween in Budapest or Bucarest which is going to cost me $3K plus extra expenses) on the back-burner. So, when you get this plan all together, I will be looking forward to seeing the specific dates and details (Cruise destination and Itinerary).

I guess I can understand what you mean, and we can leave it at that. I have heard many people on "both sides of the fence" talk about their Karaoke experiences on a Cruise Ship... some bad some good... pretty much split down the middle. My experiences on this one Cruise happened to be on the good side of that fence. One thing I happened to touch upon, was that the Sound quality was only great when they were located in one of the designated Club areas. When it was set up in an open area (such as by one of the Outside Swimming Pool areas or by the Bar area alongside the Casino), it wasn't as good, but it was passable. The KJ had to be mobile with her system while on this Cruise, and this is something you may need to look into when you negotiate your Karaoke Show/Contest arrangements with the Cruise Line you end up dealing with. The Cruise I was on, this KJ was never in one fixed spot every day of the Cruise. So, when she was in a real Club location, she could hook up into their Sound System to enhance hers. When she was by the Casino area, she was instructed to turn the music down to a lower volume (because the Gamblers didn't want to hear it). When she was by the Swimming Pool area, she also did not have an additional Sound System to hook into, so it was just her PA/Amp/Mixer and Speakers system that was used. It wasn't the greatest, put it was adequate for that open area. All-in-all, I enjoyed the Karaoke that this KJ was able to offer on the Cruise.

The karaoke I experienced on a Carnival cruise was a complete & utter joke in every respect all the from the PA system, to selection to the host to the times they allowed for karaoke which barley got 1/4 or the people that showed up to sing, although they allowed everyone to sign up and wait.

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

Funny... my Cruise was with Carnival, and they had quite a few of us participating in the Karaoke all week long. The shows were usually 2 to 3 hours long (depending on where it was located and what time of the day or night it was scheduled), and the Rotations varied from 6 or 7 people to about 15-20 people. Most were the same people who attended from Day 1.