Karaoke Forums

should venues regularly report to KJs how much $ was made during karaoke night?
(i think so)

is it possible for venues to report an accurate amount of $ made?
(not always, i think. but very possible)

do any of your venues tell you how much $ was made from your karaoke night?
(none of mine)

what say you?
we're brought in as KJs to help a venue make more money

but that's the one thing we're really not told specifically on how we're doing. the $ part
any thoughts?

We count heads and drinks and can normally tell the bar what was made within a $20 spread before they z out at the end of the night ......they find it uncanny but it is just a skill we have learned over the years.

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"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

fascinating

is it the same amount generally every gig there or does the amount fluctuate?

is it a motivating factor for you to try to "outsell" your previous nights?

this is a little more complex to do (counting heads & drinks) at a restaurant, i imagine. or are you able to?

None of my business.

I only worked in 1 place in 20 years that the bartender would let me in on what they z'd out, however if the manager knew about it she would've probably been fired. Otherwise most do not disclose.

None of my business to know what they are making. If I am doing the job i'm hired for then they will continue my services. If not they will let me go.

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

I never tried it at a restaurant but at this one little bar, I knew it so well that I could pretty much say that each person there would average a certain amount per hour and be pretty accurate on guessing the till. If I heard the blender going then that upped it a bit....The reason for that was it was our first gig and we had to agree to be paid on a sliding scale in order to get it. So that skill had to be developed in order not to be ripped off. Luckily the bartender was on our side and showed us the tape but she wasn't supposed to. In fact the owner was even trying stupid things like setting the clock ahead and ordering her to count the till by it which cut 15 minutes off of our earning time. We are no longer there.

I was at another place where the owner considered us to be part of the team and would show us the tape to show how we were progressing but that was probably a rarity.

At the place I am at now they are pretty much "none of your business" about the till but they also don't quibble about paying me my full price. In fact they have been very generous in giving me a bonus on good nights. The first bar may have been a bad deal but it got me into the habit of not taking the till for granted and always working toward having a good night.

Oh--and you at least need to get your guestimating skills going so that if you go to pitch a new place you can calculate if the seating capacity and their drink prices will multiply into being able to pay you your price.

Many if not all smaller clubs have a flexible till policy..

Ring one, skip one..

Bring in liquor not invoiced, ring none of it..

i have heard a $20 per person average number, do you go by that or more what the regulars you see drinking?

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Paradigm Karaoke, The New Standard.......Shift Happens

quote]None of my business to know what they are making. If I am doing the job i'm hired for then they will continue my services. If not they will let me go.[/quote]

I'm pretty-much of the same mind as Lonnie... None of my business. If they weren't making good money, I'd be gone... but I've been at one venue going on 10 years, and the other 6 years... with never so much as a hint that they're anything but happy, happy...

By the way, I cannot say for certain, but I've been told that I'm the highest paid KJ in the area. Can you say win/win?

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Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

i hear you, lonman when you say 'none of my business'

but let me clarify:

it'd be nice if when a venue hires a KJ, we sit down and if there's a minimum monetary amount they'd like to reach while we're their KJ, they should let us know and keep us informed if we hit that mark. it'd just be nice. because, ultimately, this is a business arrangement. so why are numbers always avoided? until we're let go?

or if there's a certain number of patrons they'd like to see attend while we're their KJ, let it be known.

i'm saying: this is the 800-lb gorilla in the room. numbers account for something. even if we're doing well, it'd be nice to know how well we're doing.

it's sad to see so many KJs and DJs come and go due to low sales and low turnout, but really these venues NEVER SPECIFICALLY GIVE A NUMBER TO A KJ OR DJ of what they want and i'm not speaking directly to you lonman, i'm frustrated in general and saying this to noone in particular....

And for those KJs who work for a percentage of the evening's take, these venues tend to lie and cover up what they actually made, so as to stiff the KJ.

i know, i know

there are a million ways to cheat a KJ/DJ when it comes to numbers and vice-versa

it'd just be nice if an honest way was created where a specific number is put out to be reached.

No the amounts can fluctuate quite a bit even at the same venues. IE one venue we have done every Friday and Saturday for over 16 years. In the last 4 weeks tills have run anywhere between $974.00 to $3270.00 . You do have to make it a habit that is done at least once an hour, know what the cost scale is for each level of drinks, and who is drinking what. We do not try and motivate ourselves to constantly do more as we have found that this leads to shows with huge rotations and then a sudden drop in bar patrons as they head to other shows where they can sing more songs. Most of our venues do charge the same for a draft, a coke, and a water and this makes it easy for that bottom level of drinks, next comes house wine, well brands single shots, next call brands and finally premiums and blender drinks. This venues sells no food so that is not an issue to worry about.
The main reason that we track this is so we can spot longer term trends and and adjustments. A few down weeks maybe normal at times like back to school when everyone is broke, or nights when a large number of regulars are attending a game or concert.
It can also become an issue if you are working with a crooked bar tender because you are normally the first to see the issue... that is when it can become sticky... no one wants to be the one informing "Billy Bar Owner" that the favorite bar tender is giving away the store.

_________________
"Integrity is choosing your thoughts, words and actions based on your principles and values rather than for your personal gain."
Unknown
"if a man has integrity, nothing else matters, If a man has no integrity, nothing else matters."
Lee McGuffey

Definitely, and I would add that some bartenders certainly implement this on their own, without owner knowledge.

Whoops, posted without seeing above.

While the Z tape is none of my business, as an ex-owner, manager, bartender, and bouncer at different times,- as well as a long time host - I can pretty much tell how well the bar SHOULD be ringing...

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

" Disc based and loving it..."

Might be the 800 lb gorilla in your room. My karaoke show is gorilla free, unless you count a couple really hairy guys. I show up, I do my job (which is putting butts in seats, for those of you who are confused what you are supposed to be doing), and they pay me.

Some nights I definitely don't earn what I'm paid, some nights I am definitely grossly underpaid, but on average, the bar makes more off of me than they pay me. I add value to the operation. I'm not at all concerned about the numbers any given night, as long as I'm happy with my pay and the bar owner is happy with my value.

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C Mc
KJ, FL

I too put butts in seats and that's what they pay me to do. I also make sure the customers have such a great time that they keep coming back (that I have control over). My price is not downward negotiable because they had a bad night, because they don't increase it on great nights. Their bottom line is none of my business.

If I'm getting my rate and the bar is happy, I don't care if they're ringing 100 bucks or 10k a night.

Very rare in this area (Jersey Shore) that bar owners or managers will let you in on the ring.

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DJ Don

I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of your role.

Venues hire KJ's to provide a service/entertainment for their patrons. They are not hiring you as a business consultant or CPA! It's their business and their customers.

If you select a location, hire staff, advertise, and bankroll the whole business this would be in your wheelhouse. Otherwise you are in no way, shape, or form entitled to your employers financial information.

Wow, I guess I took this for granted.

9 years in and my first gig is making me more $$ year after year.

The reason: % of sales pay scale.

You can be certain that a printed report comes with my payout.

I can usually guess-timate the ring with reasonable accuracy.

From the information I've seen here and in other threads... I guess I am doing okay.

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Never the same show twice!

I have one venue that pays me based on sales. We get an hourly rate guaranteed, then a percentage of sales at two different break points. They provide me sales reports every week.

The potential upside is huge which is why I agreed to it. But it has also been a challenge to find the right host for this particular venue and we have struggled. But the owners seem to be super happy with us and continue to ask us to do other one off events with us at our standard rates. I think that come December, this venue will end up being my highest paid gig.

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-Chris

The most money I ever made doing a karaoke show was on an evening that I got a percentage of the till. The owner quickly saw the fortune I made and renegotiated the deal. I said no and gave him a flat fee regardless of the success of the evening. It is still that way today only 3 owners later.