Karaoke Forums

Hey all, been hosting since December, got two gigs, it's going well. Slowly building a following, utilizing social media event invites and connecting with singers, etc. I've been singing karaoke for years and finally decided to bite the bullet and invest in the system, etc.

I do have some questions:

I have a full time job, doing okay, going to buy a home in a year and a half, so what I make is important. I currently make 1,400 a month with my full time job and so extra spending money is helpful and I can't go any less than what I make now due to qualifications for loans, etc.

So once the home is bought, I'd like to, as I'm building the following and locations over time in the next year or so, cut down with my full time job and go to part time with benefits of course for my job or find another part time job that pays more money, and to go head on with this full time.

Any advice for myself and wanting to do this full time? I understand about the competition aspect.

Currently it's been good so far with people, and early on, for Tuesday nights back in December we had maybe 5 people. The bar owner stuck with it, now we have about 8-11 people coming in for karaoke on Tuesdays - the worst nights for them.

Obviously I tell my new spots (I have two total) that I will work with the register until things pick up and then go to normal rate.

My friend says he pulls in $6000 a month from karaoke and while I don't want to do that much, I do want to do it maybe 3 to 4 times a week. New York is tough as far as living. Three at most currently as I am working a full time job and do get up at 7 AM.

Just curious on your journeys a year into your karaoke hosting.

Don't quit your day job. It's harder today for startups to make a full time job out of it than it used to be even 10 years ago & actually make it work. Not saying it cannot happen, but you have devote a lot of time, effort, dedication & $$$ to make it so. Basically don't stop your real job until you know you can make a go of this!

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

I agree hundred percent with your feedback.

I think the thing for me is that I'm in a job that I don't really enjoy but I'm doing it because I need to make a constant check every two weeks and every month. My friend got me involved in helping me gather all of the equipment and everything needed to host my own shows has been doing it for 10 years. He has been able to make $6000 a month.

I make 1400 a month.

In New York State it is extremely hard to get by and I want to set myself up and money up for my family. I do not have a child yet but I will in a few years so I do have time to build this up.

I obviously won't quit my day job but at some point when I do move into a home with my future wife I would like to host karaoke more often and go to part time.

As someone who made this journey over the past 5 years, I can say that it is not for the faint of heart. I was fortunate that I had a great paying long term day job for many, many years that afforded me the luxury of being able to invest heavily in karaoke. I honestly don't know how anyone can make a full time, living wage with a single rig unless they run it 7 nights a week. Even then, it would not support my lifestyle.

So as Lonnie said, don't quit or even slow down at the day job until you have a firm footing in the karaoke world. What we do is a finicky business. You will think everything is great one week and the next, you are being asked to pack up your gear. As a multi-op, I am somewhat shielded from this since losing one bar leaves me a 11 others. But a single rig operator somewhat has all their eggs in one basket.

All that said, it can be done. It is harder work that people think. It costs more than people think (if they actually pay for their music). It is more stressful than people think. But it can also be very rewarding financially and personally.

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-Chris

Not trying to put you down, but you make $16,800 a year, and qualify to buy a house in NY?

Like everyone else said, full time karaoke is TOUGH. I would say the average gig lasts about 4-6 months. There are only a lucky few who find a long term venue. That means that if you need to fill 3-4 nights, you are going to spend a good amount of time searching for new gigs with irregular pay some months.

The initial startup costs are nothing to sneeze at, either. No one in their right mind would recommend going in debt to to finance a startup karaoke gig, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to save up to buy a house. You can't afford it. You realistically need about $1200-1500 in equipment and a good $1000 in startup karaoke music at a minimum, then you need to aggressively add karaoke music and start upgrading equipment from there. Point being, you aren't going to be taking home all of your money for several months. It's like any business, it takes a bit to overcome the start up costs and start to profit.

Keep your day job. It's infinitely more consistent and reliable than karaoke is going to be. Move slowly, don't make any impulsive decisions. Make sure you have a great system and a solid library bought and paid for, that your gigs are very stable and going very well, THEN think about quitting your day job. And if you ARE going that direction, plan on putting off the house until after you have all of this established. It might delay you for a year.

Don't forget that you also will be a 1098 independent contractor, so you will be paying your own taxes. You'll have to be disciplined and put money away. You will be required to pay taxes quarterly, not yearly. Also remember, no benefits. You'll need to take care of your own health insurance, dental, vision, etc. If you end up doing karaoke gigs long term, you'll need to plan on starting your own IRA. There won't be any retirement beyond social security.

You are also giving up your weekends if you want to make any $$$. Friday and Saturday night gigs generally pay better than the rest. Want to go camping this Saturday? Can't do it. Gotta work. Friend having a birthday party at their house? Can't do it. Gotta work.

And in most cases, the owner expects the KJ to find their replacement for days they need off, which is tough if you don't have some really dependable go-tos with a different schedule than yours. I had a reliable KJ that filled in for me the last few years, but she just got a Saturday gig, so I'm back to square 1. I've had events where I needed a night off and spent months looking for a replacement, and in the end had to pay an agency guy extra money out of my pocket on top of what the bar paid.

I have been doing karaoke gigs two nights a week along with a 40-50 hour a week day job for over 10 years. I have friends who do karaoke full time that really struggle, and would never quit my day job. As a good parallel to what you are trying to go, the girl that fills in for me does 4 nights a week and makes $500 a week. That's pretty average. BUT, of the 3 venues she works at, only her Sunday night gig at $125 is stable. The rest, she seems to ALWAYS be looking for a gig. As stated earlier, 4-6 months, and she's out of a job. Sometimes two at a time. So she's not making $500 a week every week of the month every month. She's probably averaging closer to $350 a week over the long haul, and doing alot of searching for gigs.

The guys who are most successful doing karaoke full time are either those who start "entertainment companies" with multi-rigs where they have other KJs working for them, and also do weddings, parties and corporate events regularly. That can turn into a 6-figure income. Also, those who work at ONE venue that has karaoke 7 days a week.

That's all the advise I can give. The main point is it is DEFINITELY not as easy as it looks. We didn't even get into the fact that you have to learn the craft!

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C Mc
KJ, FL

TopherM, the first line is a little brutal but the rest is spot on. For the OP: This is NOT all fun and games and being a top notch KJ is a lot of hard work and it doesn't start when you setup and end when you tear down. There is a whole lot in between stuff in order to be a force to be reckoned with. Be patient, go to as many other hosts shows, watch what they do, and try it out for yourself. Good Luck, and keep the day job too!

I am a single rig operator with 10 years in the game who has been doing this full-time averaging 5 shows a week for the last 8 years.

I have one venue that started on Wednesday nights 10 years ago and moved to Friday nights about 4 years ago. This venue started with a house system and hired KJ's. A year after I took over, they gave me their CDG collection and we contracted for my services. I took that contract as a model for how I would arrange a deal with any new venue and a minimum fee or a percentage of sales, whichever is greater, is how I am compensated for ALL of my shows.

I am making what your friend is making during the "season" and a bit less during the off-season, but I can make up the difference with private events. I just did one on Sunday that went for 7 hours at $100 per hour. That is the longest, single, continuous show I have ever done.

About 3 years ago, I was approached by a non-profit youth organization and asked if I'd be interested in bringing karaoke to their after-school program for elementary school (k-5) kids.
So now, my girlfriend and I go to different schools Mon-Thurs for 1.5 - 2 hours (with an extra hour billed for "equipment") and we get to develop the next generation of karaoke singers. You can bet those kids know how to handle a microphone

The pay is WAY less than for a public event but every two weeks I get a few hundred bucks direct deposited into my "rainy-day" account. It's like having an extra show every week and I get to enjoy the kids and their enjoyment and enthusiasm. A bonus is that the kids actually give me new songs quite often and the adults at my public shows benefit from that too.

It is not easy for a single rig operator to make a living wage at this, but it is not impossible either. Good luck to you.

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Never the same show twice!

I wouldn't necessarily not work a benefits job. The organization I currently work for has benefits even at 21 hours a week. The problem is I can't downgrade to those hours because I have to utilize my $1400 a month to show to the bank that I can afford the type of house that me and my wife are looking to get. She makes much more than I do.

As for the equipment let's just say it is not out of my own pocket and I have over $2500 worth of equipment (no money coming from me not debts).

We took a dead Tuesday night and started to get people to come down and I'm happy to say that we are doing pretty good but we could do better. I do have a Sunday night gig as well. My next step is to get a Thursday gig or maybe once a month on a Saturday.

I actually really enjoy what I do. I have been going to karaoke for the past 13 years and I've seen it all. One of my friends who actually help me with finding out what the right equipment was for me was someone who I got a gig for at a bar and he's been going 10 years strong at that current location. So we actually help each other out as far as knowledge and respect.

If I could host karaoke every night I would. I really enjoy staying and I enjoy making other people sound good. Many people have told me that my sound system is great. Even though I have 4,000 songs I am happy to announce that there has never been a comment or negative feedback about my song list.

You don't need a lot of songs, just the right ones for the crowd you are serving. Keep building up shows And you might make full time before you know it.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I'm a full-time single operator who just bought my first house last year. Yes, things are going very well for me, but that wasn't always the case. This is only my 6th year hosting karaoke and I have learned a ton. My first year was kinda pathetic. I almost quit because it was so hard building a following and learning the ropes. The reason it was hard for me was because I wasn't consistent. I was always trying new things, new methods, new ways of doing things. That is the quickest way to piss off your regulars. Karaoke singers don't respond well to change. I learned this the hard way.

I finally got smart around my 3rd year of hosting and decided on a specific way to host and stuck to it. Best decision I ever made. Things got much easier after that, plus I was gaining more knowledge and experience about the craft.

So yes it is possible to do what you want. I am your prime example. I am living the life you are dreaming about. Just know that it is not easy, but it is not impossible. Good luck to you. I really wish you the best.

Vincent. How many nights are you doing and how much per night?

Anything you'd like to share either here or through a private message would be appreciated. Thank you.

I will pass on what my mentor passed on to me. Do not depend on hosting karaoke to pay your mortgage or any significant bills- period. Your level of success can change in a week.

While I have been - luckily - successful for decades, I only decided to give up other sources of income AFTER I was pretty much set for life. While I make good money at this, the income is no longer a neccesity.

Be careful. but also enjoy what you make. think of it as date/vacation/fun money until you have solidified your future.

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

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