Karaoke Forums

What would you have done differently. Maybe you can help this new kj

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If You Want Something You've Never Had , You're Going To Have To Do Something You've Never Done

I would have never bought anything from VocoPro or Sweet Georgia Brown.

I bought out a previous KJ.
I would have done a better job of inspecting all the stuff I bought.  There were good quality discs, but some bad(Laserdiscs(which are nice, but very heavy...)Sweet Georgia Brown, All Hits, Nutech.... etc....)  A lot of these discs were scratched and skipping, so I had to go through and fix all of them, just to prevent it from happening at a show....  The mistakes I made were pretty much common sense(let the buyer beware...) and should not have happened...  I was a little too excited...  The price was good, I just didn't figure in all of the extra effort and time on my part....  Over all, I'd do it again, just smarter!  Have fun!

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Woo-Hoo!!!

I would have stayed single...

OH, you mean on karaoke???

Well, with today's sites, they're doing samples of songs. Even the twenty second samples are often enough to convince you one way or another that a certain version may be a loser. For instance, YES, much of Sweet Georgia Brown is a stinker... but you know, I have A COUPLE of their discs I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING! Right towards the end, they finally started making some good ones!

Another thing... I found the custom discs WAYYYY too late in my karaoke career. but then again, I didn't start getting the customs until SC and other manufacturers severely repeated what they had out... I refused to buy a disc for one song! and 14 filler!

I would have bought for the biggest club I could anticipate.  I started kind of small & got a larger club that my stuff sounded like crap in (larger capacity of people soaked up ALL the low end) so I had to pretty much start all over (well greatly added to) in the PA section.  
Also wouldn't have bought discs JUST to have a large library.  Get a good solid "QUALITY" core of music ie Foundations & Bricks (these cover most requested songs up to approx 2003, DK Millenium is also a good choice but cuts off around '99-2000), then take requests from the customers & get those songs.  Try to avoid duplicate song buying.

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

I would have bought some powered speakers instead of those monster Yorkville 150 which I ended up selling after a year!
Would have bought a better EQ than the Peavey Q2151 which has been disconected for about a year!
Bought Cubasis VST when it came included has a bundle with my new Creative Pro card (E-MU 1212m), what a waste of money!

Most IMPORTANT, I should have said yes to Gilly when she ask me to marry her couple months ago

Don't think i could improve my gear much but what i would change would be to set my fees higher to these bars/clubs from the get go. I came in at a reasonable price just to secure a weekly night, then am expected to run alittle over time, start alittle early, play more dance music, play more karaoke, Avertise to get more people in the bar, keep all the singers happy, and when i ask for a increse in pay i get the "well things haven't been as busy latly" whenits packed and i know it's my karaoke they've been coming to see. Problem is i'm a nice guy..... and when dealing with the Bar/club owners i get beatin up cause i don't play at there level. I wish all the KJ's in my area would up there fees so we all could be making what we are really worth!  .... damm i need a asprin!

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"There is a Law of the Universe:   CHEAP...   FAST...   GOOD...   pick any two."

1. Buy quality music tracks and stick to one format.  I have CDG's, VCD's and DVD's.  I don't have any problems with the CDG's and VCD's but the DVD's take far too long to que up and get the track ready.
2. Avoid cheap players if you don't get a chance to see them in action first.  I have two players I'm about to give away to friends to use as DVD players(Ritech 3900 and 3700).
3. Less 'Singing Machine' discs and more quality tracks.  I don't have a lot of the garbage, but I have some I wish I hadn't bought.
4. I'd have gone straight to a full blown mixer and amp/speaker or powered speakers instead of the Fender PD-250 I have now.
5. I'd have listened more closely to the advice I got here.  I'm listening now and in some cases I do without until I can purchase quality equipment.  I don't 'have' to have compressors right away so I'm waiting for the unit I want ($500 - thanks for the tip Lonman!).
6. More marketing....
7. I'd stop considering dropping my prices to pick up a gig.  I'm in negotiations to double my fees from last year at one place where I do gigs during the summer only (about 4 months out of the year).
8. I'd get requests for my regular singers a little quicker.

[b][quote]I'd have listened more closely to the advice I got here.[/quote][/b]

Snowman, the cool thing is, you're already here!  I found this forum about 4 months ago.  I thought I knew a little(I do-a little), but there are some smart folks here.  I've improved greatly just because of being here.  I also think that big-picture-wise karaoke improves in general as it adds to the quality the public sees on a nightly basis.  And, hopefully can run out some of the low-priced crap karaoke that is out there....

My 3 cents worth(adjusted for inflation)...

Jimmy!

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Woo-Hoo!!!

naive bro

1:  Fill out a business app with city and pay taxes on on gigs
  2:  Have contract with particulars before setting up
  3:  Require deposit for weddings etc..(half)
  4 : Do not undercut (charge  150 to 200 per night )
  5  The three most impotant rules
    do not cheat on rotation
    adjust efx for each singer
     relax and have fun , they dont  want formalities they just want to sing

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And...For mY 2 Cents....

1. I would start here on KS and read the Forums for a few months to hear what the pro's have to Go thru.

2. never buy anything without asking for reviews here in the forum.

3. if I could Go Back I wouldnt even get started in the Karaoke part...Thats what got me into this But Ive since Changed my tune to a Character Show, I found that being a KJ is a lot more work than I expected. The thing I fear the most in KJing is the Stress of dealing with the Rotation...dont know why but it stresses me out real bad.
I love just putting on a show and people seem to love comming to see it.

Im a Happy camper now and mostly because of reading this forum and getting advice from Allstar,Lonman,Knightshow,karaoker (sp) and DrD as well as all the rest of you.

Thanks
Michael

When I got married, I sold a lot of my bass gear.  Selling my Rickenbacker 4001 still bothers me.  Have been propositioned to start up a "one hit wonder" band project and am considering it if time permits.  Still have the old Fender 'P, which is more versatile, but I know the Ric would have been nicer to these old stiff hands, not to mention the unique tone of a Ric.   In any case, not married anymore, but that doesn't bother me .

For the karaoke/DJ thing, a smaller, lighter mixer set-up.

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Sounds Great! Entertainment
Bartlett, Illinois

If I had to start all over again, I would set a better plan of where in  the future I wanted to be - From a hardware side , definately plan for bigger venues and power your system accordingly -Its always better to have a little power in reserve then NOT ENOUGH.  Stick with the TOP manufactures, doesn't mean the most expensive but stick to HOUSE HOLD NAMES when it come to pro audio.  Better selection of song titles etc.   Sure you need the CORE - STANDARDS etc. but in an attempt to please everyone I would run out and buy every song requested sometimes $20 for a disc of which I needed 1 song ( CUSTOM CDG as Knightshow mentions) Some feel if you have 30,000 songs that's better than 10,000 well selected songs and cdg brands. SO be SMART when buying your discs ..choose wisely----

Think of your setup and what you will be lugging around and hooking up each week.  

I would advertise more for PRIVATE PARTIES and some side DJ work

1)  Would not have bought any NuTech discs (thankfully figured that one out fast).

2)  Would not have initially skimped on quality of microphones to save money (have fixed my sin and now have Shure)

3)  Completely agree with Lonman.  More power and capabilities from the word go.  I think new KJ's are worried to spend the money, but you get a lot of power if you're smart in your purchases.

4)  Would have made more of my purchases on the Internet after reading here, if I had found here sooner.  Not "knowing" my initial purchases were at point of sale from a local major vendor.  They never steered me wrong, but who pays full retail?  Well I use to - but a number of sites, and eBay are now my friends!

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Despite the internet rumor, Karaoke is not Japanese for "drunk buffoon with microphone."  However, "rotation," is Japanese for wait your damn turn!

1.  DEFINITELY more power.  Like several have mentioned I started small, had a show in a venue that was bigger than I could handle and sounded like crap.  Went out and bought some amps that can fill any place that I'd want to play.  Rule of thumb:  It is easier to turn a more powerful amp down in a smaller venue than it is to turn a weaker amp up in a large one!

2.  Custom discs!  YES!  A little more expensive per disc, but per usable track they are a steal!

3.  Stand firm with venue owners.  They will always try to get you to lower your prices for one reason or another.  You are simply another vender to them.  They don't get to haggle over beer prices, the cost of electricity or the cable bill.  Your services are worth what they are worth.  Back down once and they will expect it every time.  Stick to your guns.

4. Gone digital.  The idea of a laptop, a mixer and an amp sounds a lot nicer than hauling all the players and discs in and out of the van all week long.  No more scratched/dirty discs or tracks that skip...sounds delightful!  However, at this point I feel I am too far down that road to reconsider and go to a computer based system.  But, never say never...

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Spreading the karaoke gospel

1.  Contracts/receipts are a MUST!  My first two shows I ever did I got ripped off.  One was a local chain restaurant, other was a bar.  Never got paid for those shows and there was nothing I could do to get paid.  Now I have a standard invoice made up that must be signed before I perform.  Sometimes it looks a lil bad but working for free sucks.

2.  Back-up those files!  I work off a laptop and external hard drive, and it takes a long time to rip all those CD+G and CD files onto a hard drive one at a time, only for the drive to mess up and you to lose all those files.  Always back up onto two seperate hard drives if you work digitally.

3.  Go for high-end equipment right off the bat.  Started off with a Yamaha mixer that made my speakers sound muffled.  Upgraded to a Mackie and what a difference!  However that don't mean don't look for bargains.  Nady mics may be cheap but I personally like the sound, and they are easier to replace if a patron drops one!

4.  Use a BBE in your rack system.  Very nice sound when one is added.

Contracts don't mean squat here.  I used to use them, got burned, tried to sue & lost.  The club was packed nightly, but was told they weren't spending money so they had to let me go.  The judge agreed.

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

Oh I didn't mean a place where you do regular shows, these were 1 time only deals I never got paid for.  Good point you broght up though.