Karaoke Forums

This has been one of the most interesting threads for awhile. It reflects the greatest trend over the last year or two to combine dj and kj into the same show. I was doing weddings up till a year ago and didnt have squat for dj music so over the last year I have invested somwhere between a few and several hundred in reg music. I've got a ways to go but pretty well set from 30's thru thru the 60's and last 5 years in the new suff If it wasnt from the hiphop and the rest I was getting with THM I wouodnt have had a clue what to get.... I am currently up tp 9000 mp3' but alot of dups

 My regular gigs are sparse so I have been doing alot of private parties. One of their first statements is we want dj but will have singers there too.That used to bring visions of conflict and drunk arguing I have experienced all the thoughts etc in this thread during varios types of shows.but now after changing alot of my old kj philosophies i just tell them no problem....After the bunch of parties Iv'e done I have a system that works..These pertain to private parties but applie at my reg karaoke gigs too

 Usually by 3 my system is setup I have booted up and if necessary done a sound check...I am there at least an hour before showtime and put out a pile of books. The attitude, intoxicisity, age,(for genre either dj or kj) and other things are evaluated. Are they playing the jukebox if so what are they playing what is the majority responding to? 30 min before I got my system on If the jukebox has been going steady I load a playlist of same and start at a low volume...If the crowd has been dead not playing then at a moderate volume I'll wake them up.  I'll see what kind of interest I'm getting usually several people have approached me asking questions about the computer etc..  I have been watching the pile of books if there are none gone I know its gonna be dj awhile. Usually right after I am on I am on the mic joking or talking to someone there and casually tell everybody I'm there to provide music..If there are more dancers than singers then we are gonna be mostly dancin..If we get a buch of singers its gonna be mostly karaoke. I can switch from dj to kj on a dime and give change with a mouse click Here is one of the big secrets..If there are people dancing you never fade out that song. You have the singer with mic in hand and at song end you fade to karaoke.  If there are no dancers the crowd is complacent I announce Hey! now I got one of my favorite singers she is gonna do .....and fade directly to karaoke..After that song I'll sing one...if there are no req slips the system fades back to dj... But usually at this point the crowd is involved in one way or another and its party time..Either singers dancers or listeners.
 It took me awhile to adapt becuase  I still wanted to apply all of my old karaoke styles and traditions (they no longer work!!) I had to adopt and modify some old dj traditions..
 This has been a lengthy response I was just trying cover some important points And I have enjoyed and leaned from this thread

 Thanks...
 Ollie
 Cabaret Karaoke

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I also will sing like a lounge singer at times - for the same reason. I am able to sing almost any request or least give it my best shot.
Not tooting my horn here either

KJs are lucky when they can sing a variety of songs and people come just to hear them. But there are some that can't sing and think they can. Some KJs that are so bad at singing  should be paid not to sing. I know one of these - people laugh at him because they can't even understand the words. He has a bad show because he thinks he is the show. People do walk out.

With all of this I think it depends on the enviroment and reading the correct way to handle it. I think if your a good KJ and you've been doing it a while you get a good read on what the crowd wants.

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Matt, your apology is accepted, my friend.  I obviously need to be more cautious as to how I write my posts in the future. I'm just not comfortable arguing with someone who I agree with at least 95% of the time.

me neither, but my wife usually wins anyway


karyoker, i lilke your response.  sounds like you've got a great grasp on you audience/participants.  when it comes right down to it, the person who writes the check is the one who needs to be happy after all is said and done, regardless if it's a private party or a regular gig!

And when its all said and done the bar tender and the ones who hired you are sitting at the end of the bar and you have had a few volunteers that helped you tear down and pack You walk back in and the gal behind the bar is saying I had a good night..  The one who hired you says what is your last name? You shake eveybodys hand and the next day find out the amount of the check is $50 over what you quoted her... That is what its all about I went thru the drought that karaoke has been going through and have been depressed... But when you have a tin beak and are out pickin sh*yt with the rest the chickens you learn how to adapt and karaoke  is on the rise again just not like we have grown accustomed to

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Back when I first started (before I got the throng of regulars rushing to get their slip in first!) sometimes I would have half an hour or forty-five minutes with no singers.  I used to just sing myself until I got some.  

Well, one week I was feeling a trifle poorly, so I would play 2 songs DJ style, then sing one so people would know it was a karaoke show.  I had several people who were new to the show comment how it was nice that I didn't just sing all the time but played regular songs in between.  Ever since then, that is what I have done on the rare occasion that I don't have singers lined up and ready to roll at the beginning of the show.

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