Karaoke Forums

Lets say you have a choice --
!.) To sing karaoke at a good bar with all your friends (and you spend $20 on drinks).

OR

2.) To sing with a good live band in front of strangers who like how you sound
(and you earn $100 for the night).

Which situation would you prefer and why?

karaoke with friends without a doubt....

cuz who cares if you screw up? You're havin fun and you're with ppl you care about..


Singing for a living would scare the crap outta me!!! Cuz I'd be so worried about screwin up my song..... and people would "boo" me off the stage.... and I'd never get anymore gigs..... and then I'd be broke.... and soon or later.... I'd HATE singing!


at least.... that's how it goes in my mind!!

I'd rather just sing for fun.... that way it'll always BE fun!

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Having done both, they both have their advantages & disadvantages.  

Karaoke is great because anyone can go up & have some fun for a night regardless of how you sound, the crowds are generally supportive - although not always honest about it, meaning they will SAY you can sing or sound great regardless of how you really sound & that CAN lead to false egos & when they enter contests & lose & wonder why since their friends & family say they are great, blah blah blah - but that's another topic entirely.

Bands are great because the crowd is right there (in the clubs I used to play anyway) at the stage & dancing, the lights on stage are in sync with the music (good sound & light guy required), the volume & sound & overall feeling, the band can adjust if you flub a lyric or accidently forget a verse or what not - karaoke doesn't adjust, it just keeps going on it's path.  
Bands are generally more of a high than karaoke.

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

yeah, but crystal, you have that pole dancing career to fall back on if the singing thing doesn't work out....

I think both are great - but I'm going with the money. $100 to sing,
I'm there.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Good question I have many fond memories of both but I have never been paid to sing... lot of drinks...A good jammin band is fun to sing with If you are in a large club with good acoustics there is nothing like it.....I guess the answer in my case is I havnt even been to a club where they have a band in a long time...  Even to dance I go to karaoke bars for more variety.  And if I want hear a song I can always sing it.... I have sang over a thousand different songs because the words are there Couldnt do that with a band well not as easy..

that's tough.  i really love singing in front of a crowd knowing that they paid for me, but it's just not the same as singing for and with my friends.  i'd have to say karaoke, because i can be more loose and have more fun.  plus i don't have to deal with all the B.S. drama of other band members!

now, if you're gonna payme like $300 to sing with the band....we can talk!

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All work and no play make Homer something something

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Gator

If I were to replace singing with "playing a musical instrument" with recorded, vs live accompaniment in a social setting, I couldn't even begin to compare the two options, just TOTALLY different settings. In my personal case, I think performing in front of an audience "with a good live band in front of stranger's who like how you sound (and you earn $100 for the night)" is both more rewarding in terms of how I feel about myself as a performing artist, and doing what I love doing in a more professional setting.  I've done both. Played with recorded music in front of people, as well as sat in live, assuming the pay scale wasn't even a factor, and there was no money involved; *MY* idea of fun, is interacting with other live musicians... While at home practicing little replaces "jam tapes", or recorded session training type backing..."Guitaraoke" type stuff, or even sequencer's and more advanced "Rhythm" type machines....(band-in-a-box) type stuff...


From an artistic standpoint BOTH recorded backing, and live have their places...In terms of fun ?   Apples to oranges IMHO....Am I in the mood for Pizza ? or Chinese food ?

Time and a place for each, different setting, different mood, both have their place..
JMO

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

$100 a night to sing in a band?  You must be joking.  Let's see an average of 8-10 songs a set, usually three sets a night, nope too much strain on the vocal cords for that amount of money.  You think I'm kidding?  Try it.  Do three 40 minute sets with 20 minutes between sets, at home and then see how you feel.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

Timber--youre forgetting the endless REHEARSALS, learning the songs by heart, sing songs your TOLD TO SING, having to sing it the way THE BAND TELLS YOU TO SING IT, the endless driving to gigs, unending BAND DRAMA, having to accomodate musicians you may not even be able stand being around. Playing in alot of strange odd venues. Hauling gear around. Cancelled gigs. Rip off by owners. Union dues. Road expenses. Cheap motel rooms. Lousy on the road fastfood. Time away from home on the road. Starvation tours. On and on etc etc ad nauseum.  $100 a night?? i think after everything is said and done youd go broke! Unless your were doing it as a NON-PROFIT CHARITABLE DONATION!!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Now try that for 9 years traveling the East coast USA, While doing Session in Toronto, and  Montreal sporadically, add Studio to that..and than try not hurting someone hearing you play when they ask, "Why aren't you in a band" ?





Yeah, Altec VOT PA bins,  Hammond B-3 rigs, Yamaha Electric-Grand, Ampeg SVT 8x10 cabs with 80-90 lb Classic SVT Head, Marshall stacks were nothing in comparison, yet still large by alot of todays standards, Although road gear is still large and heavy..... NO THANKS... been there, went thru it....and.... sort've survived..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I've played live with bands either playing drums and lead vocals or playing bass with some lead but mostly harmony backup since 1979 and it's the greatest high when the show and the crowd are connecting. I've also hosted a bunch of Jam Nights at bars on a weekly basis, which is a lot like karaoke for musicians. We set up as the house band and other musicians come to the bar with instruments and sit in or full bands take the stage for 3 or 4 tunes usually a blast. I also did a live karaoke which was my trio and we put out a songbook with the lyrics to about 100 standard songs and the customer picks the song from the songbook and gets the lyrics put in front of them and the band starts playing and the customer follows the lyrics. It's a blast cause the band can adjust to the singer.
 
But I also love karaoke for the simplicity and relaxation of it. It brings old and new friends together and it's easy to meet people after singing a song cause you have an opening line like "wow you sounded great"

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ROBDOG *WOOF WOOF*

I'm a bit embarrassed to respond to this because I don't know where I stand really as a singer.  But if someone legit approached me and asked me to sing with their band for money, I'd probably give it a try anyway, as long as it was somewhere different than where I frequent the karaoke stuff.
The problem I could see with being involved in a band setting would be the versatility. A singer would be expected to adapt to all vocal capabilities, where as with karaoke, you know what you're capable of and usually stay away from problem areas.
I was in the karaoke bar one night when a band rolled in for the night. A local band I think. Anyhow, the musicians were good, the lady singer was good also. But I was a bit amused when she did a gender/bender song. The same one that I karaoke sometimes. It just wasn't very good IMO. Bad timing, wrong pitch etc... I wonder if she read my thoughts through my facial language? I was that close to the stage. But afterall, attending a gig is voluntary, whoever doesn't like it can just leave. I'm not saying it was terrible, they were really good.
But I'm sure trying to sing in a band for money would have it's awkward moments.

Most bands are going do stuff the singer(s) can pull off.  As most cover bands have more than 1 singer, they aren't going to force you to do something out of range or they will adjust musically to fit the key.  There are often times when a band gets a request for some oddball song that they will do just for fun - know it or not, the gender bender song you spoke of sounds like that was what they were doing.
The main problem with being the singer in the band is remembering your lyrics.

Most cities have at least one club that will do live jam night in which you can sign up to sing with a band (or play instrument), if you've never done it, it's a lot of fun as well.  Generally they will have a songlist & sign up sheet, go check it out for a different experience.

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

Had to edit....

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

these are the reasons i tell my band, what i'll sing ad how i'll sing it, or i won't sing!  i dind't get into a band for work or money.  i got into it for the fun!   (and the chicks of course!)

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All work and no play make Homer something something

Nope, no band is going to make money - unless you are just killer, but even then it's slow going while building your crowd.  Most bands play for next to nothing while gaining exposure.  Once they have a decent regular following, then they can start commanding higher prices - but then even the gains are minimal.  At the height of our stint, we were pulling $1500 per weekend.  Started out playing for door percentage which often times was less than our bar tab  :no: It took us almost 5 years of playing, but we did it for fun, knew it wasn't a money maker.  Although we did sell cd's & t-shirts which helped in that respect.

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

Had to edit....

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

$100. per performers about the same here in montreal. The only time I made about $250. per night we were doing a Santana tribute, but a lot less venues to support it. Thats a big problem places to play if your in a small town not much choice , in a big  
city a little better.

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ROBDOG *WOOF WOOF*