Karaoke Forums

My shows arent about me either. I normlly bow out after 5 singers. But on occasion I may feel like singing, if that happens, then I do.

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Are you saying that although you had a large rotation, you sang seven times throughout the night? Sounds like you were probably the most singingest singer of the night. Bravo.

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KNOW THYSELF

My show is small compared to most. I had 8 or so in the rotation at the biggest. All my singing was by request of my singers or folks that came to listen. In the 4 hours everyone sang more then I did. The first song and last was to an almost empty room( 3 or 4 folks ).

Why did you say over the PA that you weren't going to sing? That's just odd. How about just run your rotation and call up your singers? If you think your show's not about you, you may be fooling yourself there. Let's face it, most KJs got into the business because they sang at shows or just like to sing in general. But there comes a time when you step back from being the entertainer and become the facilitator of the entertainment, that's your job, not singing. I saw someone else post that the bartenders don't drink with the customers and the chef doesn't come eat with the customers, why should the KJ be singing with the singers?

If you have more than three singers, just rotate them through and play a song between them. That's still half an hour of time to get through 3 singers. KJs don't HAVE to sing, they WANT to sing. Be honest about it.

All in all it was a vary good night. I've been trying to get this thing going for the last three years. In jest I said that I would not have to sing and not that I wouldn't sing. Most of the folk at my shows are friends and people that live in my community. It's a winter place for snowbirds to get out of the rain and snow. Nobody pays me to do this, just a tip jar.

Ya must have missed the criteria I mentioned at the beginning. So I'll repost it. "Honestly, how many karaoke customers have ever complained that the Host didn't sing enough in the night and then got mad and left or said they are never coming back because the host didn't sing enough in the rotation? or talked bad or blogged/facebooked or yelped they are never going back because the host didn't sing enough."

As I've mentioned in other discussions. I've seen many posts in reviews and blogs by singers ticked off that they didn't get to sing yet the host seemed to get plenty of time.
But, I've never seen one where someone left a Karaoke show and were so upset the host didn't sing enough they were never going back.

But yes, That is a pretty common in South Florida and in most of the US for that matter. but, as I've mentioned before. South Florida does also have one the best KJ's anywhere at Captain Curt's.

Why is it acceptable to play DJ tracks between each singer to lengthen a rotation but it's not ok to have the KJ enter the rotation? Please explain this to me.

I thought the whole issue about a KJ singing was that it took time away from the singers. Somehow it is "better" to play DJ music than to have a KJ sing.



I have a friend of mine in this business who sings very little at his own shows. He takes himself out of the rotation after 5 singers like Lonman. Some of customers LOVE the fact that he doesn't remain in the rotation. Then there are others who suggest that he should sing MORE and stay in rotation.

Obviously, I have never heard of people getting mad and leaving a karaoke show because the KJ didn't sing MORE. However, how many people really get irate that a KJ sings ONCE a rotation? I am certain that these negative reviews and blogs you are referring to are about shows where the KJ sang MULTIPLE times per rotation and it was quite obvious that the show was all about the KJ. Believe me, I've been to the shows where the KJ does most of the singing and wasn't happy about it at all.

What about the customers who don't sing and request the KJ to sing certain songs? Will these people be happy if the KJ tells them that he won't sing their requests because the show is all about the singing customers? Why are the singing customers the only ones who matter?

I don't spend any time at all looking for reviews like this, but I have yet to see any review on Yelp! for any bar with karaoke where a customer complained about a host singing too often, or at all. I am sure they exist, but I have yet to run across one.

I would be interested in seeing some of the ones you have found just so I have a point of reference.

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-Chris

I've traveled quite a bit. L.A, Nashville, All over Florida, Michigan, Chicago, Nevada and use yelp ,myself before going to a prospective karaoke bar for the evening. I've actually run across quite a few complaints about hosts. Ranging from playing favorites with their friends or "the Hot Girls" to Singing excessively in the rotation. Some are many years old. I usually take those with a grain of salt. but, when they are recent. I usually don't bother going. I just in the last two years started using Yelp after watching Bar Rescue and seeing how Mr. Taffer can go to the Yelp Reviews and KNOW 90% of what he needs to fix in a bar. If you have customers complaining about something. Then there IS a problem. As some hosts on here have mentioned they sing once in a while or to help get the night started. Those aren't the host's most of us are talking about. It's the ones that GOT to sing every rotation or be the star of their own shows. Someone mentioned South or Southwest Florida. That is a place unto itself. There many Bar owners are looking for hosts that entertain or put on their own show and have karaoke. I don't often see those shows packing them in. But it is what the Bar owners want. And as I've mentioned many times. Captain Curt's has articles written about them in the Local Paper and also has many excellent reviews and a few bad ones. But not one complaint about the karaoke host. Then there's Nashville where the hosts are paid on tips only and are expected to sing for tips. Thus you'll almost always find twenty something ladies there hosting and singing quite a bit. Needless to say I don't expect to go to a Nashville Bar for Karaoke anymore. When I'm there I'll go to BB Kings or Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie bar.

Youd be surprised how many singersdo NOT like to sing in such a small rotation. 3 singers is nowhere close to a half hour either. That is maybe 15 minutes tops if they are sining 5 minute songs. But I guarantee those same singers would complain up a storm if I just played music between them. At least the host singing keeps it karaoke.

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You're right on the money. The problem comes in with host's that don't seem to understand they are not the show. A host has a obligation to get the show going and keep the momentum. Sometimes show start early and they are slow getting going. A host singing even more than once a rotation isn't a bad thing. ( have a friend that would sing every other person as a singer and it not bother him.) Myself. When the night is early, I'd like to at least take a few sips of my bear or eat the food I just ordered then be hopping up to sing every three or four songs. (I've gotten smart enough to just not put in more songs till I'm ready to sing) but most singers will put in a line up of songs for the night in the order they'd like to do them. (at least where i come from) From reading Lonman's posts from many discussions he appears to be a very balanced host. I don't agree with one of his rules. but, overall if I was visiting his city I'd make a point to go to one of his shows. I just wouldn't be singing any duets with anyone at his shows. I hate the idea of asking someone to sing with me and then they loose their turn. But it's what works for him. Agree or disagree Constancy with hosts if difficult to find. He seems to be very good at what he does.

The duet rule is more for busier nights, I have relaxed on that one a little bit on slower nights as I am finding more & more new singers that just flat out don't like to sing alone. I still try to keep it as no more than twice on stage - once solo, once duet. But if possible I will try to work it where there is no one on stage more than once (if given multiple slips I may look for solo songs vs duets). Also some people put up duets without the other knowing, don't like to penalize the other person necessarily. Also now that I allow people to walk around the bar with the mics, I get many people going to sing with others into the same mic. Not much to do to stop that.
Anyway, that is an older rule, it was enforced heavily back in it's day when people really took advantage of trying to get as much stage time as they could by putting themselves up with other people - whether the others knew it or not. It doesn't seem to happen as much anymore.

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I just personally had never run into a issue with allowing duets. only with a few certain hosts. I personally encourage it. As long as they don't all want to sing Paradise by the dash board lights or Summer nights. It became so popular in Flint that the largest Karaoke Bar finally decided to have a duets contest about a year ago. It was a packed night for finals. A lot of really good duets. But as usual I didn't know sleeping with one of the judges was a requirement to win. While it was fun. It was sad, that the worst sounding group was the ones that won. Imagine winning because you attempted something. Not because you actually accomplished it. There is almost always one or two people who disagree with the winners. But this was so bad. There was no one in the audience except for the judges that could believe the group that won did. Contests now there is a discussion in and of itself.