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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:55 pm 
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... must be living under a rock somewhere.

My two regular gigs this past week had 51 and 54 singers respectively. Karaoke is just as healthy in this area today as it was 14 years ago when I switched from DJ to KJ.

I don't think our situation is unique, but could be wrong... Is Karaoke "alive & well" in your area? Is it prospering? Growing? Holding it's own? Barely surviving? Almost non-existent?

Just curious.

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 1:16 pm 
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I really think it depends on the area and the demographic your targeting.

In my neck of the words, karaoke is 'surviving' but just barely. No one wants to pay what used to be the standard of $200/show.

The crowds certainly aren't what they used to be 10 years ago, and people are spending less when they do go out. Our average singer is between 20-50 with a few seniors here and there.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 1:16 pm 
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Doin' fine here. :D

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:15 pm 
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8) The problem in my area is over saturation of hosts, simple supply and demand. So many retired hosts live in Hemet and San Jacinto that there is real competition and not every host wants to work full time. Most just do it to supplement some other income they have. Even good hosts have a hard time getting a very large crowd since people don't go out every night in this town and they tend to roll up the streets around 8 o'clock in the evening. Even New Year's Eve is by New York time and we are in California.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:45 pm 
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Here it's on a downward spiral. Bar after bar here are closing their doors for good, and even the ones that remain still struggle to pull in any consistent crowds. The only ones that seem to be doing anything at all, are the large venues (capacity 500 or more) that can offer a variety of larger scale activities. But even those cannot fill their clubs. As far as karaoke goes, it's not a question of saturation, but I believe it's a question of whether the patrons are tired of the same ole', same ole. I believe they want and demand new types of entertainment, and most bars and clubs are not making the adjustments needed to survive, let alone prosper. Now while Utah is a pretty harsh state for laws and restrictions, it's definitely better than it used to be to be able to buy a mixed drink in a bars or restaurants.

Owners no longer see the benefits of having a good karaoke host that can draw large crowds. They refuse to pay for something that they think they can do themselves using the internet or other less costly means of providing a karaoke service. Even though it was a long drive to get to many of the good spots, it's not even worth going anymore because you can't find any good spots left.

As far as what I am doing, honestly I would like to upgrade to a whole new level of karaoke service. But I find it's not worth the investment, when the return is most definitely not going to pay itself back any time soon. For me, I will probably limp through this winter season and just walk away from it for good this time. The one place that I am down to now will most likely follow suit and close it's doors after this winter. I can see the signs and feel it in my bones.

In reality, I won't miss it, but I will miss being active.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 5:15 pm 
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Doing ok here, but depends on the club. We get a lot of kj's that come to our show after shutting theirs down early, but then the smoking being allowed in our club also deters people that want to come in because they no longer smoke so our attendance isn't as good as it once was.

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:13 pm 
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Doing great in SW Florida. Tonight was a completely packed night from start to close. Average age 50 to 80. Lots of dancing all night.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 7:59 pm 
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Earl wrote:
I don't think our situation is unique, but could be wrong... Is Karaoke "alive & well" in your area? Is it prospering? Growing? Just curious.

I don’t know about other venue in my area being alive and well but my show is definitely “prospering and growing”. I have my faithful regulars and from word of mouth, I have new faces every Fri and Sat.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 3:39 am 
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8) After reading the posts it seems that things are pretty evenly split, some areas are doing better than others. From what I have been reading Karaoke hit a peak in the early 2000's and has been in decline ever since. After seeing the number of manus that have stopped production I can believe the trend is slowing. After all karaoke has had a good run, but people do move on, and tend to get eventually tired of all forms of entertainment. There are few disco's left if any, few mechanical bulls, I haven't seen a Hula Hoop in a while, just to mention some things that have run out their popularity cycle. In a way hosts are like the old Buffalo Hunters, at one time there were plenty of Buffalo and the supply seemed endless. In about 20 years the Buffalo were hunted to the brink of extinction. Today there are smaller crowds and some hunters luck into a honey hole of a large stable crowd, how long the honey will continue to flow is anyone's guess? I made mine and quit at the top, I don't regret it when I see hosts in my area struggling along. I didn't need the money anymore and I'm happy that some are still able to stay in business.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:33 am 
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Here's what I've noticed--there is an ebb and flow. It dies off for a while. It comes back. It dies off. Comes back.

I'm surprised I haven't seen a "millennials are killing karaoke" article yet.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:35 am 
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Lone Ranger, your logic is well thought out, but I suspect you may be overlooking one critical point. Hula-hoops were definitely a fad. Buffalo hunting depended upon supply & demand, but music has been a part of the human experience forever. And although musical styles and instruments have evolved, one thing remains constant. Wherever there's music, people will want to sing.

So, as long as we, the Karaoke hosts, have a library of music, I think we'll always have a willing clientele who want to sing. And even if every karaoke production company were to fold, there'll still be those who will want to sing "My Way", "Don't Stop Believing" and (heaven forbid) "Picture".

Even though the popularity of karaoke may ebb and flow, I believe there'll always be a market... and in my area, the market remains strong.

Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. (and No, we Canadians do not say kilometerage. LOL)
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:00 am 
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In my opinion, what has been ruining karaoke here are the owners. Owner are sometimes their own worst enemies and don't run a bar from a business/for profit standpoint. Rather they make a clubhouse for themselves and invite others to join their party. Karaoke has suffered also for the lack of professional ethics from the hosts. But if an owner can see a host that cannot run a good show, the owner believes that it is karaoke itself that is making people not want to come out to the bars, and just says "karaoke doesn't work here".

I agree with Earl when it comes to the concept that as long as there is music, people will want to sing. However, if the venues cannot or will not offer what the people are wanting, then they find another avenue for entertainment. That is the case here in Utah. I do not know of one single bar owner in the entire state that runs a club/bar properly. And that has had very adverse effects in the night life industry.

I don't believe karaoke to be a "fad", but the shape and form it is in these days is definitely in a state of flux. As long as the owners/managers/hosts can stay in a positive direction, the chances of entertainment like karaoke to stay strong greatly increases. I hope that is the case in other areas, but sadly it's not the case here.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:03 am 
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May I add this thought to anyone out there who might be reading this :)
Utah is ripe for the picking for good, quality entertainment. If an owner can build a place and offer what the people want, and stay current with the trends,,, then they could do very well here.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:44 am 
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8) "Build It They Will Come".


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:53 am 
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Earl wrote:
Lone Ranger, your logic is well thought out, but I suspect you may be overlooking one critical point. Hula-hoops were definitely a fad. Buffalo hunting depended upon supply & demand, but music has been a part of the human experience forever. And although musical styles and instruments have evolved, one thing remains constant. Wherever there's music, people will want to sing.



Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. (and No, we Canadians do not say kilometerage. LOL)
[/i]



8) While Hula-hoops were a fad, the length of any activity doesn't necessarily mean that it can't become outdated. Jousting went on for centuries, now you have to go to Medieval Times to see it performed. Hosting like Buffalo hunting is very much a case of supply and demand. In your particular area there seems to be a limited supply of hosts and a large supply of singers, which is good for you Earl. While music has been around forever, styles in music have changed and will continue to do so. It has been a while since anyone has danced the minuet but at one time I'm told it was quite the rage.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:58 am 
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in these parts, karaoke has pretty much become "a drinking game." Somewhat like bowling, a place where people can gather, have a few drinks, a few laughs here and there and generally a good time. There was a period of time when it seemed as though karaoke was more serious to certain singers as they diligently tried to exhibit their talents.

But more often than not these days, it's a place to go and yak yak with your buddies and yuk yuk at the singers. it seems to have taken a slide from the realm of "entertainment" to something akin to "a distraction." the novelty has certainly worn off.

your mileage may vary.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:29 pm 
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We are still going strong, with two hour rotations being the normal thing.

But I have to be honest, karaoke (for the most part) is karaoke. I tell clients to never expect a group of people to travel past several other shows to come to mine.

Also, I feel that while my show is as good as I can make it, I want my shows to be unique and have some dimension to them.

So what am I doing?

First thing I am doing is adding a large light show as a monthly event. Lasers, spots, strobes, washes, etc. A typical setup is about 10 lights or so. I am billing it as feeding your inner rock star.... it has been well received.

Second thing I am looking into is guitar karaoke. Karaoke-Versions has a huge selection of minus one music, and I am spending a few hundred bucks on the project for some tracks and support items to get this started. It could be fun for those people who like karaoke and play some guitar. Can't say I'm 100% sure this will work, but I have people interested, so we see. I've lost more money on sillier things.

Of course, my best upgrade this year was going to SongbookDB. I've been using other digital songbooks, but this system took. Investing in the kiosks worked well, as people seem to be reluctant to use their smart devices, even with all the benefits that come with it.

So while I think I'm safe as far as karaoke itself goes, I don't want to wait until karaoke takes a turn downward before I do something different.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 2:48 pm 
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It's alive and well at the Jersey Shore. You can do karaoke 7 days a week around here.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:56 am 
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Earl wrote:
Lone Ranger, your logic is well thought out, but I suspect you may be overlooking one critical point. Hula-hoops were definitely a fad. Buffalo hunting depended upon supply & demand, but music has been a part of the human experience forever. And although musical styles and instruments have evolved, one thing remains constant. Wherever there's music, people will want to sing.

So, as long as we, the Karaoke hosts, have a library of music, I think we'll always have a willing clientele who want to sing. And even if every karaoke production company were to fold, there'll still be those who will want to sing "My Way", "Don't Stop Believing" and (heaven forbid) "Picture".


It may be true that wherever there is music, people will want to sing, but that doesn't have to be tied in with karaoke. I hang out at a bar that doesn't have karaoke. They have a jukebox (not a karaoke jukebox). People put in money for it to play songs, and we sit at the bar, drinking our drinks, and sing out loud together (along to the song that's playing).

As for your other statement about karaoke hosts having a library of music, and saying we'll always have a willing clientele who wants to sing, that's not 100% locked in either. I have been to shows where the KJ had an excellent selection of music, and still hardly ever had a soul at the venue (maybe 5 people all night participating). I'm in an area where you can find several different venues offering karaoke on the same night, and also, where you can find a karaoke every night of the week. Many people don't go out every night for karaoke. Some people like to stick to one place or one particular KJ. Some of my friends like to go to one place, whereas I like to go to different places. Sometimes, I refuse to go to certain places (for personal reasons), even tho my friends want to go there, so there is a split of loyalties as to where we may end up.


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 11:41 am 
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8) Sounds like you are in one of the over supply of hosts and under supply of patrons areas.


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