Karaoke Forums

I have noticed that there has been a huge reduction in participation on this forum for the last couple of years. Even when people actually do put a post, rarely does anybody reply to it. I see a LOT of "drive-by's", but not many who stop to participate in the forum. Even the mods aren't present much.

Is that indicative of karaoke in the real world as well in your areas, nobody cares? Maybe, just maybe, karaoke has lost it's appeal everywhere... I don't know. Your thoughts?

If I don't see participation, then I know that this forum is truly at an end.

I was an active member here for several years, but haven't participated much as of late. I re-located from central Canada to the east coast going on two years ago, and that seemed to coincide with my drop in activity here.

One thing's for certain though. Karaoke has not lost it's appeal in this area. Here, in my small town of about five thousand souls, there's karaoke three nights a week, of which I host one, and in neighbouring venues within a ten mile radius, there's at least five or six more.

I've visited most of these venues, and it seems the average attendance of singers would be somewhere between twenty and thirty-five with an additional fifty percent of non-singers. Mine is on the low side, but then, I'm in a small Legion hall.

Now, the question... Why has activity fallen off here? My personal belief is that personalities and egos got in the way. At it's height, this was the "go to" place for information on anything to do with karaoke. Members, especially long-time members would be only too happy to jump in to help in any way they could. But know-it-all egos and name-calling began to outweigh information. When you effectively call someone an idiot because they don't use the same hosting program as you, folks like me will shy away from this place, while many will abandon it altogether.

I'm sure there are other factors in play... Facebook forums and the like for instance... but I feel the number one contributor to the site's decline is, as I said... egos, and sometimes near hostility.

Your mileage may vary.

Cheers from beautiful Cape Breton Island

_________________
Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]

Karaoke in the real world is certainly not dead, it's extremely popular in many countries. My friends just traveled to Japan and could not believe the amount of Karaoke venues they saw there. Obviously Karaoke is deeply rooted in Asian culture but they said they were thriving everywhere. My friends in the UK told me that Karaoke is extremely popular there too. They told me about a very large venue that just opened up in London that they are very excited to try. They said Karaoke did die down for a while in the UK but is coming back strong. I also heard somewhere that Karaoke in central Canada is going very well! Lol.

Sadly as explained to me by you and many, Karaoke for so many different reasons is on life support in the States but it is certainly not dead yet. There are still many venues that are thriving, unfortunately not as many as before. So many things have changed in the last few years but the optimist in me thinks that Karaoke will make a big comeback in the States but it may take a little time. Americans love to sing (especially after a couple of drinks, ) and I believe many, myself included, are just waiting for a good experience here in S. Florida. A good experience is key to get people out and singing again. There is a market for it. I am confident that someone (perhaps someone with some $) will figure it out and many will follow in their footsteps. Afterall, New York, the city that never sleeps, was declared dead as a doornail but it’s making a big comeback.

However and unfortunately, I do think this site is dead and as it is an international site it is not an indication of Karaoke trends in the real world. I think it's just done. RIP.

I waited a few days to post any further comments on my post, just to give it time.

From my point of view, it looks like the forum has plenty of people who come to visit and check in, but they rarely post anything new. Nor do the respond to many of the threads that already exist. Why? I cannot say, I think each person has their own reasoning. But I do see many of the long time members visit, and I sincerely wish they would let us know how things are going in their individual "neck of the woods", and give us updates once in a while. I also notice there are several long time members who have totally disappeared,,, again I don't really know their individual reasonings. But like Earl so eloquently stated and I whole heartedly agree: inflated egos are the main reason that many users don't want to be involved in the heavy drama that has been so prevalent in the past.

Now when it comes to the real world of karaoke, I'm not so certain that it's prospering or not. In my area (Utah), at very best it's on life support. Many shows have disappeared, and many others are struggling to survive. Even the some of the venues that used to be the hot spots, now are only about half(ish) as busy. Personally I believe that most hosts are not adapting fast enough to the younger crowds needs. Maybe that's because the industry hasn't really advanced either.

Either way, I hope that some of you can take a minute or two and let us know your thoughts. If not, then I think Phil should just pull the plug on this forum and save himself some money.

I see mixed attendance at the local shows. Last night, it could have been busier.
Taco Tuesday at the Elks Lodge was fun, I was able to sing three.
The KJ was good, but slower than he could have been.
A couple of singers were not English singers and opera seemed off key.
People started leaving a bit early after the opera guy.
But, the tacos were good.

Just to put my own experience into perspective... my first "on air" gig took place in the fall of 1966... My first mobile DJ business launched the summer of 1977... And my entrance into the world of karaoke-hosting happened twenty-two years ago, give or take a few months... Granted these were side hustles for the most part, at least until I retired from the Fire Service, and then became supplements to my pension(s).

I sometimes tell people that "I've been around so long, my first amplifier was coal-fired and steam-powered".

I tell you this because, even though I've been around the block once or twice, I'd always found a wealth of new-to-me information in these forums. I also like to think that I've been able to contribute from time to time as well. Of course an added bonus would be the cyber friendships I've picked up along the way.

Now, before I make any suggestions, you should know that, if this place dies, my personal karaoke business won't suffer in any appreciable way. It is secure for the foreseeable future.

So, here's my suggestion(s)... Let's cool down the rhetoric, the hyper-inflated egos, and the know-it-all-itis. And let's get back to "people helping people". I personally don't want to hear "Hosting program XYZ is the ONLY worthwhile one available." If you want to say that in your opinion, it's the best... that's fine. I'll respect your opinion. I also don't want to hear "ALL contests are fixed, or bogus in some way". If you want to say that "some contests may be fixed or bogus", I'll accept that too. You could suggest to someone that their (brand name) speakers might not be appropriate for commercial purposes without calling them garbage. I could give a dozen more examples, but hopefully you see what I mean.

I'm not asking everyone to become a diplomat... far from it. All I'm saying is that none of us are perfect, and if we keep our eyes and ears open, and our mouths under control, we might just learn something of value... we might help keep karaoke alive... and these forums might once again prosper.

With all that said, I'm willing to stick around for a while.

Be well Folks, and best wishes from Cape Breton Island.

Earl

_________________
Earl
(BS, PHD & Certified CurmuDJeon)

[font=Times New Roman]"Growing Old may be mandatory... but growing UP is still optional."[/font]