Karaoke Forums

Keep shaking that head, Girl!
Quite seriously, My shows are busy, therefore I am busy. I am either behind the desk, up front singing, encouraging, announcing etc.
What exactly do you suggest I do?
I suppose I could wear an A board to promote specials or I could walk up to a complete stranger and revile them for being so inconsiderate as to be drinking water!
In reality, what percentage of an average audience would you accuse of being a water drinker? 1-2% tops.
I run a good karaoke show and I have faith in my employers to run a good bar. I have faith in his cleaners to do a good job!
THAT is teamwork. Everybody doing what they are paid to do, well!
I would not be impressed if one of the bar-staff tried to 'assist' me. They'd just get in my way!
I will continue to show them the courtesy of minding my own bloody business!

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Imagine!

I had to cut someone off last saturday, becuase the dork wanted to buy a single glass of Orange Juice, and then sing Karaoke all night long.

I told the owner ahead of time, and he said he was glad I had, as he was JUST getting ready to say somthing to him.

It's all about teamwork guys. It's very easy to spot who's buying and who ain't!

knight..
i hate to preach.. but that's carrying anal Kjing just a little too far.. you are the type of kj's i'd live to have live shows next to.. or better yet open mic's next to.. atleast he made a purchase.. chasing off a customer is BS...

jeez atleast i hope your bartender got his $2.00 for the OJ...???

I hope you atleast you asked him if he was a friend of Bill W. On the way out in front of the crowd too?? some classy show Knight..

<shakes head at some of the brilliance of the things that some kj's do for a buck>

and i hope knight got a $25.00 a night raise for that too.

Man now i know why there are undercutters!!! it just all clicked!

I think I'll throw away my professional career.. go out and do shows for $100.00 a night all over the country. and get written up about in the internet and every trade mag and irritate every legitimate operator across the country. i bet i still could turn a profit. and make alot of singers happy.

essentially that is where that episode is going to be headed.. a purchase is a purchase.. running off singers creates a bad reputatiuon all over.. 1 tells another who tells another.. and it can snowball.. Kill them with kindness. complain later.. Refusing service only happens to those who fight or destroy equipment.. how do you think Albuquerque ended up being the disasterous karaoke environment it is.. it didn't happen overnight.. then again Ron and I almost hit on that point last night..
it kinda did happen overnight.. there really are only 5 outstanding KJ's here.. that work this market. and only 2 are really truely "professional" to the letter. that last statement could get me in alot of trouble. but such is life. and BTW i'm not one of them.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion Brian. I was looking out for the benefit of the bar.

$2.00 doesn't constitute a place for FOUR hours of singing.

And that was after me pitching the drink specials, food specials, and being the best host I can possibly be.

It's people like THAT guy that is what this debate is all about.

If everybody did that... if all twenty singers I had that night spent $2.00, that doesn't even pay the measly amout of money I charge them.

As I said, the owner was MORE than happy to see that type of teamwork.

You can wish hateful garbage on me all you want. I felt VERY comfortable with that decision, and so too did a couple of other customers that THANKED me for making it happen.

And the customer wasn't even pissed about it. He nodded his head, as if he expected it all along.

I don't ask people to spend a LOT of money when they go out. And I left the man alone for the first two hours he was there.

I think YOUR the one with the attitude Brian. If you don't agree, perhaps you should reread your above post.

Matt

Matt,
maybe if the whole situation was explained at first like you just did.. i would have understood it .. now i feel like some of the asses that live here in NM.. Please accept my apologies.. i could see that happening then.. i know how busy a 20 singer rotation is let alone a 10 singer one. the guy did deserve to be 86'd. and i would have done the same. even in a classy environment i would have asked him to leave the show.

you're alright Brian. People can agree to disagree on matters. It takes a big person to admit something isn't kosher that they might have or MIGHT NOT have done. Maybe I was being too pushy on the subject, too... it's gone on for 8 pages of cyperspace! !

And you have a very valid point! NOT seeing the whole story, it's easy to go "Woah! Back off dude!"

For the record, I did wait for three of the four hours before I finally said something to the guy.

My apologies for not explaining it further. I've always been terribly blunt, and most times, I THINK people understand what it is I'm saying.

Not on the same page of the book... heck, not even on the same BOOK sometimes... that's my main problem!

Just wondering, those of you that worry about how much people are spending, do you post it as one of your rules in your songbooks or does the bar post it somewhere? Maybe, "Rule #4: In order to sing karaoke you must spend at least $20 in food or drinks."

Matt, that guy did buy something. Now we have gone from water drinkers to someone who only buys one drink. Who is deciding how many drinks the guy should buy before he is allowed to sing? You, the bartender? If there had been a $2 cover charge to get in and the guy paid that and drank water would he have been allowed to sing then? Just how much does it cost to sing at one of your shows? That is my problem with this whole issue. Right now you are cutting people off for not spending enough. So if the venue's business really picks up and your rotations get huge, will the minimum amount rise accordingly? Maybe that is how you should run your rotations. Whoever spends the most gets first spot, then it goes down from there. That way the people that support the bar the most will get to sing the most.

Hmmmm, kinda reminds me of the story I heard about the guy (you know him Matt) that went to a show in Florida. The KJ kept skipping him in rotation in favor of the regulars. I guess that KJ was making sure that the bar made money by keeping his regulars happy and ignoring the visitor. After all, the regulars are the ones that keep the bar going. If the rotation gets too big they might leave and find another venue to sing at. So is what he is doing a good business decision?

Who polices the venues when there is a DJ or band? Does the band suddenly stop and refuse to play any more until the guy at the second table buys something? Does the DJ drag people off the dance floor for drinking water. Just because our entertainment is interactive, does that make us responsible for the customers' spending?

So what is the answer Matt? How many O.J.'s does that guy need to buy before you allow him to participate?

Wow - This has gone on for 8 pages, and gone full-circle about 3 or 4 times. Lets go around agail

Hey Ron..
Let's sit this one out and watch this next round from Sandia Peak?
They say from there you can see the Luxor's Lazer on a clear night...
I'll find out hopefully this next 2 weeks... no more recording for a few.. wisdoms are going out on the 27th..

I think I'd rather be somewhere else..

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LUV & KISSES SHELL

Hello lover...

Missed your smiling face. Wish you were here..

Wish I was there..

Just sayin'

Jerry

and if I were in your shoes, where I DIDN'T have to worry about it, I would be so happy, it's not funny!

The very fact that at least two kjs on here have mentioned it vehemently that the bars are watching their expenses. If they can get someone cheaper, they might go for it. If they get something else in that gets people to spending money, they'll probably go for it.

The bottom line is the money! Always has been. I don't see bars or venues really providing a community service... not anymore. The days of "leave it to beaver" have left us, and we're no longer in the economy of "it's only money".

The fact that I've had to lower my starting wage, enough to where other KJs have found out about it and admonished me for it - saying I'm part of the problem of undercutters... it's all part of the same, exact problem.

MONEY!

And Shell, I love ya, but if you'd told me that, I would have shown you HOW to do it.

Kobey, it's the same thing. From a water drinker to someone that spends two WHOLE FLIPPIN' DOLLARS... it means that person isn't contributing to the success of the bar. And that if they think that they can come into a venue and participate for the whole show for such a measly payment... wow, that's the best thing in the whole world.

Why didn't I think of that so long ago... hmmm, maybe it's because the bars themselves had those rules.

Are you people honestly telling me that you won't get hassled by going into a restaurant (ANYTIME) and buying a cola (coffee, or whatever) and sit there for three hours and NOT get a hard time from the bar/restaurant staff or owner/manager?? And that's not even if they have PAID entertainment? That's with no extra costs involved. I daresay most people WOULD be asked (eventually) to leave.

Then add in the cost of what it takes the bar to pay for entertainment.

...

As I stated so long ago... nothing would make me happier than coming in, and doing my job of providing the best karaoke I can do. I have a whole bar full of people that are very happy. and I stayed very busy.

NORMALLY what this guy was doing wouldn't bother me on a busy night. Had this guy been sitting off in a corner, and coming up when called, it would have completely escaped my attention. But he was sitting in the seat right in front of me. And to be brutally honest, I think it's RUDE to come to a paid show, and not contribute. $2.00 does NOTHING to contribute... it would take 50 people like him to make me break even... and probably another hundred like him to make it worth the bar's time to do it.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't want 150 in a small bar trying to make it worthwile to do the job. Shoot, I'll go out and be a regular karaoke singer rather than having to go through all that.

GRANTED, this is a worse-case scenario. Had the guy been sitting off to the side, I'd never have noticed it... wandering thru the room as I do I doubt I would have noticed it so much!

As my British Friend .. said while he was here during Balloon Fiesta..

BLAH!

I was gonna try to stay out of this round, but Knightshow - You said it pretty much like it is It'd be nice if you didn't have to worry about it - but like you said, no matter how you feel or would like it to be - the bottom line is money! Once you realize that, it makes it a lot easier to understand - bars, restraunts, etc are not in business for any reason other than to be successful by making profits-no other reason. If you're running their karaoke, you can either contribute to that or not. If it's the "not", chances of you keeping that venue are slim and none. If it's that you are, you better keep an eye on it to ensure it stays that way, or you'll fall to the "not" category.

But in reality how bad is it really. Matt says one person for him. Say in a bar of 100 and 3-4 people drink water (and if the venues are smart they'll use bottled water), I don't consider it a problem. Now over 25 it is. And what about the people who nurse a beer? I think it's not as big of a problem as people think.

I know after watching you guys and listening to you talk that karaoke is so different from here in Australia, im not blind. I can see that in order to keep your venues you must help make money for the pub. I couldnt stand all the pressure of wondering week in and week out if i still have a job. But i think a certain amount of responsabilty falls on the bar too.

Jd i wish you were here and i was there too

Matt as much as i love you after you showed me where to put your mic id give you a tour


Michelle

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LUV & KISSES SHELL

Well, I don't drink, so I buy soda. At one place I go to they give free refills for sodas, too. So, I tip the bartender 30% of the cost of one soda everytime he fills the glass for me. Some places offer free soda for designated drivers, too. Most bars are very tolerant of those who don't drink because a lot of them are the designated drivers for others who are drinking like fish. It balances out because if there was not a designated driver who isn't drinking those other people would buy a lot less drinks.

Why thank you, Brian. You would love this place. The local radio station has a presence at the karaoke show and they give away free pizzas from Dominos, gift certificates from Ski Shops, t-shirts, beer holders, pins, CDs, tickets to events and concerts and awesome grand prizes every Tuesday Karoake night. Three weeks ago the grand prize was a cruise on the MS Scotia Prince and last week it was a ski weekend at a Vermont resort. It doesn't cost anything to put your name in, either. I have 3 pizzas to collect and $30 off something at a ski shop. I'm hoping for one of the grand prizes one of these weeks. It's the most popular karaoke spot in the area, with good reason. The food is great, too, and the KJ does a lot to promote drinks, appetizers and entrees for the bar/restaurant. They are definitely making a lot of money...even if people like me aren't getting drunk.

Lady,
It sounds like the bar cares about it's show. it's singers and it's Reputation
and is a respectable place. not some dive, hole in the wall trying to live on the pocket change they can pick up on the floor every night.

and the singers must be a fun bunch too if the radio station is even interested in being there to make affordable enough to the club to buy a remote broadcast there.

sounds like my type of bar party.



MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I love this bar!