Singers Rotation

Liara · Post by **Liara** » Fri May 26, 2006 12:22 pm

Hi,

Just a quick question about singer rotations and how they should be held...
The bar we frequent always starts off very slow at at the beginning of the night (say from 10-12) and since there isn't an abundance of singers, the host will sing quite often, which isn't a problem since everyone else gets to sing a lot too. But after midnight it's packed and you might get up once every hour and half, and yet the host will still sing after every third person or so. People have complained to management that she sucks up most of "singing time" for paying customers. The question has been posed...should she stop singing after midnight and allow only paying customers sing?

I don't think that is the best solution, but I Think perhaps she should sing in the rotation just the same as everyone else...What does everyone else think? This seems to cause an arguement most nights and would be nice to hear what some outside opinions are.

I look forward to the discussion

Post by **wiseguy** » Fri May 26, 2006 1:36 pm

I've been a professional KJ for over 15 years. Nothing irritates me more than a KJ that hogs the mic. The KJ's job is to help the crowd entertain themselves and not to be the entertainer, no matter how good of a singer they are. The KJ you are referring to should not sing at all if there are at least three singers with numerous song requests submitted. The exception being a request for help in singing a duet.

You need to get as many as possible of the disgruntled singers together and go to the club management. Demand that this KJ either quits hogging the mic or is replaced. Otherwise, you will be going somewhere else for karaoke.

DanG2006 · Post by **DanG2006** » Fri May 26, 2006 6:56 pm

I became a KJ because of unfair rotation pratices. I have seen people who have decent voices put slips in at the beginning of the night at a show that is wall to wall singers and have seen many other singers get up four times to their one. I told myself That one of my hallmarks is going to be my rotation and that includes my singing and when I pull myself out of the rotation, which is if I have over seven singers in my rotation, I'll wait untill it is time to close to sing again, unless a singer comes to me with a duet and no partner and I know the song.
I agree with wiseguy on how to deal with the situation in a way that the owner of the bar can understand. Hit hm in his pocketbook. If the owner really cares about your business and enough of you stick together, he'll replace her after the first week that the entire night is like the beginning.

Liara · Post by **Liara** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:15 am

Thanks for all the comment.s It's nice to have it confirmed that's I'm not just being a (insert a not so nice word here

) about it.

I understand that people like to sing, and that she loves it so I dont' want to take that away, but I feel strongly that paying customers should have first dibs on time.
So we'll mention it to the owner (again) next week when we go and hope for the best.

I know it's hard for KJ's to please everyone, and I appreciate all the work that they do.

karaoke george · Post by **karaoke george** » Sat May 27, 2006 1:53 pm

Liara..tell that jerk, if you want a floor show, you'll go to vegas....the guy seems to be in love with his own voice...we have a dude up here, that owns a club, and does the same thing. We all told him he bought a club, because he sings so rotten, no one else would let him up in their club. And we all go someplace else. We also have a guy up here we call the "Romeo KJ". Be takes his wireless mic, and go to all the tables, and sings to all the ladies. I want to trip him so bad when he walks by singing "Strangers In The Night"....yuk...sickning!

Liara · Post by **Liara** » Sat May 27, 2006 6:53 pm

Laugh, He sounds like a um...winner...

DanG2006 · Post by **DanG2006** » Sun May 28, 2006 12:19 pm

karaoke george wrote:Liara..tell that jerk, if you want a floor show, you'll go to vegas....the guy seems to be in love with his own voice...we have a dude up here, that owns a club, and does the same thing. We all told him he bought a club, because he sings so rotten, no one else would let him up in their club. And we all go someplace else. We also have a guy up here we call the "Romeo KJ". Be takes his wireless mic, and go to all the tables, and sings to all the ladies. I want to trip him so bad when he walks by singing "Strangers In The Night"....yuk...sickning!

That romeo KJ sounds like an old guy in my area that always has to sing a certain song, thank goodness I haven't seen him in a while that I forgot what song it was, but before he starts singing he says "this is for all the ladies, all the men, well you know where to go." We call him "Mickey Rooney" cause he looks like him. Very funny charactor.

Full House Entertainment · Sun May 28, 2006 7:20 pm

Liara,

My husband and I are KJ's and both love to sing. We run our rotation as we would like it if we were on the other side of the "booth". We won't sing more than once a rotation and will drop once the rotation hits a certain level (either in number or time). I think having a KJ that sings is great as it displays a love of karaoke and we've never gone to a show where the KJ doesn't sing.

I agee that the KJ you are speaking of is a mic hog and hopefully suggestions/requests to the bar management (confidentially of course) will work. Complaining or b**ching about it may not work, in my opinion it's always best to be positive... Of course if no changes are made then you can decide if it's important enough for you to quit going to that bar.

Susie

Post by **wiseguy** » Mon May 29, 2006 6:44 am

My husband and I are KJ's and both love to sing. We run our rotation as we would like it if we were on the other side of the "booth". We won't sing more than once a rotation and will drop once the rotation hits a certain level (either in number or time).

Are you saying that you and your husband run your karaoke shows together and that you both sing in the regular rotation? If you did this in my area you would have plenty of chances to sing as you would be the only singers in the bar. Every song that a KJ sings takes away a song from the paying customers. A KJ is being paid to get the crowd to entertain themselves. To this end, the KJ should sing only under certain circumstances such as a request to help with a duet.

Complaining or b**ching about it may not work, in my opinion it's always best to be positive...

Liara had already made the statements of "People have complained to management that she sucks up most of singing time for paying customers" and "This seems to cause an argument most nights". The time for being nice, or "positive", has passed. If the customers really like the bar then they must demand that this KJ be fired. Otherwise they should simply not show up at any place this KJ performs at.

DanG2006 · Post by **DanG2006** » Mon May 29, 2006 4:04 pm

DanG2006 wrote:I became a KJ because of unfair rotation pratices. I have seen people who have decent voices put slips in at the beginning of the night at a show that is wall to wall singers and have seen many other singers get up four times to their one. I told myself That one of my hallmarks is going to be my rotation and that includes my singing and when I pull myself out of the rotation, which is if I have over seven singers in my rotation, I'll wait untill it is time to close to sing again, unless a singer comes to me with a duet and no partner and I know the song.
I agree with wiseguy on how to deal with the situation in a way that the owner of the bar can understand. Hit hm in his pocketbook. If the owner really cares about your business and enough of you stick together, he'll replace her after the first week that the entire night is like the beginning.

personally if I were a KJ who entered the show, while it is not my style to steal shows from under other companies, I would be tempted to do a reduced priced show on a different night to show the owner how a real show is run and if the owner decided to keep me then he would get me at full price for both nights.
Notice I said tempted. while tere has been a number of times I have been tempted, I have never acted on it.

karaoke george · Post by **karaoke george** » Mon May 29, 2006 8:46 pm

i don't go around even thinking of stealing someone elses show, i don't really want them. Between my club, and weddings, and lawn parties, i stay too busy. But be that as it may. I have found that since i run karaoke, and also play in a band. The crowds are different as night and day. It seems the karaoke crowd, are much more serious, then the folks that come out to hear us pick. I have heard many karaoke folks tell me.."george i am not going to sit here, and pay $3.00 for a beer, and not get up and sing, and be a part of what's happening. On the other side, the band folks come out to listen to good country music and dance. Very seldom does someone ask to sing. It's really tough to walk the line between karaoke george, and pedal steel guitar george. But i manage to do it. I have found that the karaoke folks, "Live" from one friday night to the next, for their three minutes of fame. But that's just fine with me, as much as some of the local musicians dislike it. As far as me singing...ihave to do it almost all night with my band, either harmony or lead on some songs..i sure am glad to give someone else a turn during my karaoke show..the more the better.....

Full House Entertainment · Mon May 29, 2006 10:39 pm

wiseguy,

In answer to your question... yep.. I figured that statement would be zeroed in on, no problem... One of our shows, same bar, over 8 years (knock on wood)..

I guess it's good we're not in your area... We just visited another city and went to karaoke each night, in that town, at least the 3 different shows/KJ's we visited, they play "filler music" for quite lenghty bits, even more than one song in a row... not what we're used to and if done around here, in the majority of karaoke places, probably wouldn't last but it works fine there AND we had a good time...

Also, I understand that

"People have complained to management that she sucks up most of "singing time" for paying customers."

Saying someone sucks is not a positve approach, perhaps Liara is not one of the people that have already complained and a positive, friendly approach might meet with a better response... Most people, including the bar owners and management I know of, don't like being told "so & so sucks, change it or I walk" but might respond to a different approach.

Great topic, love the different points of view!
Susie

Post by **wiseguy** » Mon May 29, 2006 11:16 pm

Great topic, love the different points of view!

I absolutely agree. That is exactly what a discussion forum is designed for. I truly appreciate people like you Susie, as well as DanG2006, karaoke george, and others, that take the time to express their opinions here.

Full House Entertainment · Mon May 29, 2006 11:30 pm

wiseguy,

Thanks! I love hearing the different ideas and also appreciate how different, but the same, we karaoke addicts are!

Susie

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:59 am

I sing when it is necessary to change the mood of the crowd. I only sing when it would be my turn to sing. But I will pick a song that will get the crowds mood to be where I want it to be. I sing mainly to keep the non singers entertained. The singers are singing what entertains them. The non singers usually out number the singers by 2-3 times. So who is spending more money??? That's the name of the game. If too many country or slow love songs are boring the non singers, I want to change that. I always tell the singers to sing whatever you want. But I constantly monitor what the non singers are doing and how the are reacting to the music. If they are putting on their coats, I'm changing the mood. I usually sing upbeat rock songs. I don't sing what I WANT TO SING, I sing what I have to sing. This is where some KJs screw up. If the non singers are leaving the last thing they want to hear you sing, is more of the same thing that's chasing them away.

I'm not a microphone hog and I'm not the star of the show.

My rotation is very fair. I do not care how much money you spend, how good you sing, what type of song you sing or how much you think you can "really get the crowd going." Every singer sings once in a rotation. No penalties for singing a duet, but it's coming from somebody's pile of slips. Just figure out which pile. I never adjust the rotation to play songs in a set. Whatever comes up is what's next. I don't play favorites with anyone. That's the best way to kill your business and the bars business too. If the rotation is taking care of itself by entertaining the non singers I take myself out. But If It's not I keep singing when it's my turn.(Determined by the non singers reactions)

REPUTATION
REPUTATION
REPUTATION
It's all you have to get you jobs. Screw it up and become unemployed.

My first priority is to make the bar all the money it can. I worry about the bars and my reputation first and foremost. I do not do anything to hurt either one. I will not have a bar owner tell me how to run the rotation or any part of my show. He can not get So & So moved up. I tell him why. You're screwing with my reputation now. I'm preserving yours, respect mine.