Computer vs Disc Player Poll

[The Lone Ranger]

I still feel that the last group of singers are really in this current baby boom generation. The generation X that is the next one isn't so sure, since they tend to be different from their parents and are less social animals, being the first generation actually raised with the computer. Then we have the mill's after them, and if we live to seem them generation Z. It could well be that hosts may become a thing of the past in the next 10 to 20 years.

[MixteryMike]

The bar business is not what it used to be but it will never disappear unless it is made illegal.

Prohibition showed us that even if alcohol (and by extension, bar business) is made illegal, that the bars just go underground. Prohibition is unlikely to ever happen again, but if it somehow does happen, the bar business will survive illegally and bootlegging operations and speakeasies will proliferate again.

However, the bar business is definitely being affected. There are news reports of neighborhood bars (where karaoke usually thrives) closing in record numbers as we see the proliferation of specialty bars and upscale restaurants.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/09/smallbu ... g-nielsen/

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-yo ... 2015-10-09

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/23/drink-wh ... ickly.html

Also, with the availability of bartending and cocktail apps for tablets and smartphones, anyone can be a bartender and make drinks at home instead of going out to bars and having drinks made by professional bartenders. Much like how the availability of karaoke apps can allow anyone to host their own karaoke party at home instead of having to go to a bar.

The karaoke business and karaoke hosts are going to have to innovate to remain relevant in an ever changing world of technology and ease of access for the average person.

[The Lone Ranger]

You have reinforced what I have already said before. The Baby Boomers are the last generation that is not comfortable with computers, at least the majority of that group. It will be possible in the future for former customers to do everything thanks to technology from the comfort of their home, and not have to pay the big bucks for a fun night of entertainment.

[Paradigm Karaoke]

whats funny is it is actually the other way around here. the older generation are great at using the kiosk and smartphone apps, but the younger generations (25-35) have dumb phones and are lost at a laptop. i kinda like watching the 73 year old great grandma come up to show the young idiots how to type in a song name in an app that looks like google.

this is the future of our country......oh boy....

[MuddyWaters49]

speaking for the young generation...im 26 and use the app Wurrly (on my dumb phone) for all my karaoke cover making needs. I get to use voice filters, and play with instruments

[djBe]

I am the dinosaur in the room here, running a frankensystem rack that includes a hard drive into an scdg player, a cdg player, a CD player, and an iPhone. The hard drive is 90 percent of my music but I still play some discs. I run break music requests off the iPhone, between singer songs off the CD player and DVD music vids off the cdg player. Atop it all I have a conventional DJ mixer, big faders and knobs and vu
Meters i love it. As far as apps taking my place.. not very likely. I play bongos, run lights, put out books and prop guitars, and pretty much make sure the whole room is being entertained. The reason people hire hosts or get hosted and served at bars is so they don't have to.

[DanG2006]

I recently switched from a laptop over to an all in one desktop computer. Took me a whole show to get used to the fact that I was using a mouse rather than a trackpad to control the computer but I regained basically the same ability other than the ability to right click and use those menus now that I am using remote desktop with a tablet to run my shows from the audience.

[Brucedg]

Interesting