New Karaoke business

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:14 am

You have some KJ experience and you know the competition.

Are you going to be better than them? That price range for a new KJ starting in business is about right. Now that also depends on your area and what it can afford to pay. That also depends on how many KJs are in that area. And their quality. If the place is crawling with cheap KJs making more money than that will be hard. Then again it depends on your reputation and if you can draw a crowd.

When I found out my crap competition was getting $175 I upped my price to $200. I can get it but I can also deliver the goods. That looks a little more swallowable to the bar owners.

You will find many crap KJs play for any money they can get just to make some money. This has ruined the karapke fee structure.
Many bar owners want to pay little to nothing and they think were are all the same dime a dozen KJs. Seen, you've seen 'em all. WE know better but they don't.

I'm trying to compete with a DJ that plays for $50 and drinks....for 10 hours....I think a dinner is in the deal too. But still......

I was told if I play for that I'm in.....I'm out.....thanks but no thanks...

Bottom line...you will have to prove yourself to get top buck. Right now you're every other KJ.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630133

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=600427

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=601207

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=480827

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=270596

This site can save you $80 on the microphones and $50 on the mixer...the speakers are the same price.

https://www.nstuffmusic.com/ShoppingCar ... tID%3d6798

You need 2 poles to hold up the top speakers. Not stands...special poles that go into the top of the sub boxes.

Plus you need cables and some other goodies but this is the main stuff.

Then you need music and a means to play music.

Also there will be compressors and EQ and effects and rack mount boxes.

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:36 am

DanG2006 wrote:Both Sound Choice and Chartbuster have report piracy links. Get audited and then report the pirates. Then go in with your audited library and convince the bar owner that it would be cheaper at $200 a night to hire you than to face $1000's of dollars in lawsuits from the big three (SC, CB & PHM). because they can and will name bars in the lawsuits. If named it could effect their liquor license and put them out of business. Bars don't want to hear this but it is true that knowingly hiring illegal KJ's can affect their livelihood.

Not the best idea in the world.

If they close down the bar you just lost potential income because you lost a place to work.

If I found out a KJ had me busted and I had to close down my bar...If he survived...I make his life miserable.

hhb119fist · Post by **hhb119fist** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:30 pm

I didn't take that as reporting the venue, but the KJ, and then talking to the venue to say that hiring me avoids problems in the future... which I can see doing as long as it didn't come across as a threat. I know most of the local bar owners so I don't think that would be a problem. and 50 bucks for ten hours, that is ridiculous, even for a die hard alcoholic. I wouldn't take 5 bucks an hour even if all I had to do was sit and watch TV.

and thanks for the links bigdog, but I have had some serious problems with Yamaha in the past with musical equipment, so I'm definitely looking in a different direction, right now looking at Yorkville, they have decent quality from what I've seen and heard, and they offer a great warranty, Ive used them for a band I was in and it worked well for that, does anyone have any experience with them for KJing?

Post by **wiseguy** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:35 pm

The Yamaha Club Series are great speakers. Many KJs I know swear by them. Personally, I'm a big fan of JBL.

hhb119fist · Post by **hhb119fist** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:11 am

I've heard lots of good things about Yamaha speakers as well, but I've had some bad personal experience with them, not so much with the quality, but with the company when I had problems. I had a speaker blow out on me 10 minutes into the show, it was supposed to be a 500W continuous, but it was actually closer to a 250 (they put the lower end stuff in the higher end box.) Since I had bought it directly from the company I made the assumption that they would rectify their mistake, I had a customer service rep tell me that it would cost me just as much to get them to fix it as it would for me to buy their "new" model, and tried to get me to re-buy the damn thing. I wasn't too happy with that and decided they would receive no more of my business.

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:19 am

In 18 years with 3 complete systems I have never blown a Yamaha Speaker.

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:24 am

hhb119fist wrote:I didn't take that as reporting the venue, but the KJ, and then talking to the venue to say that hiring me avoids problems in the future... which I can see doing as long as it didn't come across as a threat. I know most of the local bar owners so I don't think that would be a problem. and 50 bucks for ten hours, that is ridiculous, even for a die hard alcoholic. I wouldn't take 5 bucks an hour even if all I had to do was sit and watch TV.

and thanks for the links bigdog, but I have had some serious problems with Yamaha in the past with musical equipment, so I'm definitely looking in a different direction, right now looking at Yorkville, they have decent quality from what I've seen and heard, and they offer a great warranty, Ive used them for a band I was in and it worked well for that, does anyone have any experience with them for KJing?

Here is what happens...

You report the KJ they find him working at Joe's Bar. They send Joe and the KJ legal notice. It's too late not to involve Joe. They both go down. One less bar for you to work in.

If the KJ plays in 5 different bars a week. They get all 5 bar owners with him.

10 KJs 10 bars and you will never have a place to play.

hhb119fist · Post by **hhb119fist** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 6:13 am

@Bigdog like I said, my problem wasn't so much with the equipment from yamaha, it was with the company. So I wont give them my business. Same reason I will never buy a dell computer again.

And on the reporting thing, I didn't look at it that way. You make a very good point there

DanG2006 · Post by **DanG2006** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:29 pm

They are a little more lenient on the bars. They tell them they will drop them if they hire someone who is legal. No loss of bar there. The pressure continues to build only if they keep the offending KJ.

Post by **wiseguy** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:55 pm

The bar owner has no liability for the illegal actions of the KJ unless he CONTINUES to employ the person KNOWING that he is breaking the law. Until the KJ is PROVED to be guilty the bar owner does not KNOW that he is breaking the law.

You should never report a KJ unless you are 100% SURE that they are using illegally obtained music. Suspecting is just not good enough. The fact that they have four times as many songs as you is NOT proof of anything.

Anonymous reports should be ignored. These would much too often be made by KJs who are simply jealous of the success of another. If you are 100% sure that they are illegal you should have no problem disclosing your identity.

hhb119fist · Post by **hhb119fist** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:37 pm

I wouldn't do it anonymously, and I would say having a KJ ask me if he can copy my cd's of stuff he doesn't have in his library so that "the next time I come I won't have to bring them with me" is a pretty good indicator that he is illegal

DanG2006 · Post by **DanG2006** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:25 am

Or how about - I'll trade you copy for copy. You let me burn a copy of your disc which I don't have and I'll burn one you don't have. Win Win. I know a guy who does just that and does it on the premises of the business.

Bigdog · Post by **Bigdog** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:09 am

DanG2006 wrote:They are a little more lenient on the bars. They tell them they will drop them if they hire someone who is legal. No loss of bar there. The pressure continues to build only if they keep the offending KJ.

You mean to tell me that ALL the bars they dragged through the mud in Arizona and other states all got off the hook?

They just hung the KJs after all that noise....???

hhb119fist · Post by **hhb119fist** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 5:52 pm

what are you guys opinions on passive vs powered speakers?

Moonrider · Post by **Moonrider** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:54 am

hhb119fist wrote:what are you guys opinions on passive vs powered speakers?

They each have their advantages.

I prefer passive. Easier to upgrade, and cheaper to repair.