spotlightjr wrote:What works for one kj may not work for another. Down here in Florida the competition is pretty fierce. The wife and I try to differentiate ourselves by offering additional things to our shows. Let me add that we also enjoy doing our shows differently. Props, fog, wireless video senders, recording, live -streaming, are just a few things we do to break away from "straight" karaoke
Audience interaction is also a key component to our success. If I'm running the board then my wife is out mingling with the crowd and vice-versa. It's not unusual to see me at our shows singing a song and hand-off the mic to a customer I see singing along. They will almost always participate and smile from ear to ear. We have "mystery song" hour where I give clues about a particular song and the audience has to guess who it is. The wining table gets to come up and perform that song and usually win a free appetizer, etc.
Taking pictures and recording our singers is probably the main thing that get folks coming back to our show. My singers can go to our website anytime and listen to their recordings. I do not make cd's or copies for them (it's illegal) but we do post them and it always generates business on our website. This is really a hit with "regulars" who can go to our site and critique themselves, etc. and maybe perform that song a little better next time.
Live streaming is also pretty cool and can actually bring families together. How, you ask? Well, if I'm live streaming from a venue our singers can contact their relatives, family etc. give them our website address and they can watch the singer live on our webcam. I usually only do this during contests but always offer it if the venue has wi-fi. I use compuhost software so people know the rotation and when there gonna be up. I charge extra for live-streaming and it not only boosts our inome but sets us apart from other kj's.
I use all top of the line equipment (rcf, allen and heath, shure, tc helicon) and take this job very seriously. If you want straight karaoke... I'll give it to you. However, everything sooner or later changes with the times. Hop on or be left behind.
The comment made about 75.00 gigs, etc. has more to do with "pirate" kj's than anything else you mentioned. They are the ones that bring the prices down for hard working kj's like myself. You get what you pay for in this world. You want a kj who has a 200,000 song loaded hard-drive with a behringer mixing board and 1 or 2 blown speakers, no books, no personality, etc then go for it.
I'm looking for the venue owner who wants something a little different from the ordinary and is willing to pay for it. So far it's not been a problem
We still seem to be talking about different things.
Karaoke....people singing to special karaoke music is one thing. Playing 100% karaoke music makes you a KJ.
That's what karaoke means to me and most singers.
If you want to put yourself into a different catagory such as Multi-faceted entertainment..that's another. That takes you out of the KJ catagory.
If you play karaoke music and dance music you are a DJ/KJ.
Playing all canned music makes you a DJ.
If you are entertaining in a vacation resort atmosphere then different things such as you describe might be in order. Making you in the multi entertainment catagory.
Many KJs around the country report not being able to find good paying karaoke jobs.
This could be for many reasons and one of them could be their show quality. KJs that suck are having a hard time.
It could be because they stopped doing an all karaoke format to cater to the dancers.
Games and name that tune and DJ/KJs fall into a catagory by themselves but it not the karaoke/KJ catagory.
Karaoke has always relied on singers. When they stop coming karaoke is dead.
Streaming your show on the net is illegal and puts you and the unknowing unsuspecting bar owner in legal jeapardy.
I'm will to bet there is no KJ (including me) in the entire country that has the proper legal copyright permission to play any karaoke song for profit in a public performance. That includes streaming them on the net. Sound Choice wants to execute you for just putting them on your hard drive.
My show is based entirely on singers and them singing 100% of the music. If you only have one karaoke singer and you end up playing dance music 95% of the night is that a karaoke night? Where is the official cut off point?
Name That Tune is not karaoke. It's not even close and is not related in anyway to karaoke.
Playing dance music is not karaoke or karaoke related.
Karaoke contests take away from that too. Most are not actually judged on singing ability. Most are bogus for one reason or another. Most singers don't even like them or want to participate in them.
Bar bingo is not karaoke.
There is now and always will be only one thing that can be considered karaoke/KJ. That would be people singing. Most KJ/DJs started as a failed DJs that added karaoke to their show so they could get some work.
Costumes and props works well for Disneyland entertaining.
I considered these things many times and I always come back to the main issue. People singing all night long and DISTRACTIONS take away from that.
Maybe I am unique in the quality/number of good singers I attract. The vast majority of my singers take their singing seriously. I don't get jerks and screamimg drunks. My nights are very pleasureable to listen to all night long. I don't need any distractions to keep the nonsingers occupied and happy. Quality singers do it for me. They come for the way I make them sound. My show is totally based on getting people to participate without feeling the pressures created by stages and spotlights. Many good singers are intimidated by those things. Many first time singers are also afraid to be on stage.
Karaoke competition is the same everywhere. I'm surrounded by 40,000-100,000 song pirates and bad KJs that undercut everyone. There are several hundred low quality KJ/DJs in a 25 mile circle of me. That doesn't count the ones that quit. Cream rises to the top. Cream gets top dollar. Cream works steady when other can't.
Distractions at karaoke are a cop out excuse. Dance sets are killing real karaoke.