business

[mwadeson]

so a bunch of us around the area that do karaoke but we are all noticing a decline in bars that want karaoke is it just this area or all over is karaoke a thing that is going by the wayside

[wiseguy]

I think karaoke is just another victim of the economic situation. People simply don't have the extra money to go out and so the bars are not getting enough business to cover entertainment costs. In my area the number of open bars has been declining steadily. There are less than half the number there were just 10 years ago and many of the remaining ones are open only a few days each week.

I can't believe that karaoke will ever "go by the wayside". People will always love to sing and show off in public. When (or if) the economy improves then so will the karaoke business.

[mwadeson]

thats the thing the bars are going to bands instead which run around $1000 a night

[wiseguy]

thats the thing the bars are going to bands instead which run around $1000 a night

That is certainly not the case in my area. Bands are virtually nonexistent because the bars won't pay them enough to make it worth their time. You will have no problem finding a place to sing karaoke but if you want to hear a band plan on doing some traveling.

[DanG2006]

It might be that the bars can't find legal Karaoke operators or are misinformed and think karaoke in itself is illegal due to the efforts of Chartbuster and Sound Choice in trying to recoup the money they have lost to illegal KJ's.

[djBe]

Just as many bars have karaoke as always but i think the price is dropping...two hundred dollar gigs are mostly gone and some KJs, usually the bootleg craptoppers, are even going under the $100 barrier. Keep in mind, sound guys dont even rent out small systems for less than $100 and here you've got operator, system (such as it may be) and feature for less than that.

I get between $100 and $200 per night three nights a week (down from four or five nights since the recession kicked in) and save money by transporting in my suzuki samurai with the back seat out (its a science, as i run FOUR speakers including two goodsized peavey 15s) and keep more costs down by using recycled slips now , and avoiding $100 worth of monthly updates in favor of semi-annual chartbuster country and pop Top-50s and apecific per-song requests. I switched to led lights, no more $100 worth of hot 300W bulbs per year!

At this point I would take on a fourth night for as little as 125 or maybe even a 100, whereas a couple years ago you couldn't pull me out on a fourth night for under 150. Times have changed.

Also, dont expect to be a sit-on-your-ass "next!" kind of KJ, even though you are getting less they expect more, and thats the plain truth reality of this economy. Hook up a second TV for the crowd, be ready to play a few videos and conduct some dance breaks if thats the way the club is leaning, read the room and work actively to convert newbies into regulars.

Also don't expect - and dont encourage new club mgts. to expect - that your crowd from some other club is going to travel to your new club. its not like that anymore. They dont have the money or inclination to go outside their comfort zone anymore. If you have them at one club that's one in the hand as it is be thankful. If they start leaving your existing club for another it can actually hurt you. Be prepared to build the new club from the ground up. Work the turned backs. Work the staff. Work the area. In a shit economy, consistant work is the only thing that works consistantly. Good luck!

[mwadeson]

I agree i could be booked 5 nights a week if i were to do it for $100 but financially i can not we are a rural area some of my gigs are over 150 miles round trip pulling a trailer none the less because the box of a pickup is not sealed good enough. i do have one local that will do it for 100 a night but their system shows it and i am pretty sure they are not running with insurance on them or their stuff. i can't do that to much invested. If a band can get between 800 and 1500 a night and only have a library of 100 songs i should have no problem getting 300 with a library of thousands of songs. If i cant get 300 i will let it sit in my trailer or in my garage and enjoy it myself plain and simple

[The Lone Ranger]

If you sit at home how many dollars are you earning then? The average host at least when I was working in the business was making roughly 25.00 to 37.50 per hour for a four hour shift. If it was decided by the venue it was to go over 4 hours it would be 25.00 to 37.50 per hour over 4 hours. So a host can expect to make somewhere between 100.00 and 150.00 for a 4 hour shift. Of course the area does matter if you have to drive 150 miles round trip, to do a gig. My rule of thumb is I don't do any gigs over 35 miles without a premium for gas being charged. The greater the distance the greater the premium. I worked in Southern Calif and drove all over, there was still plenty of work when I retired from the industry almost 2 years ago. In fact I worked 6 days a week 10 months out of the year for years. If you promote your karaoke business properly you can work all the time, between not only bars, but non-profit organizations, private parties, and weddings also if you DJ like I did besides karaoke. To really make it in this business you need to be flexible and have the ability to create demand where none exists.

[Bigdog]

The smoking bars are doing fine on any night no matter what type of entertainment they have. The nonsmoking bars aren't doing that well on the weeknights. Even on the weekends with entertainment it's hit and miss. The playing field is very uneven now. Not until they make all the bars nonsmoking will it change. DUI laws aren't helping. The economy isn't helping or getting any better. Plus I think the younger people aren't that interested in karaoke as the old timers. Then you have the water drinkers killing profits. The bar owners don't get the "raise the price concept" when they have entertainment. But they all complain about the water and pop drinkers....so is there a magic answer....NO...

[Bigdog]

I forgot to add....I haven't made full money in two years.... At any job. I'm working for money I would have turned down twenty years ago..... Nothing has changed with our fees or the economy in twenty years.