The Karaoke Forum

I've heard many of you say that karaoke contests are not good but the owner of the deli is talking about having one. I've come up with some rules that may, or may not, make it work.

1. Any amateur singer who is at least 10 years of age can compete. There will be two categories; one 16 and older and one for 10 to 15. If you have ever made money from singing (except by winning a karaoke contest) you are not eligible to enter the contest. This includes selling CD’s or being paid to perform either solely or in a group.

2. Two finalists from each category (adult and under 16) will be named at the end of the four qualifying nights. The will then compete in the finals.

3. Limited to 20 contestants per night. The first 15 slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. The remaining 5 will be filled by lottery. No song will be performed twice on the same night.

4. You can qualify only one time, but may attempt to qualify four times.

5. Any adult in the Deli will be encouraged to score each singer on a scale of 1 - 25. An average for each singer will be calculated. In case of a tie, the Karaoke Host(s) and the Deli owner will make the final decision.

6. You may bring your own karaoke discs.

7. All songs must be “family friendly”; no cussing or suggestive lyrics. This is a family show.

I think this covers all the complaints I have heard about karaoke contests. What do the rest of you think? Could this work?

Allowing the customers to do the judging makes it nothing but a popularity contest.

Would it still be a popularity contest if all the scores are reduced to an average?

Keep in mind, this is not a bar crowd. We typically have families come in.

Of course it would. An average is just a culmination and calculation of the total scores received. The customers will almost invariably give a higher score to friends or relatives. This is really no different than using "crowd response" to determine a winner. You could just list the names of the singers and have people vote on them and you would come up with the same winner without a song being sung.

The only way to fairly judge a karaoke contest is to bring in judges from the outside that know none of the participants. They must also be competent judges with a background in music. These are usually not easy to find.

Even if you you find the best judges in the area, and the contest is run 100% fairly, you will still have people with hurt feelings looking to blame someone for their losing the contest when they "absolutely know" they were the best.

WE need a skull & cross bones emoticon, please.

He would attract more steady business by providing something free that EVERYONE/ANYONE can win or receive. There is no way anyone can be mad about that.

I refuse to do any of karaoke singing contest ever again. I'll walk first.

You are really playing with FIRE because of the rug rats. Parents will go ballistic when "Little Johnny" doesn't win. You know he's the best in the world.

Nothing worse than grown ups acting immature.

I have been working a new night with a bar owner. Things have been a little slow but it's showing small improvements.

He just told me Sunday about Coors Light coming in a few weeks (On the slow night) with a contest.

I'm not happy about it.

It's not really a singing contest pre-say.

There is a prize wheel with karaoke songs around it. I think you spin the wheel, and sing the song for the prize under it.

If this was a busy karaoke night I would flip out. Since it's a "building" night I'm not as jacked. I still don't like anything that could make the regular singers mad by taking up good singing time for this.

I hope nobody is going to get mad. If it helps it's a good thing.
If it hurts .....we're screwed.

I really hate this.....

Bigdog wrote:I have been working a new night with a bar owner. Things have been a little slow but it's showing small improvements.

He just told me Sunday about Coors Light coming in a few weeks (On the slow night) with a contest.

I've participated in several events like this. They are typically well advertised on radio and TV and have good turn outs. Getting a large crowd of new people in the bar can only be a good thing for all involved. People are introduced to the bar and you get to show off your skills and sound system to a many who may otherwise never see you.

There was recently a karaoke contest held at one of the casino's in the area. For the finals they brought in the radio jocks; one country, one contemporary and one oldie. The ctowd actually bood when they named the second place winner because he was clearly the most talented and should have won the contest.

He was a man in his 40's and more than a little overweight. The person who won was a man in his early 20's without a weight issue. He sang well, but not as well as the other one. Part of the "prize" was recording time in a local studio. Did he win because he could sell more records? That's what a lot of people thought.

Also, the winner, even before the contest, always had his own CD's with him and, if you mentioned to him that you like his singing he offered to sell one to you. My opinion is that he shouldn't have been in the constest at all.

I think the biggest issue is how to judge these contests. I've heard nothing but grumbling when outsiders are brought in to judge. I was hoping that using an average would help in the situation. Maybe I just need to talk her out of it.

What you described, BD, sounds rather fun. No one is judged, you just sing a song. Who chooses what songs are on the wheel?

There was recently a karaoke contest held at one of the casino's in the area. For the finals they brought in the radio jocks; one country, one contemporary and one oldie. The ctowd actually bood when they named the second place winner because he was clearly the most talented and should have won the contest.

He was a man in his 40's and more than a little overweight. The person who won was a man in his early 20's without a weight issue. He sang well, but not as well as the other one. Part of the "prize" was recording time in a local studio. Did he win because he could sell more records? That's what a lot of people thought.

Too often a karaoke contest is confused with a "general" talent contest. Karaoke means "singing to recorded music that does not contain the lead singer's vocals". It does not mean "singing and dancing and looking great on stage to recorded music that does not contain the lead singer's vocals".

In the contest you speak of there was probably a large percentage of the score dedicated to "stage presence" which is something I don't think should be in the judging criteria of a "karaoke" contest. These (in general) are people who are not looking to become famous entertainers but rather just want to be judged on their singing ability. As far as I'm concerned these contests should be judged with the singers out of site of the judges.

After seeing, hosting and hearing about many karaoke contests....There is ALWAYS discontent about the named winner.

This is part of the problem.

I have been accused of rigging the contest.

I saw people want to beat up the judges.

I have seen many reuglars stay away for 6 months.

Some bar owners don't want "outsiders" to win.

Many KJs have their friends win and they "split" the money.

Many times it turns into a "Beauty" contest. Think about the original reaction when Susan Boyle walked on stage.

Having impartial knowledgeable judges is key.

I wouldn't even do it.

But be prepared for whatever happens and I predict it won't be peaches & cream.

If it was me.... I'd talk the nearest competition into having a contest. Then all their people will come to your job when the contest ends. Kills their business and yours gets bigger.


The only truly fair karaoke contest would be one in which the singers are behind a barrier, unseen. Based strictly on how they sound. Not fat, skinny, black, white, old, young, beautiful, ugly.....

I agree with you 100% wiseguy. It would be nice to see a karaoke contest that is really a karaoke contest. Our place doesn't have a stage or even an area to sing. Most folks sit in their chairs or just stand up at their table so it would be a bit difficult to put on a "performance".

I've only entered one, about two years ago. Our usual haunt was closed due to road construction so we went to the bar up the road. They had a qualification contest going on so we entered. They actually pulled in a friend that went with us to judge.

I didn't expect to win, I just wanted to sing. So I put up my best song at the time, stepped out from behind the little monitor and sang my song. According to our friend who judged, I received high marks on my singing, the crowd appeared to like the song, I "included" the crowd, but, since I glanced at the monitor several times I was marked down.

There was a man who did a killer Elvis song. He was great. Had the song memorized and really played to the crowd. He didn't qualify either.

Who won? A house regular that was probably about the middle of the pack as far as singing ability went.

The other two judges made a point of coming to our table and inviting us back to qualify the next week. I thanked them very politely, of course, but explained to them that our regular haunt would be open the following week so we probably wouldn't be back.

Why is it so hard to find people who can judge on just singing talent alone? I like the idea of a contest, but it has to be a karaoke contest, not a talent show, who sings the most popular song or who has the most friends there.

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd chime in anyway since it appears to be near the top.

I was recently sort of tricked into hosting a "karaoke contest". Basically the owner didn't tell me it was a contest until I showed up that night and found out that the contest had been advertised for two weeks and that's what the very large crowd was expecting. I had to come up with something quick and I REALLY hate the usual contests that end up being about popularity, etc.

Basically I wanted to make a contest that ANYONE could enter. That means no exclusions, which meant it couldn't be about vocal ability.

I made the contest about "stage presence". The rule was that the words of the song DID in fact have to come out of your mouth, but they didn't have to be sung well as long as you rocked out, got the audience into it, got people dancing, etc. Vocal ability was actually less important than simple song selection.

My philosophy is this: I'd rather watch someone with a bad voice get into the song and have fun than to listen to someone with a good voice stand there like a lump. Many people can sing, but not everyone can put on a show.

On another point.

Bigdog, you never came back with details of how the Coor's competition went, on the night????

C'mon BD, was it a success, or did it just suck?

Sandy

I don't remember...