show idea
Karaoke Bingo is a game that involves the whole crowd. All players get a card that looks like a regular bingo card but instead of having numbers and letters it has genres and artists & part of a song title.
This is a long game and can take up to 3hr to play depending on how may rows you have and how you play the game. In this version players can mark off a spot if the word or words are in the official song title as displayed on the screen or is the artist name.
http://www.goodtimekaraoke.com/karaokeg ... ebingo.php
This is a long game and can take up to 3hr to play depending on how may rows you have and how you play the game. In this version players can mark off a spot if the word or words are in the official song title as displayed on the screen or is the artist name.
http://www.goodtimekaraoke.com/karaokeg ... ebingo.php
Sabrina the Cat
Whatever happened to singing at karaoke? 
Sooner or later there won't be singing at karaoke. Karaoke will die and everyone will wonder why?
Who is complaining about the first 2 rounds being "boring?" Non singers? It can't be the singers.
I get people that start out the night with songs I would rather they do later in the evening when there are more singers or actually never, but I'm not telling them to change what they sing. Even though I can tell there are some listeners that are about to puke and leave.
It never fails that there will be a "Buzz Kill" song every rotation. And they usually come when you really don't need them. That's karaoke. Take it or leave it.
Sooner or later there won't be singing at karaoke. Karaoke will die and everyone will wonder why?
Who is complaining about the first 2 rounds being "boring?" Non singers? It can't be the singers.
I get people that start out the night with songs I would rather they do later in the evening when there are more singers or actually never, but I'm not telling them to change what they sing. Even though I can tell there are some listeners that are about to puke and leave.
It never fails that there will be a "Buzz Kill" song every rotation. And they usually come when you really don't need them. That's karaoke. Take it or leave it.
Thanks for the info Sabrina the cat. We have several other KJ's that come to our show when they are not working themselves. We like to every now and then, depending on the night, and crowd, throw something different at them. We've had pretty good results with this. Most enjoy a little added fun. Thanks again.
You are in a "Catch 22" situation. People stop coming to karaoke because of all the nonkaraoke distractions. So then the KJ adds more distractions to try and attract people to karaoke.hirscheyh wrote:Thanks for the info Sabrina the cat. We have several other KJ's that come to our show when they are not working themselves. We like to every now and then, depending on the night, and crowd, throw something different at them. We've had pretty good results with this. Most enjoy a little added fun. Thanks again.
Around here karaoke is the draw. If anyone deviates from that they risk losing the singers. Singers make the karaoke. Not dance sets and games.
You could be your own worst enemy in trying to attract a karaoke crowd.
What are the other KJs doing to not be working and have all the time in the world to be at your show instead of their own? One has to wonder.
Something isn't working. Are they using more distractions than real karaoke?
Your inexperience is showing again.DJ Dave wrote:I believe that entertaining should be the focus, and not everyone sings at karaoke. trying to keep the crowd involved is a good thing. We take the good with the bad. being successful is doing what others choose not to due.
Karaoke started out as people SINGING to words on a piece of paper that later progreseed to words on a TV. It was never about DJ music or dance sets. Karaoke singers want to sing. That's an advertised karaoke night with a real KJ. Now if it's gonna be karaoke/DJ night then advertise it that way and let the singers make up their mind if they want to go listen to dance music or sing. Most will pick go sing.
People that come to karaoke to request dance music are hi-jackers. If they wanted to dance they should have gone to a place that has a DJ. Nobody today is that stupid to not know what an advertised karaoke night means and is. People singing that's karaoke. People dancing is a DJ night.
Catering to the wishes of nonsingers by playing dance music at a karaoke show is a cop out. It makes the singers mad and they come to my show to sing. If everyone keeps chasing away the singers, there is no more karaoke.
If you are DJing a club do you stop the dance music to play a karaoke country song just because someone wants to do karaoke? No you tell them it's not karaoke night. Well the same thing applies to the karaoke night. Tell them no it's a karaoke show. DON'T LET ANYONE HI-JACK YOUR KARAOKE SHOW WITH DANCE MUSIC. LET THEM FIND A DJ. OR RUN THE RISK OF KILLING KARAOKE IN YOUR AREA. NO SINGERS = NO KARAOKE.
Most failure KJs don't get it. Then they go out of business because they have no singers and no crowd. But first they start doing the jobs for peanuts so it ruins the pay rate. Then they go out of business and never figure out why.
Do not confuse "entertaining" with what karaoke is supposed to be and why and who makes the karaoke successful. It all boils down to the singers and making them happy. Singing as many songs during the night is the only thing that does that. Not filler music or dance sets. Decide for yourself. Do I want to be a KJ or a DJ. In my area the failures try to incorporate both.
Karaoke is only "entertaining" when the singers sound good and can sing good.
If by "entertaining" you mean everyone dancing all night you have a problem. IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN AT KARAOKE> I'm not saying that nobody ever dances at my shows but the dancing is minimal. If you want people dancing all night forget the karaoke part of the entertaining. Singers keep themselves entertained. Keeping the nonsingers entertained is the problem.
SINGERS will not patronise a show for long if they can't sing enough because the KJ is pretending to be a DJ.
Listen to my advice or not.
Not everyone at karaoke sings, because they can't or don't want to. That doesn't mean you let them hi-jack the karaoke night so they can dance.
Other area KJs have tried being DJs and it doesn't work. Don't confuse the meaning of a karaoke night with anything else. It is now and always will mean people singing for entertainment. Not dancing or playing name that tune or any number of other non singing distractions.
Most DJs think the same thing. They don't understand the singers and the karaoke singing mentality. No karaoke singer ever went to karaoke show because the sign outside said we play dance music. Dancing is dancing and karaoke is karaoke.
If I went on Dancing with the Stars and said I wan't to sing karaoke instead of dancing so I can be entertaining...what would happen to me???? People that sit the the audience are there to watch dancing and nothing else. Or they would have gone somewhere else. Get the picture? 2 different forms of entertainment and they shouldn't be confused or mixed. If you want to work as a KJ.
I'm not saying that you won't make a living at what you want to do. You may even be successful at it inspite of everything. But don't expect a lot of singers to frequent a "karaoke" show without singing. At what point does it turn into a nonkaraoke show? That's exactly what the singers want to know too.
Where can I go to SING?
i'm brand-spanking new to this forum, but wanna throw in my two cents... I've been a KJ for years and am pretty successful at it. We've carved out a big chunk of the market in my area. I run my karaoke show like a business and at the end of the day our job is to make the venue money pure and simple.
You always play to your crowd, the majority of your crowd. If you are working in a "karaoke bar" where all they do is karaoke, than that is what you do. If you are working in a venue that has a karaoke night but still attracts all sorts of people the you have to work the crowd. To say that if you are a KJ you will fail as a DJ too is a pretty contumacious statement.
As the "entertainment host" you set the standards and expectations of your crowd. YOU control the flow.
I have successfully infused DJ, Karaoke and contests for years, am booked for the next year and a half solid, never have issues with getting "singers" to attend, never have complaints about the way the show is run except for the occasional obnoxious person who takes karaoke way too seriously, time after time have won the Karaoke of the Year and Best of... So to say that you can't do this successfully, shows your inexperience or lack of ability to control your crowd and set their expectations....
To the original poster, I say go for, look for ways to make your show different from everyone around you. Be cautious in how you do it though, know your crowd and what they want. You control the show, if you say jump they should jump when you can do that you know you're doing something right....
Just my two cents...
You always play to your crowd, the majority of your crowd. If you are working in a "karaoke bar" where all they do is karaoke, than that is what you do. If you are working in a venue that has a karaoke night but still attracts all sorts of people the you have to work the crowd. To say that if you are a KJ you will fail as a DJ too is a pretty contumacious statement.
As the "entertainment host" you set the standards and expectations of your crowd. YOU control the flow.
I have successfully infused DJ, Karaoke and contests for years, am booked for the next year and a half solid, never have issues with getting "singers" to attend, never have complaints about the way the show is run except for the occasional obnoxious person who takes karaoke way too seriously, time after time have won the Karaoke of the Year and Best of... So to say that you can't do this successfully, shows your inexperience or lack of ability to control your crowd and set their expectations....
To the original poster, I say go for, look for ways to make your show different from everyone around you. Be cautious in how you do it though, know your crowd and what they want. You control the show, if you say jump they should jump when you can do that you know you're doing something right....
Just my two cents...
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spotlightjr
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:36 pm
- Location: southwest Florida
I have worked 5 nights a week for 18 years doing karaoke shows. I never use filler or dance music.
Every night I book is an all karaoke music night. Period.
There are KJs and there are cop outs. I have total control of every crowd. It's all singers and listeners that sometimes dance to karaoke songs. The bars I work in also have DJs that play DJ music all night. They don't add in karaoke songs. I play karaoke music all night and don't add in DJ songs.
Remember what I'm telling you...karaoke is dying across the country because of KJs that want to be everything to everybody. They can't find KJ jobs because they chased away the singers with non karaoke distractions. To me and most singers a karaoke night means one thing and only one thing...singing karaoke.
Then again there are many KJs that can't understand or believe I run a continuous 4 hour karaoke show (5 nights a week now...a few years ago it was 14 nights a week) without stopping the karaoke music except to start another karaoke song. No breaks (no dead air... just a few seconds for the applause to die down) and no filler music and no dance sets. I don't even have "1" dance song loaded on my computer. I couldn't play a dance song at my show for $1,000,000...So I can understand why KJs need to turn their shows over to the dance set hi-jackers. This is why karaoke is dying out in many states. Bad KJs that catered to the nonsingers too much.
Again there are people (Hi-breds.... KJ/DJs) (Don't call yourself a KJ) (and what percentage of your show is actually karaoke) that can make a living doing both. But they are few and far between. Real 100% pure karaoke KJs are a dying breed.
A karaoke bar would be a bar set up specifically to do only karaoke. I have never seen one or played in one. Every bar I play in has a scheduled karaoke night. Dedicated strictly for karaoke and nothing else. I have never had a bar owner ask me to pretend I'm a DJ too. I have done both.... when I was asked to fill in for a band that cancelled. These people were expecting a band and they see me. The only why to try to keep them happy was to do both. I don't book those type of jobs anymore. It was an open night for me so I took it. I always do 100% karaoke or nothing. The chances of me sitting at home with no booked karaoke only jobs is slim to none. I am a KJ full-time. Most KJs are part-time and DJs the rest. What percentage of a KJ are you? Can't be 100% if you play dance sets too.
True KJs can keep crowds entertained all night long without non karaoke distractions and make a living at it working steady for 18 years.
Every night I book is an all karaoke music night. Period.
There are KJs and there are cop outs. I have total control of every crowd. It's all singers and listeners that sometimes dance to karaoke songs. The bars I work in also have DJs that play DJ music all night. They don't add in karaoke songs. I play karaoke music all night and don't add in DJ songs.
Remember what I'm telling you...karaoke is dying across the country because of KJs that want to be everything to everybody. They can't find KJ jobs because they chased away the singers with non karaoke distractions. To me and most singers a karaoke night means one thing and only one thing...singing karaoke.
Then again there are many KJs that can't understand or believe I run a continuous 4 hour karaoke show (5 nights a week now...a few years ago it was 14 nights a week) without stopping the karaoke music except to start another karaoke song. No breaks (no dead air... just a few seconds for the applause to die down) and no filler music and no dance sets. I don't even have "1" dance song loaded on my computer. I couldn't play a dance song at my show for $1,000,000...So I can understand why KJs need to turn their shows over to the dance set hi-jackers. This is why karaoke is dying out in many states. Bad KJs that catered to the nonsingers too much.
Again there are people (Hi-breds.... KJ/DJs) (Don't call yourself a KJ) (and what percentage of your show is actually karaoke) that can make a living doing both. But they are few and far between. Real 100% pure karaoke KJs are a dying breed.
A karaoke bar would be a bar set up specifically to do only karaoke. I have never seen one or played in one.
Every bar I play in has a scheduled karaoke night. Dedicated strictly for karaoke and nothing else. I have never had a bar owner ask me to pretend I'm a DJ too. I have done both.... when I was asked to fill in for a band that cancelled. These people were expecting a band and they see me. The only why to try to keep them happy was to do both. I don't book those type of jobs anymore. It was an open night for me so I took it. I always do 100% karaoke or nothing. The chances of me sitting at home with no booked karaoke only jobs is slim to none. I am a KJ full-time. Most KJs are part-time and DJs the rest. What percentage of a KJ are you? Can't be 100% if you play dance sets too.True KJs can keep crowds entertained all night long without non karaoke distractions and make a living at it working steady for 18 years.
Again I'll ask the question...why do all the other "KJs" have so much free time to be at everyone elses shows?hirscheyh wrote:Thanks for the info Sabrina the cat. We have several other KJ's that come to our show when they are not working themselves. We like to every now and then, depending on the night, and crowd, throw something different at them. We've had pretty good results with this. Most enjoy a little added fun. Thanks again.
Why no work?
I see and understand you point BigDog... I really don't consider myself a KJ and I don't advertise myself as a KJ. I have built my business around being an entertainment provider.
Everyone is going to run their venue/show differently. Some of my venues we run 100% karaoke, atd other venues as per request of the owner and as the crowd dictates we do DJ as well as karaoke and i run contests.
Venues hire my company to build their business and that is what I do. We are constantly surveying the crowd, the venues and random surveys of people in the cities and towns we work in so that we can get a clear picture of what exactly it is people want.
I do find it hard to believe you have never seen an all karaoke bar. I am in southern podunk tennessee and there are at least two all karaoke bars that I know of just around here withing driving distance. If people want all karaoke that is where they go. If they want to be entertained they come see me.
To each his own, but I don't think anyone should judge how anyone else runs their show because you don't know the situation they are in until you've actually been in that venue. Also to call people cop outs or bad KJs because they don't run their show the same way you do shows a lack of professional courtesy. just my two cents...
Everyone is going to run their venue/show differently. Some of my venues we run 100% karaoke, atd other venues as per request of the owner and as the crowd dictates we do DJ as well as karaoke and i run contests.
Venues hire my company to build their business and that is what I do. We are constantly surveying the crowd, the venues and random surveys of people in the cities and towns we work in so that we can get a clear picture of what exactly it is people want.
I do find it hard to believe you have never seen an all karaoke bar. I am in southern podunk tennessee and there are at least two all karaoke bars that I know of just around here withing driving distance. If people want all karaoke that is where they go. If they want to be entertained they come see me.
To each his own, but I don't think anyone should judge how anyone else runs their show because you don't know the situation they are in until you've actually been in that venue. Also to call people cop outs or bad KJs because they don't run their show the same way you do shows a lack of professional courtesy. just my two cents...
Although I'm in the entertainment business (there are many different types of entertainers) my specialty is karaoke shows. I keep my crowds entertained with karaoke all night. The singers and nonsingers. I attract a karaoke crowd that is more serious and more talented than the average karaoke crowd. I don't cater to screaming drunks all night. I don't want that crowd and I really can't imagine anyone that does. My nonsingers are kept entertained with talented singers. Maybe once every 2-3 months someone may ask for a dance song. I simply don't have any. All of my music is karaoke which means there is no lead singer so if I were to play a song and nobody sings it you will just hear music. I stopped doing weddings and parties after my switch to computer. The only music on my hard drive is karaoke.
If bars are hiring entertainers that's one thing. If they want a band or DJ or KJ that's another. I read my crowds as much as any DJ. If the rotation is going too far one way or another I compensate with a song I sing that will take the direction back the way I want it to go. My crowds are totally what I want them and expect them to be. Every bar has a periodic jerk that needs to be delt with. I'm no exception but my A$$HOLE rate is much lower than the rest because of what I allow and what I won't put up with. That doesn't make my a square or a fuddy duddy. Just because I work in a bar and people drink alcohol doesn't mean that anything goes. I draw a respectable mixed age crowd. There are many bars I would never work in because of the crowd they attract. I don't patronise dives and I won't work in one just to say I have a job. Right now I only work non smoking venues. That won't change either.
A local KJ I know heard I quit all my smoking jobs and he was totally amazed to hear I was still working 5 nights a week. He's not....oops...
If bars are hiring entertainers that's one thing. If they want a band or DJ or KJ that's another. I read my crowds as much as any DJ. If the rotation is going too far one way or another I compensate with a song I sing that will take the direction back the way I want it to go. My crowds are totally what I want them and expect them to be. Every bar has a periodic jerk that needs to be delt with. I'm no exception but my A$$HOLE rate is much lower than the rest because of what I allow and what I won't put up with. That doesn't make my a square or a fuddy duddy. Just because I work in a bar and people drink alcohol doesn't mean that anything goes. I draw a respectable mixed age crowd. There are many bars I would never work in because of the crowd they attract. I don't patronise dives and I won't work in one just to say I have a job. Right now I only work non smoking venues. That won't change either.
A local KJ I know heard I quit all my smoking jobs and he was totally amazed to hear I was still working 5 nights a week. He's not....oops...
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spotlightjr
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:36 pm
- Location: southwest Florida
I really don't see any issue with playing dance music, etc. if that's what the patrons want. I'm asked to play cupid shuffle, cotton-eyed joe, etc all the time at certain venues and it always a big hit. Props, lights, fog are a nice compliment to my shows and people absolutely love it. I love breaking away from the norm when it comes to karaoke and I think the people down here feel the same.
From karaoke addicts to people coming in for the first time, we almost always get good comments thru-out the night for being and doing things a little dfferently than your average kj.
From karaoke addicts to people coming in for the first time, we almost always get good comments thru-out the night for being and doing things a little dfferently than your average kj.
