posted
I would like to hear what thoughts the professional people have on how to deal with areas that are full of junk dealers and buy 450 songs and think they are in business. How can we keep our business above such trash.
Posts: 20 | From: Colonial Beach, Va.22443 USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
The sad part is that the venue who hires a K.J., based on a low price, who has a poor song selection and/or inferior sound equip. usually does'nt realize that the show is destined to fail due to those shortcomings. When, indeed it fails, they think that Karaoke is not successful in their place and the low end K.J. has once again hurt the profession. We need to educate the owners & managers on what makes a succesful show. I was working a small town for over a year and a half when a guy came along with a Kenwood home stereo and a Foundation Series and he worked for his drinks. He killed me and after a few months killed the town. For the next couple of years they wouldn't touch Karaoke. It's just starting to improve now and there's a gal and her boyfriend who have less than 30 discs and not even a set, just a scattered variety of stuff she likes to sing. They're using a powered mixer and ONE of those wedge speakers you put behind a pickup truck seat. What are they charging? $25.00 a night. Here we go again!
Posts: 37 | From: So Cal | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
There shouldn't be any problem competing with this type of person. People will go to other shows rather than be faced with a 450 song collection. When you have a better system and collection than the competition, people will come back to your shows, rather than the inadequate shows. Not everyone who is a singer carries around a case full of sound choice discs for their own singing... so if your collection is extensive, and varied, you will persevere over the rinky-dink operations. Posts: 575 | From: West Hartford, CT USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
This is a very interesting topic! I have been a KJ here in Washington state for awhile now. Before and during my profession, I have seen alot of poor quality shows. I have not quite seen it as bad as jimbodj has, but nonetheless I have seen some very poor quality in equipment and song selections all the way down to bad attitudes and poor representations of themselves. There is no doubt about it, it hurts the karaoke business. I went to a show a few months ago and their song selection was Chartbuster essentials (450 songs) and very little rock(about 500 songs total). I could not find one thing to sing...I stayed for half hour and split! Another show where the KJ actually physically attacked a customer, because the KJ was playing favorites and the customer told the KJ his rotation sux! I can tell you now that many clubs that I have tried to get into will not have karaoke because of bad KJs. And in return it ruins it for all of us...
posted
Sadly, a huge portion of club owners don't see the long term about doing karaoke (or bands, for that matter) they expect some overnight miracle to happen, when it takes at least three months- and that's if they will shell out for advertising! All you club owners reading this: you already have a head start in success because you took the time to come here and see what we're all about! Now tell your competition to do the same, and we'll all succeed the American way...repeat after me: IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY...IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY....ADVERTISING IS GOOD...AND ALL OF THIS IS A WRITE-OFF....
*sigh* never hurts to try...
Posts: 745 | From: Portland, OR, USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Bar owners will do everything in their power to shoot themselves in the foot...
Case in point:
The following news article is about "Starstruck" - the place in CT that advertises itself as America's First All-Karaoke Bar:
Bar Closed After Drug Arrests By GEORGE GARRITY, BILL LEUKHARDT And DIANE STRUZZI The Hartford Courant September 08, 2000
PLAINVILLE - A popular karaoke bar was closed by court order Thursday after the bar manager and two other men were arrested and charged with selling cocaine to undercover officers many times this summer.
Prosecutors padlocked the Starstruck Café on Farmington Avenue, labeling the building a public nuisance because of illegal drug activity. Authorities say cocaine often was sold openly in the bar.
The place could be closed for up to a year under the state's public nuisance abatement laws, but it may be allowed to re-open sooner if theowners can convince a judge that drug sales will stop. A hearing is set for Monday in New Britain Superior Court.
"The intent of the law is to clean up places and let them re-open," Assistant State's Attorney Brian Austin said Thursday. "It certainly does no good to have boarded-up buildings and keep them off tax rolls."
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Well, I guess the packed house will have to go to other places now... What a bonehead thing to be doing to a perfectly good business.
Posts: 575 | From: West Hartford, CT USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
Funny thing, I met up with the manager for the local Red Lobster at the doctor's office this morning. We asked if they still had entertainment. He shook his head no. The company forbids it now. They hired cheap junk and now say NO.
When we proposed doing a night I at that time had open, and gave them my card. They hired a little small selectioned, dinky sound system karaoke. That didn't take that show long to fold and then Red Lobster hired a one man band, it didn't work. I ate there a bit later and the manager said he wished he had hired us after seeing and hearing me at another club, and seeing the place packed, hearing my system.
I do hate it becasue it would be a great place for a good karaoke work. There are a few around town that won't get the shot now. Good shows make more good singers/customers for all of us and keep karaoke alive.
Posts: 542 | From: Mobile, Alabama, USA | Registered: Jan 2000
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Would the patrons get high and then get up and sing "Casey Jones" or Clapton's "Cocaine"? I can't imagine how a Karaoke bar would be a prime area for drug activity.
Posts: 1487 | From: Irvine, CA, USA | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
Maybe the owners hoped the cops would see it that way too. "Karaoke bar? Ah, nothing illegal going on in there, except muder of a few songs".
Makes you wonder though. Here's a group of people (bar owners) that obviously have to have a bit of brains or they wouldn't have been able to get a bar going in the first place. Then they go hire ****ty karaoke, and when it fails, they just think karaoke is stupid, not themselves. And the funny part of this is, if they hired a bad band that couldn't draw flies, they'd just assume it was that band, and go out and get a better band. But get a cheap KJ with 500 songs that plays to an empty bar, it must mean karaoke just won't work there.
RC hit it. The bar owners need to get educated in entertainment.
This place has been a karaoke icon for years in this area. They own all their own equipment, hire several KJ's to work there exclusively, and the have been really successful. It's a big hangout on the weekends, and very hard to sing more than one or two songs on a Friday or Saturday night (after 8 PM). Now.. how anyone could let a cash cow like this go down the drain is beyond me... but maybe the owner thought he was immune to the police, seeing as he is a former police officer in town.
In any event, I'm sure they will re-open soon... taxes speak louder than ordinances...
Cliff
Posts: 575 | From: West Hartford, CT USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
Here's another example of brilliant management by club owners:
One place I did for a short time advertised in two or three newspapers that it was offering karaoke on Thursday nights. Now... the only thing I could think of, was that maybe this manager did not know what karaoke meant... because at about 9:30 - 10:00 PM (show started at 9) he would tell me that I could not allow any more singers, and to just play music. Usually, the place was filled with people who had seen the advertisements in the local papers, and you can imagine how ticked off these people were. They even had the gall to post the ads up on their walls... where it clearly listed "karaoke night every Thursday 9 till 1" on it in bold letters.
After seeing several confrontations with customers and this manager (most almost becoming physical..) I happily quit that job and got another where they actually WANT karaoke....
Posts: 575 | From: West Hartford, CT USA | Registered: Apr 2000
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When these next band wagon KJs/DJs realize that they don't get the better gigs because they aren't willing to spend more money on a good system and an acceptable collection of discs, they'll pawn their investments and move on to the next project that they'll make a half-assed attemt at.
These people are not a threat to our longevity, we'll just get get the gigs that they left hanging. We just have to accept their presence long enough for them to give up.
We are the ones working towards turning Karaoke into an art as long as we continue to strive past mediocrity towards excellence.
[This message has been edited by Sarah Mc (edited September 22, 2000).]
posted
All I know is, a bad host, or poor selection will give an owner, and their audience a bad vibe, the company I work with prides itself with a concert sound system and a 4200 song selection along with good hosts.... bottom line, you tell the club owner and the dissatified customer, if they want to see a real show...come to yours.
Posts: 104 | From: Wichita, KS. USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Good point, Budda - if you talk to a club owner who says "Karaoke doesn't work for me, I tried it already" then give them the time and date of your next show and tell 'em you'll buy them a round if they show up. If you're good, you'll convince them to hire you. My wife and I got a couple of gigs that way.
posted
IT WAS ALREADY SAID BY SOMEONE BEFORE BUT IT'S TRUE THE RINKY DINK SOUND AND SELECTION WILL CUT THERE OWN TROATS WE JUST HAVE TO SIT BACK AND WAIT THEN MOVE IN WITH AWSOME SOUND AND HUGE SELECTIONS.
Posts: 137 | From: MOORESVILLE ,IN. U.S.A | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
The unfortunate truth of the matter is, the rinky dinks are cutting OUR throats!! These bar owners don't know the difference. They hire on the basis of price, and when they get a cheap outfit in and no crowds, the owners blame it on KARAOKE, not on the people they hired to do it. They really don't seem to know any better!! So they fire the karaoke operator and say "karaoke doesn't work here!!"
Posts: 74 | From: Orlando, Florida | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT. SOMETIMES I THINK MORE BAR OWNERS HAVE MORE MONEY THAN SENSE..
Posts: 137 | From: MOORESVILLE ,IN. U.S.A | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
Here in Wichita we have many Karaoke Companies, and it is a very competitive market, even so, we still have the best sound in the state, a selection of 4200 plus songs and we are still 10.00 to 30.00 cheaper than our competitors. Now we did have a problem with one of our competitors going to our shows and underbidding us after we were in there for a couple of months, he managed to steal 2 shows away from us and shortly lost them due to his unprofessionalism...we solved it by approaching him and letting him know that our equipment is all paid for(his isn't)and if he continued to goto our shows and try to steal them we would goto all of his shows and do them for 50.00 and continue to do so until he was out of business...Haven't seen him since..
Posts: 104 | From: Wichita, KS. USA | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
That is a good point. Buy your discs not on credit, use cash a little at a time over time. By having everything paid for,you can afford to do the things it takes to survive. If it came down to it YOU could work cheap, by having everything paid for. Pay by money order for everything, and yes you can afford to sit on your units and discs if you had to.
Use your search engines periodically to look for karaoke dealers online and price shop. The brands are the same, prices may not be, dealers often have great prices on pristine used Sound Choice even.
Selection, sound, fair and equal treatment of your patrons, going that extra mile to look for songs learn the singers' names, etc. go a long way towards making a loyal follower for your shows. Cheap cut throats don't last long because they usually have no consitient following/buisness.
posted
I do the same thing. When I take a call from a bar/lounge to do Karaoke, my first question is "Have you been to one of our shows?"
Getting the manager of one bar into see your show at another bar may not seem logical, but it works. Sometimes.
I would much rather hear them say, they already know of our shows, have seen one, or have had rave reviews from friends, before I even tell them how much more we charge than some of the "smaller systems" around town.
And even after everything we do, we may still lose a gig to one of the less expensive show. Some bar owners/managers do only look at the cost, not the quality of a show.
Rebecca and I have been in the DJ or KJ business since 1986 and I think I have seen it all. Then something will comes around and even surprise me, the old man.
Re: Big Budda Love All of our equipment and disk are paid for also. But I have never thought about undercutting the competion that comes in and undercuts us. It is a very interesting idea.
posted
Undercutting the undercutters. What a great idea.
We have one group in town specifically that just "doesn't get it." They try to grab gigs from everyone they can.
My equipment ain't paid for yet, but I'm only nine months old out there. I do, however, have a full-time day job that pays a nice salary. I'll have to remember that next time someone comes into my place wanting my job...
posted
One thing I do need to mention , unpopular as it may be. Ours is a fiercely competitive business. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be painful sometimes. It is like the advertisment about the goldfish in the zip closure plastic bags. People /clubs will go for the chaep karaoke's. Some will find it works ok for them. There are other clubs that need the better product. Yes, it's a bitch to lose to undercutting, but if these shows do not produce then you will find your product appreciated.
Make business and what you do attractive to singers who want YOU! Spoil your customers, create a following. Give them extra sevice as they come up to sing with engineered sound, learn their names as they become regulars, make them feel at home, wanted! Run a show that is fair to everyone, play no favorites, skip no one, sing only as needed in your own place in rotation - never have any show hogs of 2 to 3 songs in rotation or at a time!
Most important - no matter what the brand invest in a library of vaiety. Use whatever best denotes your karaoke company and promote yourself business wise. Set your own niche list your size, or sound, or the way you count your selections, or if you specialize in certain disc brands - whatever you feel sets you appart or is attractive to creating a loyal following.
Lastly-SMILE and be nice to the customers, even the rump holes, you can many times turn a buttocks hole into putty in your hands and a good customer. Manage the people well and they will come-BACK!
Posts: 542 | From: Mobile, Alabama, USA | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
Oops that's the last time I type in the dark! I spell bad enough with out being blind-lol.
Posts: 542 | From: Mobile, Alabama, USA | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
Leta kill all the undercutters then divvy up the gigs. I'll take all the Marriotts and Raddisons HA HA. peace love and karaoke
Posts: 110 | From: Santa Fe Springs Cal.cou | Registered: Aug 2000
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I can't imagine how a Karaoke bar would be a prime area for drug activity.
