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Hi Stacy, I got into this business cause I got tired of arguing with egos in bands! Well, that's only part of it. IN actuality I had been considering getting into it for some time. An aquaintance of mine has seem me do some MC stuff and the like and she as looking for a male partner to join her business. Well, 2 years later the reat is history. I completely revolutionized the way she looked at shows, invested tons of money and now we have 2 systems doing bar gigs 2-3 times a week and private parties as they come. Personally I do see myself still in the business ten years from now. Its a nice hobby for me and after a couple more years I see my investments coming back. I got into this for the long haul and hope to stay in it. Although there are times you wonder why you ever bothered!
Posts: 531 | Registered: Feb 2001
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I got into the business because I enjoyed singing and like Alice Cooper's Alter Ego I was tired of fighting in bands, so I started going to Karaoke to vent and just perform. But after the KJ left, they went thru several failed KJ's and I finally told the bar owner that I was there every night anyway, give me a shot, so he did. I've been in my own business full-time ever since. Hopefully, in 10 years I'll have a few systems and KJ's to run them and I can go to whichever shows I want or not at all if I want. Then maybe I can get back into the studio and record my album.
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I got into the business completely by surprise. My parents owned an old Pioneer all in one unit (can't remember the model) that they rented out to a company 1 night. The company didn't know how to hook it up to the pa (go figure). The called me & hired me as technical administrator (roadie). Worked for the company for a year or so & one night the host didn't show up. I had to do the show. Well we lost the club the next night despite being a great show IMHO. Well it happened again a couple of weeks later, lost that club too. This time due to bar closing next day, but my ego was hurtin. Well 3rd time was a charm, we almost lost that club too, we asked why, I was too aggressive in trying to get singers (bugging the non singers too much I guess). Well I changed my ways & 10 years later, i'm still at that club. I can see myself doing it in ten years (although not on a nightly basis). www.lonmanproductions.comPosts: 1845 | From: Tacoma, WA, USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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since i was about four all i wanted to be was a singer in a rock band. and since we weren't well off on money growing up, i never took lesons in anything. plus i didn't like the music the school bands played. with no connections growing up other than a few guys who wanted t sit around and dream about stardom instead of working for it, i set out after grad to finally find my band. didn't like to music that was out thereat the time, right in the middle of te grunge movement and me more of a glam rocker (but no make-up!! never did, never will) found out i couldn't work with music that didn't move me. my dad stopped by a karaoke show i was frequenting about five years ago, and started pushing for me to try it as a kj. about a year ago i gave in. now i do get a chance to perform to an extent, plus give someone else that few minutes of fame while they are pretending to be thier favorite artest. i'm not selling out the indianapolis conseco fieldhouse like i dreamed years ago, but i'm having fun.
Posts: 342 | From: Indianapolis, IN USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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I must have done it all wrong. I never wanted to be in band until after starting to karaoke. No I don't want to be the singer. I want to be the drummer. (this just might happen). Thanks to all who replied! Stacy Posts: 798 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Mar 2001
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I do trivia nights at a couple of bars. About 6 months ago, one approached me with the idea of Karaoke. I said, "Why Not" the rest is history. I am still a baby with regards to this business. I learn something new every week--or day in some cases. Good luch with your class. Cheers, Donnie Posts: 22 | From: Athens, Ga USA | Registered: Aug 2001
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Funny, I am a drummer in a band and always wanted to be the lead singer. Only one problem, I cant sing too good, lol. My wife used to go out and sing karaoke all the time. I never went, thought it was stupid (note to self: dont say bad things about things I know nothing about). Finally one night I went out with her so I could do some beer drinking. I had a good time and about 2 weeks later I got the guts to sing. I was real bad, but I had a good time. I met the owner of the karaoke company one night and got to be good friends with him. about a year later, (after buying all my own karaoke equipment so I could sing and have partys in my basement, guess I got addicted) he calls me up and asks if I could go do a show for him. His KJ had not shown up at a bar and he was doing a wedding across town. Next thing I know I am working for him part time. I dont really like doing it all the time. I have a full time job I work at and dont need the money. I would rather go out and get drunk and sing. Sometimes I have a real good time being the KJ if the bar is rocking with my kind of music and the bartender gives me free beer. It seems like most of the time I help him is on holidays and when someone is sick etc... and the bar is always slow on the nights I work. I would think that it was me and nobody wanted to see me, but they never know I am going to be there until I show up. there has been a few times when the place I was working was packed and I had a good time. But when there are only 15 people at the bar and only 4 of them are singing, it gets kinda boring
Posts: 59 | From: Kansas | Registered: Jul 2001
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I swore that I would never do karaoke, just be a songwriter and play guitar in a band. But the lead singer was a host and I tried it. I got hooked, bad! (Kinda like a casual drug user, then an addict, then a pusher!) What a perfect job for me, I know the words to hundreds of songs, can play guitar over the mix at the shows, like to dress up goofy, and constantly buying silly hats and props! Mostly, I love music and I love to see people have a good time. It's the performer in me, in all of us hosts. The money is just icing on the cake. People have offered me to host full-time, but then it would be a JOB, and I don't want to burn out.
My goal is to be The Southern California Host of the Year. (Hey, Robin!) I work on my show a little each day, always trying to improve it. I'm not the best, well, at least not yet. But I want to be better. Thanks!
Posts: 622 | From: Santa Ana | Registered: Jul 2001
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My wife and I both own full time businesses( a veterinary practice and a computer co.) Because of our schedules it was easier to get our friends over to our house once a month than to try to visit them on a regular basis. We purchased a small portable machine for home then started to buy cdgs that we and our friends liked. Then we discovered lasers and started buying them. Within a year we had a bigger selection in our basement than all but one of the local shows (This was in 1990). We were soon approached by a local KJ would we rent him the disks. We decided this was a good way to pay for our habit of wanting new disks so we agreed. After about a year he messed up a couple of locations by not showing up on time or at all, drunk etc. Soon after the owners of two of the venues came to us and said they wanted karaoke, they wanted our selection, they did not want this KJ. Since he had rubbered a few rental payments to us and was in no hurry to catch up we agreed to take them over. That was in 92 and now it is a three to four night a week 8-10 show operation with 3 karaoke rigs and 2 dj setups. I run shows every friday and Sat. and I have 7 others working for me as needed. I never planned on having a $75,000 investment but it now returns about $30,000 a year to me in retained earnings on about $100,000 worth of shows. It is usually fun, but it is still a business just the same.
Posts: 64 | From: Saylorsburg, Pa USA | Registered: Sep 1999
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Love music, love singing, love some singers, like most singers and can pretend I don't hate the ones I really hate (usually for their attitudes), like socialising, like the entertainment scene.
Will I be doing it in 5-10 years time? hope so but if I get jaded and cynical, I'll DJ instead and pretend I'm always busy mixing rather than speak to people.
Lisa
Posts: 251 | From: Bedford, Bedfordshire, England | Registered: Aug 2001
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