I know it's been awhile since my last post but I had to come on here and tell you this story.
A friend of mine (who has been doing a show for about 7 years at one location) had a visit from another karaoke company owner/singer who recently started thier own karaoke business. Everything was fine and friendly until he went to pick up the books at the end of the night and noticed that business cards and flyers (for the other company) were left inside the books. Needless to say he's furious and I'm sure the bar knows about the situation. My question to you is...how do you think you would handle a situation like that?
Posts: 1201 | From: Kansas City, MO USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Take all the business cards & flyers home. Get on the computer & create a "promotional" special for 1 free drink of your choice at the other club compliments of the karaoke company in question. Print them on the back of the flyer & staple the cards to the flyer so it is "legit". Then go to stores & pass them out on the windshields of the cars!
[This message has been edited by Lonman (edited March 28, 2005).]
Posts: 1851 | From: Tacoma, WA, USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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My advice dont let it get to you...If your friend is doing a good job nothing will change...if he or she is not there always someone waiting to take over...its just a doggie...dogs world
Posts: 797 | From: Salina,KS | Registered: Jan 2004
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Retaliation? Retribution? Let it go! It's happened to us as well, other guys come in and hand their cards out to our singers...we figure it's too bad they feel they have to resort to that kind of behavior. Desperation & underhandedness are not pretty.
Posts: 878 | From: Ottawa, ON, Canada | Registered: Dec 2000
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quote:Originally posted by GeminimALE: My advice dont let it get to you...If your friend is doing a good job nothing will change...if he or she is not there always someone waiting to take over...its just a doggie...dogs world
Sometimes it doesn't matter HOW good a company is if a club owner thinks they can save a few pennies. I've seen first hand (by experience) & many other good shows that have been undercutted in this manner only to be driven into the ground. That's when the clubs call you back wanting your services again - but low & behold the price of our services just went up!
[This message has been edited by Lonman (edited March 28, 2005).]
Posts: 1851 | From: Tacoma, WA, USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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Most KJ added new stuff every 6 month or once a year...Singers get tired of the same songs..and want new stuff.... know this.. I have went to clubs that have karaoke and talk to the club owner...and offered a better Karaoke experience...point...if I can walk in and take your gig away from you which i can and will do ...then you need to be doing a better job...with music selection and ect...JUST A WORD TO THE WISE !!!
[This message has been edited by GeminimALE (edited March 28, 2005).]
We have never and will never pitch an unsolicited sale to anyone that currently has karaoke. period. That's just terrible form.
We have a good working relationship with the the other legal shows in our city. We consider them our colleagues. We pitch in and help each other in emergencies...pass gigs (private & regular) to each other...and have even run shows for other companies in a pinch.
Posts: 878 | From: Ottawa, ON, Canada | Registered: Dec 2000
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quote:Originally posted by GeminimALE: if I can walk in and take your gig away from you which i can and will do ...then you need to be doing a better job...with music selection and ect...JUST A WORD TO THE WISE !!!
Ah showing the TRUE colors. Can't find shows on your own? That's pretty lame that you have to go to other shows and try to take them - even if you do THINK you're better. It's one thing to have a club CALL you and say i'm looking to replace our current karaoke, but it's pretty "hard up" of a company to try & take one - no matter the circumstances. If you THINK you could take a show from me (or anyone of these other pros here) - without undercutting - I would gladly walk away & ADVERTISE the show for you for 6 months in the local papers. With the attitude you present here alone (not to mention the terrible syntax & spelling), you wouldn't be able to acquire a club for more than 1 month here. THAT I can guarantee. Your music selection that you are bragging of is a drop in the bucket around here as most now are running the CAVS with a 10-15K non duplicated song book - and the fact you don't play customers discs, LOL - yeah you'd gain a HUGE following . You don't have a book listed on your website so can't tell if you list dups or not - i'm sure you'd say you don't. If you'd like to do a songbook comparison visit my website, I know you wouldn't DARE to allow any of us to view yours as you have everything already & "CAN & WILL" pick up any & all requests - even if they are out of print/unavailable. You haven't even attempted to go into a sound system debate - that one would be a riot, but i'm sure you are the best at that too & your sound system or your mixing abilities can't be matched either!
quote:Singers get tired of the same songs..and want new stuff.... know this
You'd of thought that we all would've figured this one out, Hell I never thought of it in the 14 years of working karaoke - 12 of which were in the same place for 7 nights per week. Thank you for enlightening us all with your wisdom, I for one didn't "know this".
quote:Most KJ added new stuff every 6 month or once a year
Most - who's most? The kj's in YOUR town?
Like D&P, I work with several companies here in overflow booking, helping out when needed. I even lent out my 2nd system at no charge to one company for 3 months when their van got stolen when they were loading out and all the gear was inside. The repaid me with a $500 gift cert to karaoke.com .
[This message has been edited by Lonman (edited March 28, 2005).]
Posts: 1851 | From: Tacoma, WA, USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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ok this raise a good point ..how much does everyone charge for karaoke???huh???most that Ive ran across charge $250- 300 here in salina..or are you afraid to let it be known lonman...
Posts: 797 | From: Salina,KS | Registered: Jan 2004
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ok this raise a good point ..how much does everyone charge for karaoke???huh???most that Ive ran across charge $250- 300 here in salina..or are you afraid to let it be known lonman...as far as taking a show away from you...nobody is irreplaceable...just remember that...even you!!!!
Posts: 797 | From: Salina,KS | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:Originally posted by GeminimALE: ok this raise a good point ..how much does everyone charge for karaoke???huh???most that Ive ran across charge $250- 300 here in salina..or are you afraid to let it be known lonman...
Nope, not afraid at all, it's right on my site for anyone to see at anytime what I charge for club work. $175 per night for a 4 hour period with standard system as this is the max that clubs will pay in this area. You'd get laughed out of town if you tried to get more. Anything over 4 hours is an additional $50 per hour which again is pretty much the standard here. Got to stay competitive but not overstep the boundry. Private shows start from $300 on up depending on the event, time frame, distance & equipment needed.
That's awesome you can get that much . Must not be that saturated in your area. I'm in an area where there is karaoke on every corner bar. The undercutters have severely wrecked the market for many. When I started the going rate was $150-$200, now it's from $100-$175 (and that's only if you can get it).
You are right, nobody is irreplaceable. I've had companies come in & offer a month free & the owner laughed in their face. Had a company a couple weeks ago come in & say they had a better selection & sound & would do it $100 bucks cheaper per night, the owner took their card & directed them over to me explaining that I was who they would need to talk to regarding karaoke. Most companies have the attitude that it is THEIR show & will do what they will. I work WITH the club AND customers. How many would go through their books to eliminate the profanity songs & reprint a book to go with the clubs no profanity policy - most have stated they wouldn't? I promote the club for free on many many search engines & newpapers at my expense. We do games & contests per the clubs wishes - many have stated they wouldn't run contests. I PLAY customers discs as this is a huge market. Many of our regulars have their own discs - many bought through my site. Among many other things & specials.
[This message has been edited by Lonman (edited March 28, 2005).]
[This message has been edited by Lonman (edited March 28, 2005).]
Posts: 1851 | From: Tacoma, WA, USA | Registered: Nov 1999
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One guy did that to me once. I pulled him aside and told him if I ever catch him doing that during one of my shows again, I'll goto each and everyone of his clubs with a flyer of a doctored up picture of him and a Horse.
Needless to say he doesn't even DJ much anymore.
Posts: 1795 | From: Fall River, Ma | Registered: Feb 2001
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Hi, I'm Kinda new, but not to SC. Anyways, I did a weekly show in IL and a rival KJ who was supposed to be a friend previous to me getting the gig, came in saying I stole cdgs from him, which was not true, I had all receipts for everything I bought and I told him gently at MY show to knock it off, and if he wanted to sing I would allow it plus a free drink. If he was not happy with that I would have showed him the door. Needless to say it was this scumbag who later came back 2 weeks later and ripped off my wife's car AND the cdgs and all equipment that was in it. So I beat his ass....bottomline!
Posts: 33 | From: S. FW, TX USA | Registered: Dec 2004
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Did he get the "Stone Cold Stunner" for opening a can of "whup ass"?
Posts: 1025 | From: San Francisco, CA, USA | Registered: Jul 1999
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LOL! I recently trained under / joined Dog and Pony as a KJ, but before that was a regular for 4 years. It is utterly laughable that anyone soliciting their show would make any headway at all. As was once posted in their forum:
"Cheating on Dog and Pony is its own punishment..."
... which is to say, your best defense is to be excellent.
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hehehehehehehehehehe Given uh..."recent events" on the board...I thought I'd invite y'all to check our "profiles" page for verification that "Beaver" really is a separate entity, not a Dog nor a Pony
That being said...Hiya Beaver! You'll learn a lot here...keep digging
Posts: 878 | From: Ottawa, ON, Canada | Registered: Dec 2000
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Here's my solution.I just moved to New Jersey from New York. I decided to get back into the KJ game by introducing myself to the most established KJ in my area and offered to work with him as a fill-in host or if he's double-booked, I'll take his extra gig or party. Yes, he gets a fee for booking the party but it's good exposure for me. He's got a great reputation around here so he can charge say $350-$400 for a party.He keeps $100 for booking it and I get $250-$300.I think that's fine because if I went out and tried to get work myself, I might only get $250-$300 because I'm an unknown in the area. I think it's better to work for someone well-established then to try to undermine them and have a bad reputation.
Posts: 14 | From: whiting, nj | Registered: Mar 2005
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Hey Anthony T buddy of mine from KC who we actually share this friend which this occured. Actually Anthony works for one of the 2 big Players in Kansas City. Which I discussed in a different post.
We as competition still support each others companies and this situation he is talking about. He left out the most important thing. The fact that he has 3 things to steal a show away from almost anyone.
1.He gots a good looking girl who goes to every show and sings quite well.
2. Good Equipment -avg..size song selection
3. Alot cheaper. With us big Dogs charging $300 a show he comes in and says he'll do it for $100....Thats a bunch of Crap.
By the Way Gem.....This Company as well as mine are what you should learn to respect for we have the largest selections in the mid west. the 2 companies combined have over 50 top notch systems and near 100,000 songs 80% sound choice and no burned CDGs..
Thats alot of money spent for you to say you can take someones show and will...Well email me and I will give you one of my shows for a month and I guarentee you will get ran out early each night. You have no Class and are very unprofessional. I'm not shocked, no wonder you only do you show in little Salina Kansas.
Dont worry Tony T. Your know I always got your back.
Kevin
Posts: 1483 | From: Kansas City MO 64119 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Showtime....Out of respect for BC Im not going to confront you on this issue...but I can hold my own with anyone including YOU. As far as being unprofessional...youve never been to one of my shows...so you dont know!!!! I would be careful about making comments about people you dont know...taking over someone show is not that hard..speaking of which...John the friend who does the Red Kitten had to leave and ask me to step in for an hour or so while he went somewhere...I said SURE...After John had returned from going to visit other bars to see what was going on in town...Again people asked me why I wasnt doing the show there full time....Needless to say I didnt even mention that I have already been ask by the owner to take it over...at this time I havent made up my mind about it....but Im considering it..after he talks to John...that is. See what you dont understand is when attending a show...I see the same mistakes over and over again..People think because they got a gig there its written in stone ..and the fact is...it never is. Let me give you the low down so youll understand!!! Martinis..Karaoke by ALL STAR DJ....They do GONG Karaoke ..if they dont like what you sound like GONG!!! the music stops and your done and this has made them lose alot of their Karaoke business..Last Time I went there maybe 4 singers. Omalleys.... Hosted by Complete Music ..Nice DJ..They even use sound choice...but no selection....there book is not even 1/2 inch...he also has list the vocal versions of songs in his book as well and get this...the promt disc is listed...OMG!!! and drinks while doing a show ..this does not look professional !!! at all!!!! My Kj are Not allowed to drink during ANY gig They can do that on their own time. RED KITTEN..Hosted by John...Klassy Karaoke...His book look aweful ..beer soak and he has not replaced them in Months as well as being torn..He has not updated his collection over six months..NO NEW STUFF,,, He'll put up singers then go across to the other side of the bar and play video games or may ask some one to watch it for him like myself or Wilse while he goes to another bar.
[This message has been edited by GeminimALE (edited April 16, 2005).]
[This message has been edited by GeminimALE (edited April 16, 2005).]
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The phase you are after is "It's a dog eat dog world" 
. Must not be that saturated in your area. I'm in an area where there is karaoke on every corner bar. The undercutters have severely wrecked the market for many. When I started the going rate was $150-$200, now it's from $100-$175 (and that's only if you can get it).
hehehehehehehehehehe Given uh..."recent events" on the board...I thought I'd invite y'all to check our 
You'll learn a lot here...keep digging 
