"All songs must be Sound Choice" was stated in the rules, But as i looked at the five song books provided to us only 1 or 2 out of 10 cd's avalible were SC.

Now I am not real sure how the rest of the people there felt about it, but I know I was a little upset with the fact I drove 3 1/2 hours to represent my town in the state finnals with 5 songs in mind and after looking at all the music only 3 were avalibe to me and none of them were on SC.

I guess what I'm wondering is if any one else out there has had a similer problem.

Best,

I competed at the state level of NSC in 1997 and 1998 (before SC was even a sponsor), and both years, the state finals were extremely disorganized and very unclear about communicating information to the contestants. In fact, one year, they didn't even have a venue confirmed for the finals until a week before they were held. The brand-specific rules (which, at the time, were limited to Pioneer, I believe) were waived both years, but this was not revealed until a few days before the contest, and even then that information wasn't volunteered...you were only told if you specifically inquired. However, I've heard that in other states, those same years, the Pioneer-only rule was strictly adhered to...which hardly seems fair overall.

At the same time, (as I believe someone said earlier in this string) any KJ or club owner that can front the entry fee $$$ can hold the contest in his or her venue, regardless of whether or not they have SC discs in their library. That, in itself, makes little sense to me if SC is supposed to be the exclusive software sponsor. But this is an issue that ProSing should be addressing more clearly when setting up NSC in the first place. I think I was told one year that the reason they dropped the brand-exclusivity rule was because of complaints by the singers that the song selection was too limited. That has to be based on how many SC discs the particular KJ hosting the contest had, and not how many songs are actually available through SC, since the SC library is pretty darn extensive.

A singer should ask what the prerequisits are for competition. Ultimately the singer is responsible to obtain their disc. I know of a KJ from Nothern Alabama who bought 4 Spotlight discs for 4 songs, over $120 for 4 singers (on Spotlights). On the other end all other problems aside, the KJ sponsoring the Alabama finals here in Mobile was out of pocket over a grand for trophies, etc.

At least some songs Sound Choice songs can be had on the Star Series, or Power Picks along with the expensive Spotlights.

I do NOT do contests since they create rivalries and hard feelings. They do not encourage regulars to come regulars to come relax and drink. The contest circuit comes and sparingly sips trying to win. I have seen many KJ's/clubs loose their following all because of contests.

Best,

Result, I bought my own Shure LX headset system specifically for contests.

I don't blame anyone specifically for the fiasco. I can't blame Shure as a sponsor, nor Sound Choice. It was what it was.

Not to say that that Julie wasn't a good vocalist. She was a damn fine singer, but if you were to compare their voices to gun calibers, Maria was a .50 cal, Marc was a .44 magnum, and Julie was a .380 auto.

quote:

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Originally posted by Baby Doll:
I'm sorry I forgot to say, I was refering to Karaoke Man's post. I was in the state finals in Michigan also. Allot of people still can't believe who won.

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Ok I got the scoop from Galexy Entertainment.

Guests were charged 10 dollars to enter the Ball room. Singers did not have to pay. As always competion went longer than expected. I was told they would have a 'round robin' type of elimination, and singers should be prepared to sing 3 to 4 songs. It turns out that there was only TWO rounds.

None of my contestants went to the second round. Most of my people sang country. I guess country is not very well represented or recepted in Detroit. I heard horror stories about the books. Very little SC selection. I was not there so I cannot say one way or the other.

Here's MY advice for further consideration:

PRINT OUT A SEPERATE LIST OF ONLY SOUND CHOICE SONGS! This way NO ONE IS CONFUSED as to which are which.

I heard that one of the top contestants slipped in a DK disc. Only until one of my contestants complained that is could be only Sound Choice did the host do something about it. Then they were going to let the person sing again. More complaints. They ended up disqualifying him. That was the right decision.

The guy that won sang Zoot Suit Riot for his first song, then Me And Baby and Bottle Makes Three (another swing song) for the last one.

Why did he win? I guess because he had the most 'stage presence' which is a big factor in judging. If you just stood up on stage and belted out a song, you are going to not score well in the SP catagory.

However I heard that this guy was not a very good singer. He should have been marked down in the Vocal area, which should have offset his Stage score. Therefore I cannot understand the decision.

One note: I think the State Finals should be held at a neutral place, centralized in the State. A place that did not hold any competion, like an Auditorium or large ballroom. That way there is no favoritism.

Also, make it a rule in the State that the Host or MC cannot announce where the contestant is from (city) or where he/she qualified. Even though it shouldn't be a factor, there still is some 'hometown' advantage.

Dale

All in all it sould be a learning experience for you singers.

Your pointing this incident shows us that you don't take your own advice of, "The trick is to not allow the results to change who you are and turn you into a bitter loser or a big-headed winner. Keep your eyes wide open, and be gracious whether successful or not."

You are getting up as a human performer not a record on a machine, you are one on one to your audience. If you should enter a contest ability should be most heavily weighted but remember even Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles had stage presence. Stand in front of your bathroom mirror and practice facial expression etc.

Notice singers performing on stage, TV, etc. Hoe do they move, stand, connect with audiences at live performances.

STAR KARAOKE With KJ Host Debra Lewis http://karaoke.dj.net/debramobileala.html

When the new generation of singers are Backstreet Spice Boys/Girls clones, what differentiates them? Certainly not vocal skills, every one of those stupid bands sounds exactly like the other one. I still can't tell the difference between Nsync and Backstreet Boys when I hear them on the radio.

What sell them is the entire package. Stage presence is absolutely critical unless you have a 4.5 octave range, or you are blind.

It's all about entertainment, folks. If it were only about actual honest-to-God vocal talent, none of the "pop" bands would be the millionaires they are today.

I also think that at least half of the karaoke singers who enter contests are delusional about their vocal skills. In every contest I've seen, the people who bitched the loudest were the singers who cracked, sang off key, or just generally sucked in their performance, but thought that they were God's gift to music.

Get over it people. It's only karaoke.

One singer had a great stage presence. He did some type of vaudeville act, had his song down pat and all, but the vocals weren't terribly impressive. The girl who won was quite a bit overweight and didn't move around a whole lot. But her song was very touching, and she was absolutely amazing. Her "stage presence" (a relatively big part of the judging) didn't need to be anything out of the ordinary. Her stage presence was expressed through her voice, facial expressions, the way she "believed" in the song, etc. (see Star Karaoke's comments).

Charles (one of the judges, and a good friend of mine) wasn't having a very good time. It was his first time judging, and he said it was very stressful. A lot of his friends were in the contest, and he felt really bad. He told me he never wanted to judge another contest again in his life. He's a great singer, but he doesn't enter contests. He says singing should only be about enjoying yourself, and should not be monetary at all - which (in a perfect world), I would agree with - but it's not that way! He tends to sing songs that he enjoys himself regardless of who the audience is. I try to mix what I like with what I think the audience likes.

Anyway, I know what it's like being on the other side of the fence, so I wouldn't mind judging more contests. I was determined to judge as fair as I could, regardless of friendships, bribes, etc. I've also been in contests where I've known the judges quite well. On more than one occasion a judge has told me, "If you want, I can make you win." I decline every time I get offered that. It's no fun that way! Plus, I don't think it's fair to the others. I'd rather lose and know it was honest than win and know it was rigged. I enter contests not for the money, but more for the thrill of winning, the challenge, the special attention given to the singers, etc.

The two winners were actually best friends who came together, but that didn't stop us from swaying the decision. The KJ complained that it wasn't fair that they took all the money. But, I don't see anything wrong with that.

I read a lot of advise posted here about judging contests, and the KJ's hostess asked me (who was also judging) if she should offer constructive criticism to anyone who didn't win. I told her that it was highly recommended NOT do to that (based on Leigh's insightful post). She announced it over the mic anyway, and sure enough... a few of the singers went over to talk to her.

One guy in particular was terribly upset. He was the best-dressed there, and I know he practiced a lot on his "stage presence". At one point during his song he moved in very close to one of the female judges and started "singing to her" while staring at her directly in the eyes. I didn't think it was too tactful. But the fact is, he didn't have all that great of a voice (see l'opera voce's theory on complainers). I really didn't want to hear what he had to say to her, so I left. I warned her! What a nightmare...

If you're a singer who has no stage presence and/or can't "perform", ya better not go on tour, that's for sure...unless you can come up with something unique to add performance quality. The guys in Pink Floyd just stand there, too, but they realized their weakness, and made up for it by designing a great light show around themselves.

People want to see a "performance" up on stage....and when you enter a contest, you sign on to deal with that. If you can't handle it, don't sign up. Obviously, you're aware of how it works....you're articulating every detail about it on this forum, so why are you surprised and upset when it turns out the same way every time?

My question is....why not make the system work for you instead of burying your head in the sand of self-righteousness and crying foul?

For those of you who want to be "legitimate", here's a reality check. The tactics used in contests...all the politics, the gimmicks, the favoritism, the fickleness, the degradation....are shadows of the same machinations that the "real" music business uses. You think some of the stuff that happens to people in contests is horrendous? You got NO IDEA. Compared to what happens to you when you become a real recording artist.....all that sh*t is NOTHING.

If you want to be "legitimate", ya better get used to it, too. If you don't, stick to "just for fun" karaoke shows, and don't whine about "unfairness".

Overall, I think people will do much better when...

* they quit expecting life (especially contests) to be "fair"....it's really a childish notion when you think about it. Life is rarely that equitable....wake up and smell the injustice.

* they quit using whether they win or lose some contest to determine their own self-worth. If you are happy with yourself and confident with your talent, the outcome of some lame-ass contest is not gonna bug you.

If you have no "emotional investment" in the outcome, you'll be free to see what's really going on and how to use it to your advantage. It's usually the people who look to contests for some source of validation to fill their emotional voids that end up hurt, confused and bitter.

You wanna win a contest? Go in when you honestly don't give a crap....you'll have a better chance.....for no other reason that you will be relaxed and having a good time amongst what usually is a bunch of stressed-out peacocks. - L .

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Karaoke Good...Contests Bad!