Disco with Karaoke..how do you run it?

[Jays karaoke]

Ensuring absolutely no continuity on the dance floor whatsoever and lots of moaning people who want to dance and not listen to some halfwit murdering a Robbie Williams song...

But i'll say it again if they have paid for it , why restrict the times they can use it. I always tell people when they book karaoke that it will restrict my ability to fill the dance floor.
I also give them the option as to wether they want it for a hour or all night and 99% say all night as they don't fancy paying for a service they are only going to get at set times.
In my experience people who book karaoke will come come from a family of people and friends who like it alot so you will have plenty of singers.
If i were to open karaoke only for a hour or so at most of my gigs where they book it there would be alot of unhappy people.

[DJ Jules]

But i'll say it again if they have paid for it , why restrict the times they can use it. I always tell people when they book karaoke that it will restrict my ability to fill the dance floor.
I also give them the option as to wether they want it for a hour or all night and 99% say all night as they don't fancy paying for a service they are only going to get at set times.

When you say "they've paid for it" can you say roughly what kind of premium they've paid over and above a "normal" disco (say, in percentage terms?) Just curious, as I'm just about to start offering Karaoke as a service and have no idea how to charge for it.

In my experience people who book karaoke will come come from a family of people and friends who like it alot so you will have plenty of singers.
If i were to open karaoke only for a hour or so at most of my gigs where they book it there would be alot of unhappy people.

I've seen that happen.

Julian

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

But i'll say it again if they have paid for it , why restrict the times they can use it.

So you bow down to the client for everything do you and not use your professional judgement?

You have a rammed dance floor, playing some 90s dance classics and someone 'tells' you they want to sing "NOW". Do you spoil the flow and enjoyment of the dancers and let them sing?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

If they know that it's a Karaoke/Disco and not just a Disco then they should be aware that people will be murdering some songs at some point.
I generally do what PP does and that's wait for a fair amount of requests to come in before I kick it off. I will announce regularly that the Karaoke is there and encourage people to browse through the books as that's what I am there to do. If people don't want to sing then fair enough. If people want to dance all night then good luck to them but generally (in my experience), people who book parties that have Karaoke added usually know that their guests will be up for it more than I do.

If the dancefloor is busy then keep it busy. If someone is shouting "NOW!" at you then be polite and tell them they'll have to wait.

[Elite Entertain]

I've done this a few times, including last Friday - you really have to go with the flow on the night, make people aware that karaoke is available and see what happens! Ultimately though, this should all be discussed with the client, if they want the last hour to be disco only, then that is what they get.

Problem with that is, once people start to sing, then you get loads of requests... especially when the alcohol starts to kick in! As a result, I ended up doing the last hour of mainly karaoke last week...

[StarZSoundS]

I find the magic mix is....


One Karaoke followed by two for dancing!!

This is a rule of thumb........before everyone starts leaping on me!!


Keeps everybody happy and allows you time to search for the trax!!



It starts when you get the first request and never finishes on a Karaoke.Stood me in good stead over the years.Of course it helps if you play quality music between the singers to keep the dance floor active.

[Ryu]

So you bow down to the client for everything do you and not use your professional judgement?

You have a rammed dance floor, playing some 90s dance classics and someone 'tells' you they want to sing "NOW". Do you spoil the flow and enjoyment of the dancers and let them sing?

Nope, I'd carry on pleasing the masses until a natural lull in proceedings allowed for the Karaoke person to have their moment.

Like they say in Hot Fuzz..."The Greater Good"

[Excalibur]

So you bow down to the client for everything do you and not use your professional judgement?

You have a rammed dance floor, playing some 90s dance classics and someone 'tells' you they want to sing "NOW". Do you spoil the flow and enjoyment of the dancers and let them sing?

He who pays the piper calls the tune.











Darren, put that stick down! I'd say you have to walk the tightrope. It's surely wrong to ban punters from singing, when it's billed as Karaoke? If there were a magic formula, we'd all be happy.

[Musicman]

As I posted in another thread we`re just testing the water with regards to karaoke but we find the best time to start the karaoke is late in the evening when most people will have drunk enough to lose their inhibitions and get up and sing.

[Vectis]

Because I only have a limited amount of karaoke songs, and because I'm rarely asked for it in any case, I tend to offer it mostly for teens and older kids more than adults.

When I do get an adult party with karaoke I'll agree a sensible number of 'slots' with the host, and once the slots are used up there's no more karaoke

Usually for a 4-hour party we'll suggest no more than 12 slots and once folks realise there's a ration on the karaoke they're usually quick to get their orders in. We can then deal with them in a way that's conducive to keeping the party moving at a reasonable pace.