KaraokeHo
18-09-2008, 11:16 PM
I read this on another forum and it was titled "What KJs know that DJs don't" and it had more "thanks" nods than any other post I'd ever seen. It really makes a lot of sense:
- When you're doing DJ work, you're creating a music and dance environment that people want to get lost in, have a few drinks and forget the entire work week that preceeded. The more music, lights, and no stopping and people will love you. That's usually what attracts people to DJ work. It's the love people have for what you do for them. A lot of DJs entire ego is based around how well they impress their audience, and that's perfectly ok.
- What sets karaoke apart by a mile is that fundemental thinking that you're the center of the show. In fact, that is the entire difference between DJ work and running a karaoke show.
- In karaoke, the singers want to be the center of the show for those few minutes they're up on stage.
- In most karaoke bars (at least the good ones), the majority of people sitting out there are there in anticipation of singing.
- the occassional dance song (no more than once an hour if there's a decent rotation) is just fine and usually acts as a great ice breaker for all the anticipation out there in the crowd.
- Any other music other than dance (if it has vocals), is nothing more than a reminder to all listening what its "supposed to sound like". Its a subtle psychological thing, but people who are coming to the show to be the star for their 5 minutes don't even need to hear something that sets the bar higher.
- The people who come to karaoke shows are generally much more down to earth folks, who although like the people who go dancing, like to use karaoke as their weekly "escape", but I've noticed that they do like to talk more amongst themselves. There's the talk about how good each singer is. There's the talking to the last singer and patting them on the back (if they deserve it). There's more social interaction than the usual guys trying to get laid and the girls trying to be "lay worthy" and all the silly little games that go with that. With that in mind, during a DJ show, a constant high volume of music expected. During a karaoke show however, the breaks between singers should NOT be filled with more high volume music as a filler. The best shows actually have nothing playing between singers, and for good reason. It gives people a minute or so to absord the last singers performance, and it also acts like a glass of water between courses of a good dinner. Each song has a different "mood", and you can't simply slam one right after another. Remember, in karaoke, people singing want to be paid attention to and its your job to put the crowds attention on the singer. The entire crowd is not in a dance coma and their attention IS supposed to be focused in one direction.
- After a person has sung, its not good for the KJ to comment on the singers performance. Many new KJs make this mistake. Obviously you're not going to tell people when they suck, so you simply end up looking like a Paula Abdul who can't say a bad thing about anyone. Let the crowd do the talking with their applause (or lack thereof). You have to stay neutral. Remember who the attention is supposed to be on.
- If you must play songs between singers, make them at a noticably lower volume. You need to establish the difference between when the crowd is supposed to pay attention and when they're not. This is very important. Likewise, and this is also very important (and this is where a lot of DJs make their biggest mistake), is to not to create a "show" between singers. No flashing lights, no videos playing on screens, and most importantly, shut up. If the bar requests you mention the specials once an hour, so be it, but just remember who the attention is supposed to be on. THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF TIME PAID TO AND FOCUSED ON SINGERS WILL MAKE SINGERS WANT TO COME BACK!!! Singers are who you want to attract, period.
- Sound is much more important in a karaoke show. In a dance club, the people are trying to get "lost" in the music, and when they do, the ability for your tweeters to hit the highest end of your EQ band doesn't mean squat to them. Yes, the occasional audiophile may enter the establishment and compliment you if your sound system is in peak audio condition, but lets face it, as long as its loud, you've kept over 95% of your audience. Karaoke is a whole different ball game. People are MUCH more focused on what they're hearing. Singers almost always flock to the places where they sound the best.
- If you rank in the top 10% of singers (vocally), you shouldn't be singing in the rotation. In fact, you shouldn't be a KJ if your livelyhood depends on it if that's the reason you got into it, because you're not going to make a great living by intimidating people. You are the KJ, and everyone there knows it, and, if you can also outsing them, well, you've just been a bit too dominating. Although even good singers expect to hear someone better than themselves here and there, they're surely not going to be comfortable coming every week if they know that same person will be in EVERY rotation, AND is the KJ!
...SO, in a nutshell, if you're a DJ about to get into karaoke, and if you have a good ear for sound, and you think you can TRULY run a show that isn't centered around you, you just might make it.
- When you're doing DJ work, you're creating a music and dance environment that people want to get lost in, have a few drinks and forget the entire work week that preceeded. The more music, lights, and no stopping and people will love you. That's usually what attracts people to DJ work. It's the love people have for what you do for them. A lot of DJs entire ego is based around how well they impress their audience, and that's perfectly ok.
- What sets karaoke apart by a mile is that fundemental thinking that you're the center of the show. In fact, that is the entire difference between DJ work and running a karaoke show.
- In karaoke, the singers want to be the center of the show for those few minutes they're up on stage.
- In most karaoke bars (at least the good ones), the majority of people sitting out there are there in anticipation of singing.
- the occassional dance song (no more than once an hour if there's a decent rotation) is just fine and usually acts as a great ice breaker for all the anticipation out there in the crowd.
- Any other music other than dance (if it has vocals), is nothing more than a reminder to all listening what its "supposed to sound like". Its a subtle psychological thing, but people who are coming to the show to be the star for their 5 minutes don't even need to hear something that sets the bar higher.
- The people who come to karaoke shows are generally much more down to earth folks, who although like the people who go dancing, like to use karaoke as their weekly "escape", but I've noticed that they do like to talk more amongst themselves. There's the talk about how good each singer is. There's the talking to the last singer and patting them on the back (if they deserve it). There's more social interaction than the usual guys trying to get laid and the girls trying to be "lay worthy" and all the silly little games that go with that. With that in mind, during a DJ show, a constant high volume of music expected. During a karaoke show however, the breaks between singers should NOT be filled with more high volume music as a filler. The best shows actually have nothing playing between singers, and for good reason. It gives people a minute or so to absord the last singers performance, and it also acts like a glass of water between courses of a good dinner. Each song has a different "mood", and you can't simply slam one right after another. Remember, in karaoke, people singing want to be paid attention to and its your job to put the crowds attention on the singer. The entire crowd is not in a dance coma and their attention IS supposed to be focused in one direction.
- After a person has sung, its not good for the KJ to comment on the singers performance. Many new KJs make this mistake. Obviously you're not going to tell people when they suck, so you simply end up looking like a Paula Abdul who can't say a bad thing about anyone. Let the crowd do the talking with their applause (or lack thereof). You have to stay neutral. Remember who the attention is supposed to be on.
- If you must play songs between singers, make them at a noticably lower volume. You need to establish the difference between when the crowd is supposed to pay attention and when they're not. This is very important. Likewise, and this is also very important (and this is where a lot of DJs make their biggest mistake), is to not to create a "show" between singers. No flashing lights, no videos playing on screens, and most importantly, shut up. If the bar requests you mention the specials once an hour, so be it, but just remember who the attention is supposed to be on. THE HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF TIME PAID TO AND FOCUSED ON SINGERS WILL MAKE SINGERS WANT TO COME BACK!!! Singers are who you want to attract, period.
- Sound is much more important in a karaoke show. In a dance club, the people are trying to get "lost" in the music, and when they do, the ability for your tweeters to hit the highest end of your EQ band doesn't mean squat to them. Yes, the occasional audiophile may enter the establishment and compliment you if your sound system is in peak audio condition, but lets face it, as long as its loud, you've kept over 95% of your audience. Karaoke is a whole different ball game. People are MUCH more focused on what they're hearing. Singers almost always flock to the places where they sound the best.
- If you rank in the top 10% of singers (vocally), you shouldn't be singing in the rotation. In fact, you shouldn't be a KJ if your livelyhood depends on it if that's the reason you got into it, because you're not going to make a great living by intimidating people. You are the KJ, and everyone there knows it, and, if you can also outsing them, well, you've just been a bit too dominating. Although even good singers expect to hear someone better than themselves here and there, they're surely not going to be comfortable coming every week if they know that same person will be in EVERY rotation, AND is the KJ!
...SO, in a nutshell, if you're a DJ about to get into karaoke, and if you have a good ear for sound, and you think you can TRULY run a show that isn't centered around you, you just might make it.