Dipping my toe

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by G-Force

Danny G, you really need to raise your rates. 125 for a four hour show is ridiculously low. A good rule of thumb is start negotiating at 225 for a four hour show. If you have to settle at about 150 to get the gig I can understand that but anything less is just insane. I am sure you are worth much more than that. Think of how much you have invested in equipment and music. I easily have over 20,000 dollars in cdg's alone, not including the equipment or dj music. Don't sell yourself short. You are walking in with 30,000 dollars worth of equipment and working for 125? Be careful you will get the reputation as "that guy who does karaoke for $125", and you will have a hard time getting more. Bar owners do talk to each other. I know this from experience. That and rates like that make it difficult for all KJ's to get what they really deserve. I remember a time when a 4 hour weekly bar gig paid $350. I only wish that was the case now, but the scumballs running burns have ruined it for all of us legitamate operators.

How much someone makes in a market other than your own is a bit irrelevant. Supply and demand seems to be working in G-Force's favor but that's not the case in many markets including my own. Nobody's been able to command 225 around here in several years. As more and more singers see "easy money" in karaoke, start doing their own shows, the supply just gets bigger faster than the demand gets bigger. My area was just hitting the saturation point when I started 5 years ago and is now totally awash in karaoke companies. Unless you are lucky enough to pick up an indian casino the market around here is paying 100 - $150.

Sam

[G-Force]

Being totally awash in karaoke companies isn't the problem. The problem is that people are settling for these low rates. If everybody held out for more they would get more. We all need to band together and work to bring the rates back up.
Not too long ago I had a 2 night a week gig I took from one of those 100 dollar a night people. Since it was 2 nights a week I gave the guy a break at 150 a night for 4 hours. Not two weeks later he wanted to lower my fee to 100 a night and I walked. Boy was he surprised! He called me back a couple weeks later. Too bad for him because I had already filled both those nights at 200 a pop. If I go about 40 minutes west of here I can get as much as 275 for a 5 hour show on a weekend. And this in the Chicago Suburbs. And if you think it isn't saturated out here, think again. We even have a local magazine dedicated to karaoke! See http://www.karaokenitelife.org If you offer a premium service, they will pay for it. Just make sure you have a way to differentiate yourself from the others and you will get it.