Country Dancing & Karaoke

[CochrellGary]

Here's my situation. We recently got a gig at a country/western lounge that has a live country dance band every night from 10pm to 2am. To try and increase business the lounge is having karaoke from 6pm to 10pm on Monday evening. We are finding that we attract a decent karaoke crowd but 99% of them leave when the karaoke is finished. They are not staying for the live band and the dancing. The manager of the lounge is expressing some concern. My questions to the forum are:
1. Is the manager expecting too much from a karaoke show? Is it realistic to expect a karaoke show to draw in and keep a late Monday night dance crowd?
2. Are any KJ's in the same situation and if so do you have any success?

I want to help out the lounge, that's why I'm there. But I have a feeling that I may be trying to mix oil and water and I should tell the manager to stick with country/western dance and forget karaoke. HELP!

Gary

[kjzone]

My opinion.....

1. Looks like you are doing your job for the lounge, bringing in customers for the Karaoke.

2. Karaoke people want to SING. They don't want to stay for the live band and dance. Also probably they also have to go to work the next morning.

3. Looks like the Lounge Owner should Increase Karaoke Nights and perhaps decrease with the live band.

[chucke]

Gary,
Had this Karaoke job on a military base, we had a good following, the singers really enjoyed singing. We started with Thursday nights, then added Friday ( which was supposed to be Salsa night), then took on Saturday night (which was country night). It kind of hurt a little because the country band was my friends.
In the begging I plugged their country band to get the crowd to see them and I even tried to play more country songs on karaoke, and mix in some country music sets (3 songs) as a karaoke music break. But in the end Karaoke won over, it is true though that karaoke singers just want to sing, sing and sing.....

[Alan Bingham]

Seems to me you have the best hours for a Monday night, Most people have to go to work on Tuesday, they are not going to drink as much on a Monday, and they are going to go home about 10:00 or 11:00 at the latest, the band doesnt have the hours, you have the best hours, now if they were doing this on a friday and Saturday night, you would see the place is kinda dead up until 10:00 and then the people would start showing up.

Nothing about your show, just a fact they people get home and take a bit of a rest before they go out, I don't get to where I sing until about 10:00 on Friday or Saturdays just because I am too busy some times to get out that early, however I buy dinner at 10:00 and drink a few drinks before I leave.

Alan Bingham

Originally posted by CochrellGary
Here's my situation. We recently got a gig at a country/western lounge that has a live country dance band every night from 10pm to 2am. To try and increase business the lounge is having karaoke from 6pm to 10pm on Monday evening. We are finding that we attract a decent karaoke crowd but 99% of them leave when the karaoke is finished. They are not staying for the live band and the dancing. The manager of the lounge is expressing some concern. My questions to the forum are:
1. Is the manager expecting too much from a karaoke show? Is it realistic to expect a karaoke show to draw in and keep a late Monday night dance crowd?
2. Are any KJ's in the same situation and if so do you have any success?

I want to help out the lounge, that's why I'm there. But I have a feeling that I may be trying to mix oil and water and I should tell the manager to stick with country/western dance and forget karaoke. HELP!

Gary

[Alan Bingham]

Originally posted by CochrellGary
1. Is the manager expecting too much from a karaoke show? Is it realistic to expect a karaoke show to draw in and keep a late Monday night dance crowd?
2. Are any KJ's in the same situation and if so do you have any success?

I want to help out the lounge, that's why I'm there. But I have a feeling that I may be trying to mix oil and water and I should tell the manager to stick with country/western dance and forget karaoke. HELP!

Gary

In re-reading your questings, let me give my answers.

to 1, YES he is asking too much.

2. No coment on this question.

my thoughts, tell him to drop the country/western dancing thing, and keep the Karaoke every night.

[bspaint]

I agree with kjzone. Karaoke singers want to here themselves sing. My weekend gig is almost gone because the tavern owners have brought in some live bands and elvis impersonaters and my singers have went else where to sing. the owners just don't get it.