Edited for your approval

[CerealKiller]

The bar where I work recently ask me to edit out all rap reggie and alot of modern pop. How many of you have to edit your music at the places you work?

While I understand why and I did edit I don't agree with it. Does ice ice baby really hurt anyone? On a side note the admin edit one of my comments where i used the word for a "omnipotent being" I was unaware that this was a bad word.

How do you feel about censoring your music selection?

[Lonman]

We have had to edit out anything with language content for the last 12 years. Reason being was we used to have a bunch of college age kids that would come in, buy a couple pitchers between a table of several, sing the f-bomb songs & usually end up in a fight at some point. The bar got sick of it & requested that I pull out ALL of the songs they sang - which 98% were songs with language content. I opposed it, but not wanting to walk away from the money I was making, agreed. What I did expect was we lost that crowd, what I didn't expect was gaining a BETTER class of singer & better spenders overall. I quit complaining after that & will tell anyone that really HAS to sing an f-bomb song where they can go to sing it. They usually stay & abide by the rules.

Ice Ice Baby I have no problem with.

[swany]

One bar I work at no rap at all DJ or KJ, I do baby got back and that they accept because of the lady dancers. Don't want the hip hop or rap because of the content yet after 11pm, I'm allowed a bunch of X-Rated parodies. Like the X version of summer nights gets very explicit in the lyrics. A parody of Otis Redding , Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, instead is Sittin on the %ock of the day. So go figure, they like modern rock, oldies and country but no rap or hip hop. Another gig at a college bar, mostly hip hop and anything goes. Cater to your employers, and you'll have work. Kind of lousy you have to remake your books. I just tell them pick something different I've been asked not to sing/play it here, or meet me at my other show on another night.

[WDEWDAD7]

I think most of us in this business has had to do some degree of censorship at times. Most of it is simply following the flow and age of your crowd, and using some " common sense". I know when you buy discs, you sometimes get songs you don't really care for on them, so, you can either add them to your book or not. I always seem to have someone who wants to sing "Aenema" and "I " am the one who decides if it gets sung or not. Most of the time, the singer requesting understands. Then there is " Ode To My Car ". Like the previous post, it's funny how people are offended buy one song, but, EVERYONE sings along with " The Rodeo Song "!! The hardest part for me is I also do karaoke for kids at summer camp. It is real tough trying to screen their songs. They try to sneak them in on me. KIDS!! I for one am not in favor of censorship. Then it becomes a question of WHO makes that decision and what is offensive or not. I think common sense rules. However, that opens another door, because I have also seen " common sense " get blown right out of the water. Daryl.

[bobcox- with the Lord]

to make it easy.
all songs in my books that are adult are marked.
makes it easy on me.

Ode To My Car (Adult)
Strokin (Adult Content)

This way i can anonce No adult songs, or songs with adult content.
needed for private clubs and partys.

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by bobcox

to make it easy.
all songs in my books that are adult are marked.
makes it easy on me.

Ode To My Car (Adult)
Strokin (Adult Content)

This way i can anonce No adult songs, or songs with adult content.
needed for private clubs and partys.

Bob, maybe you should use the same ratings they use for CDs now, so you know what it is rated for like language, sexual content, etc.

[Monolithent]

One of the places I am working now has very specific rules about what gets played. No Rap, Hip Hop, R & B, Hard Metal, Slow Country, slow songs, or extreme bad language on just my DJ stuff. I can still let people sing anything they want and it kind of helps with the people who don't like the stuff that I can still play. It's a pain because everyone comes up and asks if I have this or that (which I usually do) but I can't play it. Actually had a guy want to fight over it one night. Kept telling him that it isn't my decision but he wouldn't hear it.
The reason it started the problem was that the owner backed off of his rules one time for a pretty girl and the guy heard it.

Moral of the story. If you're gonna limit your selections make sure the bar staff understands what it might mean to make special exceptions to the rules. And that the staff understands they must stick to their guns on the rules.

[CerealKiller]

Thanks for the comments. luckely I can still do songs with adult content, although the owners wife wanted to get rid of those. I told the owner we are all over 21 here, are you gonna kick paying customers out if they say bad words, well then why not let them sing them. Its a harsh reality but something I guess I can live with. I would still like to talk the owner into some songs like "baby got back" or some old stuff people can dance to.
most of the bad stuff just came on the same disc with other songs.

It was the hardest thing i ever had to do decide what to keep and what not to but he told me to take out alot and maybe some whould come back.

I also told him that it was not the singers causing problems they come to sing and have a good time. he agreed but said it was the people that were attracted by some of these songs that he wanted to get rid of.

we don't choose what people want to sing and sometimes they sing stuff the crowd doesn't like but isn't that part of karaoke the good and the bad.

[bryant]

Originally Posted by CerealKiller

Thanks for the comments. luckely I can still do songs with adult content, although the owners wife wanted to get rid of those. I told the owner we are all over 21 here, are you gonna kick paying customers out if they say bad words, well then why not let them sing them. Its a harsh reality but something I guess I can live with. I would still like to talk the owner into some songs like "baby got back" or some old stuff people can dance to.
most of the bad stuff just came on the same disc with other songs.

It was the hardest thing i ever had to do decide what to keep and what not to but he told me to take out alot and maybe some whould come back.

I also told him that it was not the singers causing problems they come to sing and have a good time. he agreed but said it was the people that were attracted by some of these songs that he wanted to get rid of.

we don't choose what people want to sing and sometimes they sing stuff the crowd doesn't like but isn't that part of karaoke the good and the bad.

Exactly, people come in to drink, swear, and do what they can get away with at a bar, let's face it! Most of them will sing what they want, and I think the bar owner is aware of that, if he is there to make money.

[admin]

Originally Posted by CerealKiller

On a side note the admin edit one of my comments where i used the word for a "omnipotent being" I was unaware that this was a bad word.

Forums are an interesting form of communications. I have learned over the past 6-7 years we have made MTU.Community available, just like your bar owners have learned, that the class of folks you attract is to a large part determined by the standards you hold to.

At MTU.Community, I don't allow cussing, insults, or hot-headed flamers so we can all COMMUNICATE respectfully. I'm more lenient in the "Singers & Hosts Wisdom" Fourm as it is not for reporting MTU SW problems.

However, I personally find it very offensive for someone to use ***'s Holy name in vain. If you don't know ***, who created the Universe, who created you for His glory and His purpose, and who protects you in ways you may never imagine, then you should visit a Church where the Bible is taught. Don't go somewhere where a so-called "pastor" expounds what he believes *** meant, twisting the Truth into lies. To use ***'s name in vain is a sin... it breaks ***'s heart. I protect His good name in our Forums.

I'm sure you think "CerealKiller" is cute for who you are known here. However, in a society that is going downhill at a rapid rate, to me it shows poor judgment. If you were ever suspected in a murder case, you would SERIOUSLY regret ever having used CerealKIller.

Every day, I TRY to keep my character and my reputation honest and upstanding. If that turns anyone off, so be it. My Father left me His good, respected name, and I have kept it respectable as I passed it on to the 3 adults I sired... in marriage.

Like many in MTU.Community, I'' be 60 in April. However... we encourage all ages. We need younger adults participation and ideas to make our products the best possible for all ages.

Oh yes... I have blocked a number of "ex-members" from even viewing these Forums. They have to really be obnoxious, and other members report them to me before I block them. You are seeing respectful members here who appreciate the opportunity to communicate with other Karaoke interested members.

I hope you have a great day, blessed by my Heavenly Father!

[swany]

Amen, to all you've said. I do like to live a respectful life. I like others do slip now and then. I do hope I'm forgiven during lapses in judgement. I come here to learn and pass on what I've learned. Just a PS, I just loaded the latest version of hoster and microstudio it is the best.

[Lonman]

Originally Posted by bryant

Exactly, people come in to drink, swear, and do what they can get away with at a bar, let's face it! Most of them will sing what they want, and I think the bar owner is aware of that, if he is there to make money.

That all depends on the type of bar I suppose. We get kids trying to get away with cussing over the mic, we give them a warning & they are fine, if they do it again, they are cut off from singing & most likely the bar as well as they are typically too drunk to stop on their own and sometimes even asked to leave. Our bar owner does not like cussing in the bar & WILL tell people to knock it off. I t hasn't hurt the reputation of the bar at all & still have great crowds. She is also the one in the same who asked for all profanity music removed out of the book. It's not been a problem since 95 & we'll tell people other places they can go if they want to cuss over the mics - usually they don't leave & accept & respect the rules.
But as far as them WANTING to come in & do what they like, that's not true, they come in to have a couple drinks, maybe have some dinner, sing a few songs with friends & have a good time. We rarely have any problems anymore since we got rid of the songs people want to scream the fbombs words in.

[CerealKiller]

I appreciate the admim taking time to respond to my side note and I do think you do a great job of keeping these forums clean however I do not feel i used the lords name in vain maybe if i said "by gods grace I hope to be a kj until the day I die." and it's Cereal not serial. the only thing I kill is frosted flakes.

[bobcox- with the Lord]

There Grrrrrrrrreat.
yea i like em to.

[bryant]

Originally Posted by Lonman

That all depends on the type of bar I suppose. We get kids trying to get away with cussing over the mic, we give them a warning & they are fine, if they do it again, they are cut off from singing & most likely the bar as well as they are typically too drunk to stop on their own and sometimes even asked to leave. Our bar owner does not like cussing in the bar & WILL tell people to knock it off. I t hasn't hurt the reputation of the bar at all & still have great crowds. She is also the one in the same who asked for all profanity music removed out of the book. It's not been a problem since 95 & we'll tell people other places they can go if they want to cuss over the mics - usually they don't leave & accept & respect the rules.
But as far as them WANTING to come in & do what they like, that's not true, they come in to have a couple drinks, maybe have some dinner, sing a few songs with friends & have a good time. We rarely have any problems anymore since we got rid of the songs people want to scream the fbombs words in.

Ya, I DO agree with you there, Lonnie. What I really meant was people will come in and sing what they want from the book. I also, as most bar owners do, consider direct swearing into the mic to be really tasteless. Most bars in Maine have a sign posted behind the bar, too.
But, I guess there are a lot of songs that have f___ in the words, showing the dashes after the F too. And when they sing it in full, some bars seem to mind, and some don't.

[Lonman]

Originally Posted by bryant

Ya, I DO agree with you there, Lonnie. What I really meant was people will come in and sing what they want from the book.

This is correct as well, but if it isn't there, they won't have that option

[bryant]

Originally Posted by Lonman

This is correct as well, but if it isn't there, they won't have that option

Exactly.

[karaoke koyote]

I think common sense has to rule, but unfortunately common sense is not that common.

At the bar I let just about anything in, although one night I got a surprise on this one rap song... where every other word was an F bomb or a vulgar sexual reference.

Hey, I got 10K plus song in my library, I haven't listened to all of 'em!

Of course... that song or anyone like has never been played again.

Not too long ago, I was doing a gig at a church...an 8 year old's 1st holy communion... now it was liberal as things go... the little girl got up an did a rock'in version of "Redneck Woman"... I didn't know whether to be impressed and taken by the cuteness, or mortified...lol.

The family liked it, so it was cool I guess .

Not too long after that a 13ish year old girl requested to do "baby got back", and I just said no way. I don't know what the family thought, but I know I didn't want to hear this young girl sing, "I'm long, I'm strong ...yadda, yadda"

She was miffed, I could tell, but she didn't pay me. As it was, I got two more gigs outta that one, so I felt I made good choices... but it can be challenging, but hey, thats why we get paid, and what also makes it fun!