Hey all...
My nights are being invaded by lounge lizards -- guys who want to sing every song from open to close. They're above average singers. But they hardly drink a drop, they tip like crap, and they hog the mic (not to mention make others lose interest in singing).
They ALSO watch the queue like hawks and complain like crazy if they feel they've been slighted.
I now have four who come to one show every single week. Four.
One would be ok...but four...and sometimes five...is painful.
Have others encountered similar invasions and how do you handle them>
Irritating lounge lizards
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BillMillerinTexas
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:43 pm
- Location: Texas
First of all...I control the microphones. I give one to the singer and if they want someone singing with them...they can get another microphone.
If someone wants to just come up and grab a microphone and start singing with a singer...I tell them....no...I control the volume...I have had people singing into microphones that were not turned up...If they think they are singing along...so what...the joke is on them...
I control my shows...lizard is more like asshole...sit down and wait your turn
One thing you could do...especially if they don't like other people singing with them....every time it's their turn...hand out extra microphones to the worst singers so they can help ruin their song..maybe they will get the hint...
water drinkers and no money spenders are really becoming prevalent...it's not my job to police who is drinking what...I treat everyone fairly....if the owner or manager or bartender wants to tell them to take a hike...it's up to them....
But a full bar looks more enticing than an empty one...even if nobody is drinking...It doesn't pay the bills though..
If someone wants to just come up and grab a microphone and start singing with a singer...I tell them....no...I control the volume...I have had people singing into microphones that were not turned up...If they think they are singing along...so what...the joke is on them...
I control my shows...lizard is more like asshole...sit down and wait your turn
One thing you could do...especially if they don't like other people singing with them....every time it's their turn...hand out extra microphones to the worst singers so they can help ruin their song..maybe they will get the hint...
water drinkers and no money spenders are really becoming prevalent...it's not my job to police who is drinking what...I treat everyone fairly....if the owner or manager or bartender wants to tell them to take a hike...it's up to them....
But a full bar looks more enticing than an empty one...even if nobody is drinking...It doesn't pay the bills though..
I'm not sure I understand what the problem is. How can they hog the mic without you permitting it? If you run a fair rotation who cares how close they watch it. They sing on their turn like everyone else.
As far as not drinking and tipping are concerned, that's not your problem. If the bar lets them in you have to treat them the same as the biggest spenders.
As far as not drinking and tipping are concerned, that's not your problem. If the bar lets them in you have to treat them the same as the biggest spenders.
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BillMillerinTexas
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2012 5:43 pm
- Location: Texas
I need to explain this better.
They arrive early and fill the queue. They put in cards with 15-20 songs at a time. There's four of them and sometimes five. If I have 15 singers, they take up a third of the queue.
EACH one believes "they" are the show. They try to tell jokes...try to make announcements...talk about the song or the singer they just covered... (I now turn off their mics and say things like -- don't do that! -- but they keep trying.)
Worst of all...they get there early and take up the best tables in the house (they usually each have a girl friend in tow). Then they DON'T DRINK!!! NONE OF 'EM! And, I'm told, on their measley bar tabs, they don't tip worth a crap!
So...they're driving away better patrons. (And that matters to me because my wife is a manager/bartender.)
They arrive early and fill the queue. They put in cards with 15-20 songs at a time. There's four of them and sometimes five. If I have 15 singers, they take up a third of the queue.
EACH one believes "they" are the show. They try to tell jokes...try to make announcements...talk about the song or the singer they just covered... (I now turn off their mics and say things like -- don't do that! -- but they keep trying.)
Worst of all...they get there early and take up the best tables in the house (they usually each have a girl friend in tow). Then they DON'T DRINK!!! NONE OF 'EM! And, I'm told, on their measley bar tabs, they don't tip worth a crap!
So...they're driving away better patrons. (And that matters to me because my wife is a manager/bartender.)
I would have no problem with them coming in early and turning in songs. When the show starts they will each get one turn per rotation just like everyone else.
There would be NO telling jokes or talking on the mics as I would not make their mic live until the song starts and I would kill it after the last line in the song. Do this every time they sing and they'll eventually stop trying.
I run a very fair singer rotation and I have a three strike policy for those who complain about not singing enough. The second time you nag me about it you get a warning... the third time you're done singing for the night.
I refer to the kind of people you're talking about as karaoke freeloaders. It's up to the bar owner to handle these people. One thing I find more and more bars doing is to charge a cover charge and the customer is given a couple of tokens that amount to the price of the cover. They can then, on that night only, redeem the tokens at the bar for drinks or whatever.
The people who are there to spend money have no problem with paying the cover because it costs them nothing in the end. The freeloaders typically turn around and go elsewhere to mooch karaoke.
There would be NO telling jokes or talking on the mics as I would not make their mic live until the song starts and I would kill it after the last line in the song. Do this every time they sing and they'll eventually stop trying.
I run a very fair singer rotation and I have a three strike policy for those who complain about not singing enough. The second time you nag me about it you get a warning... the third time you're done singing for the night.
I refer to the kind of people you're talking about as karaoke freeloaders. It's up to the bar owner to handle these people. One thing I find more and more bars doing is to charge a cover charge and the customer is given a couple of tokens that amount to the price of the cover. They can then, on that night only, redeem the tokens at the bar for drinks or whatever.
The people who are there to spend money have no problem with paying the cover because it costs them nothing in the end. The freeloaders typically turn around and go elsewhere to mooch karaoke.
I agree with wisguy on this.
Put up a notice to the effect that singers will get one song per rotation and most importantly, that the rotation will expand or reduce, depending on the number of singers in it.
You're in control of the mikes, not the singers.
He's also correct about the lack of drink buying. That's the bars problem, NOT yours.
Sandy.
Put up a notice to the effect that singers will get one song per rotation and most importantly, that the rotation will expand or reduce, depending on the number of singers in it.
You're in control of the mikes, not the singers.
He's also correct about the lack of drink buying. That's the bars problem, NOT yours.
Sandy.
I control the volume...I turn on the mike right before the singing part of the song and the volume goes off when the singing part ends...It's very rare someone sneaks in an announcement....If they want to blab before the song during the intro...I keep the volume off until they are ready to sing the first syllable..
You could say something to the owner about them chasing away..."Paying" customers and you need to strongly say the word PAYING or the bar owner will not get it...let him know about their behavior....but be careful ...they could be his friends...tell them their obnoxious stunts are keeping people away and lie and say the ones that stopped coming are because of them...
I don't care if people turn in 500 song slips....they each get a pile in the rotation and they get one song per rotation...No duet crap we sing twice....One song for each singer ...if your name is the first one on the slip...you get credit for that song..
Nothing burns me more than idiots and buttholes...
I don't care if they bring sleeping bags and get there the night before....one song per rotation..
You could say something to the owner about them chasing away..."Paying" customers and you need to strongly say the word PAYING or the bar owner will not get it...let him know about their behavior....but be careful ...they could be his friends...tell them their obnoxious stunts are keeping people away and lie and say the ones that stopped coming are because of them...
I don't care if people turn in 500 song slips....they each get a pile in the rotation and they get one song per rotation...No duet crap we sing twice....One song for each singer ...if your name is the first one on the slip...you get credit for that song..
Nothing burns me more than idiots and buttholes...
I don't care if they bring sleeping bags and get there the night before....one song per rotation..
