Do you have a loyal following?
Break it down to different catagories.
1. Many people always follow me to every job.
2. Some people always follow me to every job.
3. I only see regulars at jobs.
4. A few junkies follow me everywhere.
5. Each bar draws its own crowd and they don't go anywhere else.
Loyal Following?
Historically for me it has been....
I see regulars at every bar and I get a hand full of junkies that go almost everywhere.
Normally each bar gets a good crowd of regulars that show up every week. But they normally don't go to any other bar.
I haven't really been able to explain why more people (singers) won't go to other bars. Just junkies that don't care where they sing.
I see regulars at every bar and I get a hand full of junkies that go almost everywhere.
Normally each bar gets a good crowd of regulars that show up every week. But they normally don't go to any other bar.
I haven't really been able to explain why more people (singers) won't go to other bars. Just junkies that don't care where they sing.
The junkies go to karaoke on nights I play and nights I don't play.
I find the people are more loyal to the bar. The 3 smoking jobs I quit have seen only a very small number of them coming to the nonsmoking bars.
I'm going to say 90% of the people never leave their home base bar. Meaning I never see them at any other bar. This has been the rule for 16 years. They all have a blast during the karaoke, so you would think they would want to continue the fun more nights a week at different bars.
I always have people that want to know where I'm playing. But getting them to leave the comfort of home base seems to be the problem.
I also find them telling me about contests at other bars they go to. They enter the contests. They bytch about the contest winner and how it was judged. Then they show up at my karaoke again after the contest.
When I start a new job, I can count on very few singers from my other jobs being there. It is always me getting new people to come to the bar to build the crowd.
I have a job 32 miles from my house. I knew nobody there. It's their busiest night. Lately there have been a few junkies coming out, but there are not many singers that want to drive 30 miles and drink.
But even at the jobs that are 3 miles away they don't come on a regular basis. At least it's nothing you can count on. The bar crowds are always new people to me. A few of them will become junkies, but not many and not regularly.
I find the people are more loyal to the bar. The 3 smoking jobs I quit have seen only a very small number of them coming to the nonsmoking bars.
I'm going to say 90% of the people never leave their home base bar. Meaning I never see them at any other bar. This has been the rule for 16 years. They all have a blast during the karaoke, so you would think they would want to continue the fun more nights a week at different bars.
I always have people that want to know where I'm playing. But getting them to leave the comfort of home base seems to be the problem.
I also find them telling me about contests at other bars they go to. They enter the contests. They bytch about the contest winner and how it was judged. Then they show up at my karaoke again after the contest.
When I start a new job, I can count on very few singers from my other jobs being there. It is always me getting new people to come to the bar to build the crowd.
I have a job 32 miles from my house. I knew nobody there. It's their busiest night. Lately there have been a few junkies coming out, but there are not many singers that want to drive 30 miles and drink.
But even at the jobs that are 3 miles away they don't come on a regular basis. At least it's nothing you can count on. The bar crowds are always new people to me. A few of them will become junkies, but not many and not regularly.
I think a lot of the one-nighters may be due to work schedules. For instance, when my husband and I started singing karaoke, we followed one KJ to her different shows. At the time she had five nights a week and there were quite a few of us "followers".
Then hubby changed jobs so we had to cut back on our nights out since he was starting work at 6:00 am. Also, the attitude of the KJ changed when she bought the bar that was one of her shows.
We go out on Saturday's now ... and that's pretty much it. We usually frequent the bar closest to our home. We were at one for a couple of years until the city decided they needed to tear it down to make a freeway on-ramp.
Then we wandered around until we found another one we liked.
We have been regulars at our current location for about three years. We like the place and LOVE the KJ. When he isn't working his regular night we either stay home or go to another place.
If he was to move to a different location, the same distance from home, we would probably move with him. I'm not loyal to the bar, I'm loyal to the KJ. He's also pretty loyal to us ... if we are going to be a little late he puts a "Reserved" sign on our table.
As far as our own show goes, we have a handful of folks that we can usually count on to be there every week. Since we only have the one show I don't know if they would follow us or not.
Then hubby changed jobs so we had to cut back on our nights out since he was starting work at 6:00 am. Also, the attitude of the KJ changed when she bought the bar that was one of her shows.
We go out on Saturday's now ... and that's pretty much it. We usually frequent the bar closest to our home. We were at one for a couple of years until the city decided they needed to tear it down to make a freeway on-ramp.
Then we wandered around until we found another one we liked.We have been regulars at our current location for about three years. We like the place and LOVE the KJ. When he isn't working his regular night we either stay home or go to another place.
If he was to move to a different location, the same distance from home, we would probably move with him. I'm not loyal to the bar, I'm loyal to the KJ. He's also pretty loyal to us ... if we are going to be a little late he puts a "Reserved" sign on our table.
As far as our own show goes, we have a handful of folks that we can usually count on to be there every week. Since we only have the one show I don't know if they would follow us or not.
Sabrina the Cat
The one smoking job I quit is 4-5 miles down the road away from the bar I moved to. I have had a few regulars from the smoking bar stop by but none have become regulars at the new place. These jobs are were both on the same night. And they don't like my replacement. But that hasn't stopped them from making the move down the road.
Another smoking job is only 2 miles away from another bar. Different night. Same deal some visiters but no one coming regularly.
Same deal with the 3rd smoking job I quit. I don't have a new job on that night, but no visiters on any other nights. And they don't like my replacement there either.
The smokers aren't leaving the smoking bars.
But the home base bar thing has been going on 16 years that have been doing karaoke. Very few stray off the ranch.
So at every new job it has to build with totally new people. And a few junkies.
I just think it's a very strange thing to happen at so many different jobs. I'm talking about at least a 100 over the 16 years. It has always been like this.
NEW JOB=TOTALLY NEW PEOPLE.....EVERYTIME ...These are usually people I have never met before. New bar, new owner, whole new crowd. I always count on never knowing anyone when I start a new job. If a few junkies do show, I'm surprised. Loyal to one bar and one karaoke night. Unless it's a special occasion.
Another smoking job is only 2 miles away from another bar. Different night. Same deal some visiters but no one coming regularly.
Same deal with the 3rd smoking job I quit. I don't have a new job on that night, but no visiters on any other nights. And they don't like my replacement there either.
The smokers aren't leaving the smoking bars.
But the home base bar thing has been going on 16 years that have been doing karaoke. Very few stray off the ranch.
So at every new job it has to build with totally new people. And a few junkies.
I just think it's a very strange thing to happen at so many different jobs. I'm talking about at least a 100 over the 16 years. It has always been like this.
NEW JOB=TOTALLY NEW PEOPLE.....EVERYTIME ...These are usually people I have never met before. New bar, new owner, whole new crowd. I always count on never knowing anyone when I start a new job. If a few junkies do show, I'm surprised. Loyal to one bar and one karaoke night. Unless it's a special occasion.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. 16 years of KJIng and you can count on 10-12....????
Not even one a year.
That is the part that makes no sense to me...
It's about the same for me and half the time they can't be counted on.
So it comes back to their loyalty to the bar. Not necessarily the bar itself but the crowd the bar attracts. But it's still the "bar."
Even when I moved to a different nearby bar they all stayed there.
Not even one a year.
That is the part that makes no sense to me...
It's about the same for me and half the time they can't be counted on.
So it comes back to their loyalty to the bar. Not necessarily the bar itself but the crowd the bar attracts. But it's still the "bar."
Even when I moved to a different nearby bar they all stayed there.
A singer I haven't seen in many years came in tonight. He had no idea I played there. I gave him my calender.
He saw one place I play and commented about the town in a negative way. He refered to it as downtown. I knew what he was talking about because the town got a bad rap years ago. It used to be controlled by the Mafia. They have left and other entities are present now. It was refered to as GUN town. Meaning everyone had one and so should you, if you went there.
Needless to say one has to be careful at night. But I am nowhere near downtown. It's way on the outskirts in a decent part/area. But it still has the name associated with it. I explained where it was and he knew and understood where it was then.
My point is....even a towns reputation can have a negative effect on your crowd/following. Most towns have good areas and bad. But if people just see the name they could be put off and not want any part of the town/job.
He saw one place I play and commented about the town in a negative way. He refered to it as downtown. I knew what he was talking about because the town got a bad rap years ago. It used to be controlled by the Mafia. They have left and other entities are present now. It was refered to as GUN town.
Meaning everyone had one and so should you, if you went there.Needless to say one has to be careful at night. But I am nowhere near downtown. It's way on the outskirts in a decent part/area. But it still has the name associated with it. I explained where it was and he knew and understood where it was then.
My point is....even a towns reputation can have a negative effect on your crowd/following. Most towns have good areas and bad. But if people just see the name they could be put off and not want any part of the town/job.
I've found I have a mix of just about all of what you've described above. I have some regulars who are regulars of the bar but come on my nights because they know I'm there. I have some regulars who will come to my gigs if they're close by. I have some regulars who only come to my karaoke shows and won't go to anyone else's. It's a big mix. Personally, I don't expect Karaoke to be like a band where you're going to bring a "draw" as such. Many bands have big loyal followings, that just doesn't happen with Karaoke. Like it or not, no matter how good you are, there is just no way to distiguish one Karaoke show enough from another to get that going. It's not like bands where they play different songs, different types of music, etc. We all play the same stuff even if our selections differ and there just isn't that loyalty factor.
I don't play in dives, I treat everyone fairly, they all have fun. 
Just bar loyalists.
Because if they can find Karaoke at every single bar in town, they'll pick based on the bar not on the Karaoke. As long as the Karaoke is passable, they'll go. So now it's all about the bar.
It is somewhat confusing but I've had people talk about singing at a Karaoke show that they had previously told me they hated. I ask them why they go if they hate the Karaoke there and usually it has something to do with something else going on at the bar or the KJ has one particular song that no one else has or something.
Good quality buys you some loyalty, but not nearly as much as it should or even probably used to. Doesn't matter to me, I'm still focused on my quality and professionalism and I do believe in the long run it still will pay dividends.
It is somewhat confusing but I've had people talk about singing at a Karaoke show that they had previously told me they hated. I ask them why they go if they hate the Karaoke there and usually it has something to do with something else going on at the bar or the KJ has one particular song that no one else has or something.
Good quality buys you some loyalty, but not nearly as much as it should or even probably used to. Doesn't matter to me, I'm still focused on my quality and professionalism and I do believe in the long run it still will pay dividends.
