Starting a Karaoke Entertainment Business

You love to sing, you love karaoke, you've been to lots of karaoke shows, and you're thinking that this would be a great business to be in. You're right, it is a great business for the right person. If you are an outgoing, friendly, personable, and patient person then this could be the job for you.

There is a big difference between singing karaoke in front of a crowd at someone else's show and running a show yourself. The crowd always counts on you for help, guidance, and to be fair with the singer rotation. Your biggest asset will be confidence which comes only with time and experience.

Competition for karaoke gigs is quite stiff in most areas. To be successful you must strive to be the best. This means putting together a great karaoke sound system and learning how to get the most out of it, having a large selection of karaoke music that is regularly updated, and being professional in the way you present yourself and run your shows. Being fair with your singer rotation is of the utmost importance.

Ok, so you've decided to do this thing and you have your system ready to go, now what? Simply put, go hit the streets. Get yourself some business cards and a date book and go visit every bar and club in your area that is known to hire live entertainment. You might offer a low "first performance" price if necessary.

If you have any friends in the karaoke business you might ask them to refer you to any jobs that they can't get to or don't want to do. You can't be too choosey when you're just starting out. You need to build your reputation, notoriety, and following of singers. Refer to the Promoting Your Karaoke Business page for more on this subject.

Contracts
In all my years in this business I have rarely found the need for a written contract. A "hand shake" deal has always worked out well when dealing with bar and club owners. The exceptions being private parties and wedding receptions which have the highest probability of cancelation.

For these types of performances I print out two instances of a simple contract in which myself and the client sign. The contract does not need to contain a lot of conditions and legal disclaimers. You simply want to make sure that the date, time, payment arrangements, and cancelation conditions are understood by both parties.

From the sidelines it may look like running a karaoke show is the easiest thing in the world. You'll soon find out that it is a lot of work that requires your full attention and a lot of patience in putting up with sometimes belligerent people without losing your cool. Unlike being a DJ, you will have very little idle time. I'm not saying that you won't have fun but you must remember that it is a job.

Article by Richard Wise.