Karaoke: East Meets West

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Karaoke: East Meets West (And It’s Always A Mess)
By Laura Leigh Semon

Suffice it to say, most of us have been to a karaoke bar—willingly or otherwise. It’s also likely that, for those of us who have, there’s a vague memory of a middle-aged crooner killing the mood with some early nineties Mariah Carey or an eighties power ballad by Skid Row. For many, there are no rules to karaoke. Once the mic is in your hand you can take it anywhere you want to go, and these days, most people do. So why do bar owners continue to use this undying phenomenon as a legitimate moneymaking patron draw? For the same reason American Idol has been popular all these years, and new reality singing and dancing contests are continually thrust out through our televisions and into our homes. Most people love the spotlight—those fifteen minutes of fame—and for those who don’t, there’s the entertainment value of watching our friends embarrass themselves, or of complete strangers attempting to master the rhymes of The Beastie Boys. There are those who want that attention, and those just there to watch the other bar-goers crash and burn. Either way, they’re all in your bar, and they’re all drinking.

Andy Keith, owner of Wicked Willy’s in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, decided to continue the bar’s already popular karaoke nights when he recently purchased the venue, due to its established fairly large following. Buying a bar and already having faithful patrons seems like an awfully good reason to keep karaoke in one’s establishment. Keith decided to keep the karaoke cavalcade coming three nights a week—Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday—and decided to by his own karaoke machine rather than pay someone to come in and run the event each night. When asked how his staff feels about karaoke nights, Andy assures us that everyone looks forward to them and that the staff even ends up singing most nights. Why does he like it? “It’s comedy, a live music show, it’s everything in one,” he says. “Some people destroy the songs, but some are really good.”

But believe it or not, there are different schools of philosophy when it comes to something so seemingly simplistic as karaoke. The crowded bar scene—with drunken co-eds singing songs from the soundtrack to Grease while their friends cheer wildly—is considered to be “American Karaoke,” by some, including K, the manager of the Sing Sing Karaoke on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village section of New York City, where he runs a proper “Asian Karaoke” establishment. On a recent Thursday night around nine o’clock, a small group of patrons here gathered in a private room. By small, we mean two people. Yes, it’s hard to believe that people come in groups of two—or even alone—to sing karaoke, but K assured karaoke3.gifus that this is what Asian Karaoke is all about. “It is less of a bar scene and more of an event,” he says. “Some people come by themselves to practice their singing.”

Sing Sing does not make much money on alcohol; they only sell beer and wine. They truly owe the majority of their income to karaoke. And unlike its ugly American karaoke counterparts, it doesn’t seem like Sing Sing’s crowd is aiming (or needs) to get drunk before they perform. Patrons can sing with the crowd in the front bar if they choose, but most opt for one of the many private rooms. The largest of these can hold up to 35 people, the smallest (which is about the size of a walk-in closet) will squeeze in up to 13 people on the weekends. Of their three New York City outposts, the Queens Sing Sing location boasts 21 private rooms, the St. Mark’s location, 15, and the Avenue A location, 18. A new Sing Sing venue will open on West 4th Street in New York in July. According to K, “Asian karaoke is about the privacy. Americans mixed it with a social aspect and created bar karaoke.”

For bar owners looking to get a karaoke night started at their own establishments, John from KTS Karaoke, Inc., in Los Angeles (www.ktskaraoke.com), claims that setting up the equipment is easy to install yourself. For good-quality start-up equipment, the costs hover around the $900 to $1,000 range. Top-of-the-line equipment prices can reach $1,500 and beyond. Most DJ and karaoke systems include speakers, an amplifier, wireless microphone, and a DVD and CD player. Some also include songbooks. KTS’ most popular karaoke system is the IDOLpro, which ranges in price from $1,000-$2,000. Prices were similar at Ohio-based LightYear Music (www.lightyearmusic.com), although they also offer a Bose system available for almost $9,000. During these tough economic times, it seems most bars have one gimmick or another to get people through their doors. For some it’s simple drink specials, for others, karaoke does the trick. Whether you’re a fan of the Asian style private rooms or of the big loud American bar karaoke, many bar owners consider the costs of equipment and manpower to run the show is worth the reward of faithful patrons who perform night after night. Don’t stop believing, and always, always hold onto that feeling.

Click here to read the full article “Tuning Up: Karaoke” in the July/August 2009 issue of Bar Business Magazine