Frequently Asked Questions
(or should be)

• Is it customary to tip the karaoke host?
• If I tip, will the host get me up to sing sooner?
• What should I sing?
• Can I help out another singer by joining them?
• What if I want more effects when I sing?
• Should I tap or blow into the mic to make sure it's on?
• I've seen big stars cup the head of the mic while they sing. This is a good practice, yes?
• Why did you let someone else sing my song?
• Can you play a song off my thumb drive, disc, or cassette?
• I love that one song! Can you make me a copy of it?
• It's been over an hour since I last sang! Last week you got me up every 20 minutes! What gives??

Is it customary to tip the karaoke host?

Yes. Just as it's customary to tip a bartender or waitress for good service, you should do the same with your karaoke hosts. A general* rule of thumb is $1 each time you sing, however, if your host simply sits on his bum calling people up and putting up their song for them, that is minimal effort, and should be treated similarly to the waiter who merely takes your order, brings your food, and fills your glass once.

If your host attends to your needs while you are singing (adjusts the sound for your individual voice, the various music levels, and effects appropriate to each song, maintains a fair rotation and doesn't monopolize the show with their own singing, dances with you, sings with you when you ask them to, and generally goes above and beyond to make your experience enjoyable) then you should tip accordingly.

* If it's a slow night and you get to sing every third song, leaving a dollar tip for each song you sing is over the top. A five dollar bill at the end of the night is appropriate, and lets the host know you enjoyed the show.

If I tip, will the host get me up to sing sooner?

For many karaoke shows the answer to that is yes. For POETS karaoke, the answer is absolutely not. My rotation is my reputation, and my reputation isn't for sale. Although I need tips to maintain my show, I need the good will and trust of my patrons more. I once worked for a bar owner who insisted I get his wife up to sing more than once a rotation; I didn't change rotation for the man who was giving me my paycheck, and I won't change it for any individual. If my customers thought they had to bribe me for preferential treatment, I wouldn't have many loyal customers for long. If you want to sing more than once a rotation, please book POETS for a private show.

What should I sing?

You should sing something you like, something you are somewhat familiar with, and something that makes you feel good when you sing it. Please don't ask me to pick your song for you; my taste and judgment of your range may be very different from your reality.

Can I help out another singer by joining them?

Only if that person has asked you to do so. It's poor form to ask to join someone onstage after they've started their song; they don't want to appear impolite by refusing. And if the person singing is a stranger to you, the act is unpardonably rude.

• If someone tries to join you onstage, I will attempt to make certain you have invited them to join you before I permit them to stay, so please be sure to communicate your wishes to me.
• If you want someone to sing with you, please get their approval ahead of time and put their name next to yours on your request slip.
• If you get up to sing with someone else on a busy night, this may count as both your turn and the other person's turn for the rotation. Keep this in mind if you still want to be able to sing your solo song before the night ends.

What if I want more effects when I sing?

Professional musicians almost always mix their effects out the "fronts" (through the main speakers), keeping a clean mix coming through their monitors for the best results. For karaoke, I put minimal effects into the performer's monitor so you can still enjoy them while you sing, and I adjust the master effects for the audience. If you would like more effects in your monitor, please let me know when you come up to sing.

Should I tap or blow into the mic to make sure it's on?

Never. POETS microphones are sensitive pieces of gear made for professional performances, not the typical cheap karaoke mics (I don't like to sacrifice sound quality for durability). Blowing into or tapping on a mic causes stress on its diaphragm, reducing its lifespan and sound quality.

• If you want to "check" the mic, just say hello to your audience in a normal voice. Not only will that allow you to reassure yourself that the microphone is on, but will also give you and the sound engineer an impression of the microphone's sensitivity to your voice.
• Never EVER swing the microphone. Would you swing a desktop speaker by its audio cord and still expect it to work? Microphones are no different. I've had to resolder my mic connectors every time someone decides swinging the mic makes for a good show.

I've seen big stars cup the head of the mic while they sing. This is a good practice, yes?

No! When you see that, it's seldom a live performance. Microphones require an open area for optimal sound translation. Cupping them closes off the vibration of your voice from the diaphragm of the mic or, worse yet, causes a loop of replicated vibration that translates into feedback. In the best case, it makes your voice sound tinny and nasal; in the worst case it squeals and makes your audience groan in pain.

• The head of the mic should remain open and about an inch or two from your mouth, and you should sing into the top of it...not the side or over the top.
• Good singers "work" the microphone: as you get louder, pull the mic slightly away from your mouth so you don't overdrive it. Likewise, get closer to the mic as you get softer.
• Support your sound, especially when you get softer. The microphone requires the vibration from your voice to respond, and if you whisper, you still need to project into the mic for it to pick it up properly.
• Never position the mic in front of the speaker or point it downward into the singer's monitor. It causes feedback, and the karaoke host has to constantly adjust the gains to simultaneously avoid the feedback while making the singer's vocals audible.
• Holding the microphone upside-down does not magically transform it into a studio ribbon or condenser mic (if it did, my mics would be broken the first time someone blew into them or rapped them with their fingertips). Use the above tips for the best sound.

Why did you let someone else sing my song?

Anyone can sing any song they want to sing. Karaoke is a time to have fun singing what makes you feel good. Although it's polite to leave others' "signature songs" alone, it's not the host's job to police who sings what song (your signature song may have been someone else's signature song at another bar, perhaps even years before you first sang it). If two people turn in a request for the same song, I'll let the second person know that someone else has turned in a request for that song unless they're sufficiently spaced so the same song is not played twice in a rotation.

Can you play a song off my thumb drive, disc, or cassette?

If there's something you want that's missing in our extensive collection I will be happy to play it off your own disc. However, due to the risk of introducing viruses or pirated music into my show, I will not connect any type of media to my system other than an original manufacturer's CD or DVD. I'm sorry; I know that you can legally download music and use the website's software to burn music you've purchased, but I'm not going to take time out of the show to audit your receipts and CD contents to verify the legality of them, nor will I risk the $35,000 investment I currently have in my music library for one song.

I love that one song! Can you make me a copy of it?

No. The money I paid for my music went to support the people who worked to produced the music and backing vocals, who in turn paid the original artists for the rights to license the karaoke version of their songs. However, I am happy to direct you to websites where you can purchase the songs for yourself.  Most of these run between two and three dollars per song.

It's been over an hour since I last sang! Last week you got me up every 20 minutes! What gives??

When there are 24 people in rotation it will take a lot longer for you to sing than when there are only 5. If you want to calculate how long it will be between your turns, you can figure approximately four minutes per song (some are as short as two-and-a-half minutes, and some as long as eight minutes) times the number of people singing. Once you're in rotation, you're in unless you stop turning in requests. Keep in mind, the length of rotation will change as new singers are added to the rotation or people leave the rotation. Your patience is appreciated by everyone in the bar, as we're all here to have fun and sing.

Believe it or not, I had a guy who would always wait to start singing until an hour or two into the show, then expect me to let him sing more than once a rotation so he could "catch up" to the number of times the other patrons sang before him. I tried to explain the concept of a Ferris wheel, and that the operator doesn't make everyone get off the ride so a late-comer can "catch up" on the revolutions. I do my very best to keep a fair rotation, and to do that I've had to make some strict rules for myself regarding how to handle additions to the rotation.