Karaoke Manners
There are some widely accepted and observed Rules of Karaoke Etiquette you should keep in mind when you’re out having fun singing:
- Respect the Singer. Remember that each singer has awaited his or her turn to sing. Don’t get up and sing along with them unless they ask for your help. It’s also bad manners to sing so loudly from your table that you can be heard above them. The same holds for groups. Talking so loud that the singer cannot hear the music or be heard by the audience is just plain rude.
- Drinking and Smoking. Don’t bring drinks or cigarettes (in states which allow smoking in karaoke bars) to the stage.
- Singing While Drunk. While you might need a little “liquid courage” to get up to sing, please don’t sing while you’re obviously drunk. You might think you sound wonderful, but you probably don’t.
- Applaud Everyone. No matter how talented the singer, offer your applause when he or she finishes performing. Even if the singer was off-key, it took courage to get up and sing. Besides, karaoke is more about fun than about having a professional talent level. Making fun of the singer reflects badly on you.
- Respect the rotation. Don’t sign up more than one song at a time, try to sign up under different names or to sing multiple times with various duet partners. KJs try hard to keep the rotation fair and to see everyone gets to sing. Other singers get more than a little annoyed if you’ve sung twice before they’ve gotten to sing once. Trying to muck up the rotation may get you banned from singing at that venue.
- Respect the Equipment and Your Audience. Never scream into the microphone or swing it around by the cord. Not only doesn’t it make you look cool, but the microphone could disconnect from the cord and hit someone. This practice is damaging to expensive equipment. And don’t scream into the microphone for any reason. It’s childish and painful to the audience.
- Support Your Venue. Let the place holding karaoke know you appreciate and support karaoke by purchasing food and beverages. They have to pay the KJ and, sometimes, purchase disks and equipment. If you sit and drink water all night, every night, they’re not making any money and may decide karaoke isn’t a good idea. So support your venue!
- Remember Your Bartender, Servers and KJ. If you like the service and your KJ is doing a good job, remember to tip them. It’s a tangible way to let them know you appreciate their good service.
Keeping good manners when you go out to sing make karaoke an enjoyable experience for everyone.
