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Been so long since I did a contest (over 2 years) what are people doing now. I mean 1) how long should the contest run. 2) How to devide the prrize structure. 3) catagories. 4) gender. 5) Most importantly keep people from getting upset (at the bar) when they don't win. 6) Judges.. etc

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Without getting into the arguments about why you should or shouldn't run a contest:

1. How long should the contest run? Anywhere from 6 - 12 weeks. You can work out a qualifications structure, and then work out an elimination structure towards the last 2 weeks that would lead up to the Finals.

2. How to divide the prize structure. I would need some more information before answering a question like this. What kind of prizes are being offered? Is it Cash? Is it a prepaid vacation/trip? Is it freebies from the venue (such as dinner for 2, xx dollar in Bar Tabs, etc...).

3. Catagories. There's a multitude of ways you can go with this. Best male vocalist... Best female vocalist... Best singer... Best duet... Most entertaining... Best Ballad song... Best Rock song... Best Gender-Bender singer...

4. Gender. This would go with item 3.

5. Most importantly keep people from getting upset (at the bar) when they don't win. That's not gonna happen. There will ALWAYS be someone who is unhappy at a contest. For this, I refer you back to my first sentence.

6. Judges. This all depends on what the venue wants to do (and how much control they want/have over how the contest will be run). The venue management may decide to have their own people act as judges (I won't say it... go back to my 1st sentence). You might have some people picked at random to act as judges. You could try and see if you can get some people not affiliated with the place to act as judges (if there are sponsors supplying the prizes, they could be the judges for the Finals).

We always run our contests about 5-6 weeks.

Prizes - depends on what the prize is. Say $500 total. Maybe $250 1st, 150 2nd, 100 3rd. Do you plan on having cash prize for more than 3?

Catagory - we just use best overall.

Gender - never separated a contest in this manner

Upset people - never going to stop someone from getting upset, it's the nature of competing! One would hope that if they were mature enough to enter, they are mature enough to lose graciously, BUT.......

Judges - always tried to get judges with SOME sort of musical background. Local musicians that are karaoke friendly (more than you might think), vocal instructors, local radio stations (college stations are usually more apt to but we;ve gotten lucky with some of the main stream DJ's). Just music inclined in some manner.
Never use audience response as a criteria, this is a bogus scoring as someone who may be great singing, may not have been able to bring in a bunch of people & the one that isn't very good may have stacked the club - not fair.

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I always thought I would like to run a contest until I actually did ...YIKES never again
ANYWAY...6 weeks is good time frame. Judging is the key IMPARTIAL and HONEST Judging using a point system so people can see their SCORE
You can decide on the what to judge on - VOCAL ABILITY / STAGE PRESENCE / APPEARANCE / SONG CHOICE / DIFFICULTY OF SONG AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU THINK OF

This is the first contest in the area for a quite a while. For the first time out of the gate is it better to be cash heavy or prize heavy.

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I totally agree on not using audience applause as the basis for who wins at a contest. From what I've seen, not everyone at the bar really pays 100% (or even 50%) attention to the karaoke. By the time everyone gets up on stage after the singing's complete and they go person by person for applause, most people in the crowd a) already forgot what song that singer sang or how well they did, b) just applaud the most for whoever they came/are friends with, or c) just applaud the most for the hottest chick.

The word contest makes my skin crawl. The PNW is saturated with places using contests as the last straw to attract singers. Funny thing, contests do not build a loyal singing base and they almost always end up with more grumpy people than happy people when it's all over. Most won't ever return to the venue (at least it is that way here) - they are like a big contest amoeba that moves around from contest to contest, singing against each other over and over again.

Anyway, now for my positive suggestions. Design a judging sheet that awards enough points for different judging criteria to avoid ties - don't make it 10 for song choice, 10 for presentation, 10 for crowd response - too easy to end up with ties. Break it down into smaller increments, expect more from the singers, and if they want after it's all over let them view the judging sheet ... but only their own.

The sound technician running the board should have a basic setting established - we all know how easy it is to improve a singer's sound by mixing them up - avoid this. Even so far as mic volume - a good singer should project and if they come up mewing like a little kitten, it indicates that they probably aren't in the right league. Advise your singers before hand, even in written form, that the sound will not be fine tuned for anyone, that basic criteria will be maintained.

If you can, record the singers - this is a great learning tool for them - not just for the finals but during the course of the contest. For those working toward the finals, they should take advantage of this tool and it works wonders for those singers who don't listen to someone else but when they hear it for themselves, they'll make changes and sound better.

Get the most professional, music-oriented judges that you can, and preferably ones that can complete the job from beginning to end, for consistency. If you have competent musicians/vocal coaches, etc., have them do a little 30-second vocal explanation about the singer's performance - they get immediate feedback and many singers really appreciate that. Make sure their remarks are as positive as possible.

If you can get their permission, get photos of the participants and post them on the venue website or your own website, noting standings and qualifications, etc.

There is a time and a place for contests. Sadly, some are just a joke. That's why the majority of people don't bother participating anymore. Best of luck with yours. Maybe you can make a liar out of me!

I don't know about that.... Maybe it's better that they don't know that they scored Dance: 10, Looks: 3

[offtopic]That's funny cueball [/offtopic] Sorry

DIdn't you know Presentation is a euphemism for Looks?

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What do you feel would be the best scoring precedure?

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What ever aspect of singing you want to judge; give more marks to the more important aspect of singing.

For example:
Vocal quality: 30 points
stage presence :25 points
Audience approval: 5 points
etc.

The above is just an example.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott

I think it depends on the caliber of singers you expect. I would judge on the following:

1. Song choice - if this is a 40-year-old song that you've heard this singer 50 times before, knock them down for not choosing something more challenging. Nobody wants to hear "Fancy" again... Yah, I'm tough. If you have to cut down the list of qualifiers quickly, slam 'em for not being creative with song choices, or reward them if they do. So, song choice can be broken down into three areas - one, did you choose a song that has not been overdone or one that is new and fresh? Two, did you choose a song that is appropriate for your voice/style? Third is familiarity with the song. Do they really KNOW the song? Song choice category could be broken down into 3 categories, each out of a possible 10 points. (So this category alone, a person could pick up 30 points.)

To really toughen it up, each singer should provide you with THREE different songs that they would sing - you choose the one you want to hear them sing. That way they have to be prepared to do more than one song - eliminates those people who drag out the same 40-year-old song for every contest they do.

2. Stage presence (really, more like a confidence issue). High marks for someone that moves around, makes the stage their own. If there are lights, do they use the lights or do they step outside the glare of the lights so they are in the dark? Do they have to stand in one place and stare at the monitor? Do they engage the audience? Do they appear to be comfortable? You could combine all these criteria and mark this category out of a possible 20, breaking it down as above. (movement on stage, frozen on monitor, engage the audience, and comfort level)

3. Personal appearance. This is a show, people. A SHOW! Personal hygiene including clean costume/clothing, footwear, hair, etc. Potential 10 points.

4. Technical skill. Here is where you separate the wheat from the chaff if you have an experienced musician/vocal teacher on your judging team. Look at the technical aspects of the piece. Are they breathing in the appropriate spots? Are they phrasing the lyrics correctly? Are they killing you with vibrato? Is this a song written in a key that is within your vocal range? Are you having to push too hard to hit the notes? Are you maintaining pitch? If you don't have an experienced vocal instructor on your judging team, take time to discuss these issues beforehand, have them watch/listen to great performers and try and learn something about this. Potential 20 points here.

Those are a few of the criteria I have used in the past. If you create your judging sheet right, you can start filling in categories as soon as the singer approaches the stage and literally have the sheet filled out by the time the singer finishes; have someone in charge of collecting the sheets and adding up the points (with a calculator) so you know very quickly the scores. Not to say you have to let people know immediately but it saves a lot of embarrassment and rushing and silly mistakes if you have someone who does nothing but add up scoring sheets and then hands them to you with a final score at the bottom. Singers want to know very soon how they've done. If you are having people sing off against each other and are eliminating as the weeks pass, hang on to the sheets. If for some reason you get a tie at the end in the finals, go back and use the tallies off the pre-finals sheets as the tie breaker.

Just my 2 cents after having run more than my share of contests....

From what I'm reading here, you really do have tough standards. I'm sorry, but there's a lot here that I do not agree with. I would like to give you my opinions on what I think about some of your criteria.

1. Song Choice - What you stated (above) is predjudice. Correct me if I am wrong, but what you are saying here is that you are pre-judging someone based on what song they chose before they have even gotten up on the stage. IMO, this is wrong and unfair. It shouldn't matter if I sang "My Way" 1 time or 100 times. What should matter is how I sing it THIS TIME. Continuing with the rest of what you said here, " did you choose a song that has not been overdone or one that is new and fresh?", again, this is predjudice. Older songs can be just as entertaining as newer or fresher songs. Granted, I might be tired of hearing "My Way" or "I Will Always Love You" sung over and over again, but if the person singing the song kicks a$$ doing it, they should be judged appropriately. Since you said that you would take away points from a person who might choose a song that they've sung over 50 times (1st 10 points in this category), I guess that means they would score a PERFECT 10 on the last part of this category ("familiarity with the song. Do they really KNOW the song?).

2. Stage presence - I have nothing to say here. I think you covered this pretty good.

3. Personal appearance - I guess shorts and a t-shirt are out of the question (especially if you're located in a hot climate area)???? Footware??? Hair (I don't have any)??? And who ever heard of judging someone on their hair style for a KARAOKE CONTEST???? Sorry Karen, but IMO, these criteria are uncalled for in a contest of this nature. This isn't Broadway or Las Vegas. Not everyone is going to come dressed up in a tuxedo or gown, or bring a costume to sing. What kind of costume should I wear if I were going to sing "American Pie?"

4. Technical Skill - I can see some of this being judged, but not all of it. How many places running a Karaoke Contest are going to have "an experienced musician/vocal teacher" present to judge? And realistically speaking, I wouldn't expect someone to be able to judge someone on when they take a breath. As long as they can hold their notes and stay in key (or what passes for that in an untrained person's mind), that should be enough. "If you don't have an experienced vocal instructor on your judging team, take time to discuss these issues beforehand, have them watch/listen to great performers and try and learn something about this." Sorry, but I don't think I would learn anything about breathing techniques by watching videos of "great performers." Even the great ones use different techniques for breathing. Some have been doing it for years, and others are just overnight sensations. Most of them do it so smoothly, you wouldn't even notice when they take their breaths. As for the rest of the technical aspects, those are reasonable things that most of us can recognize and judge (vibrato - too much/too little, pitch, on key/off key).

like I said, it was just my 0.02. I hate contests. He asked, I answered. This has worked well for me in the past. BTW, hygiene - CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! Not stylish or anything like that. Okay with me that you disagree.

True... I hope I didn't come across too harsh.

Thanks for your input and keep it coming. I will share with you the progress as it gets developed. I'm not sending anyone on a karaoke cruise so what I would like to do is a fun contest for ALL involved club owner, singer and kj.

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DISCLAIMER:

Let me add, probably too many years of adjudicating (classical/chamber music, singers, etc.) to just relax and let a lightweight karaoke contest happen. My husband calls me hypercritical and I probably am - but I don't believe in showering kudos on people who for some reason have a healthier ego than their performance indicates. If a person is competing, they should bring their best on. Perhaps this is also a regional issue - we have singers in this area who compete regularly who are definitely top professional caliber but who will never make it in the music world for various reasons as a paid professional singer....so they continue to make the rounds, continually winning. (Perhaps it is a desire and willingness to continually be judged that singers of lesser caliber continue to put themselves in the same arena as these pros). My judging criteria are probably more appropriate for professional caliber performances than the average karaoke contest that is being used to build clientele.

Perhaps the OP can glean some ideas from my posting ...maybe not...either way, I just thought I'd respond to the query.

How many times should a contestant sing for the night, finals?

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If it's a large scale contest, we would actually run a couple hours earlier than regular start time - try to encourage everyone to get in early to be able to do at least one warm up song, this works nice for the bar as you can let anybody sing at this point, but finalists DO have priority. The finalists would do 2 songs - 1 fast, 1 slow. The first round would be randomly picked as to the order of who went first, second, etc. The 2nd round would be the exact same order but with their other song choice. Give about a 10-15 minute intermission between rounds. Also you will want to make reminders & keep reminding people to keep the table chatter down to a minmum so the judges can hear. Sometimes it works.
If it's a smaller scale contest, just one song, random order of whos first, etc.

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