International Assoc. of Karaoke Clubs

John Higgins Executive Producer -Karaoke King, J.J. Rucella Karaoke King - Director. Bart Loiacono Executive Director INAKC, Mark Friedman - KJ of the Year

Caius Productions Strategic
Partners with INAKC

At the Lake County Film Festival in Illinois, Orlando-based Caius Productions agreed to a strategic partnership with the INAKC.

The agreement makes the contest arm of the INAKC the exclusive talent pool for casting of the Karaoke World Series contestants in the Karaoke King TV show.

“We’re thrilled to have The INAKC involved,’ said Dom Salfi, legal counsel for Caius. “It has always been our plan to use karaoke enthusiasts. The KWS was able to give us exactly what we wanted.’

---

Buena Vista Palace selected
as host for the Karaoke
World Series

The LXR Resort will feature 10 Karaoke stages and four days of competition. Contestant and their fans will be pampered for the entire stay.

“Rates in Orlando for modest accomadations would normally make Orlando financially challenging,” said Bart Loiacono of the INAKC. “The $99 rate for a luxury hotel was too good to pass up.”

Contestants in the KWS will heighten their Orlando experience at a Downtown Walt Disney World® resort that soars above the rest. Towering 27 stories above the world’s favorite destination, the Buena Vista Palace raises the bar for exceptional quality and service in this sunny locale.

Luxuriously appointed guest rooms, complete with dreamy pillow-top mattresses and high-speed and wireless Internet access. three outdoor pools, or schedule a soothing treatment at our full-service European Spa. Guest will also experience the spectacle of world-famous Downtown Disney, with its vibrant shops, delicious restaurants, and thrilling nightlife.

---

Here’s the Scoop on the
Karaoke World Series!

All you need to know to be part of the fun, and
maybe end up as Karaoke Royalty!

Attention soon to be famous person! If your aim in life is to achieve fame, fortune and all the perks that could be gained from cultivating your undeniable talent, it’s time to make your own breaks. Whatever your niche, the only way to stop saying maybe and make a living off your talent is to start taking chances.

That’s how new talent gets discovered, and that’s precisely the opportunity awaiting anyone who wisely opts to take part in the upcoming Karaoke World Series, which, incidentally, should be tons of fun. This is the first contest of its kind, so to be a part of it means you are participating in history in the making.

What’s the payoff for taking a chance in what is far more than just an ordinary singing contest? Well, besides the chance to call yourself the best karaoke singer in the world, any person reading this could find him/herself appearing in the first three episodes of a television pilot set to be filmed over Labor Day Weekend (Aug 31-Sept 2) in Orlando, Florida.

Let me say that again so it sinks in: You can be on TV. Possibly singing, possibly acting. But you have a legitimate shot of being on TV if you can make it to Orlando and advance just a little bit. All you have to do is be yourself and you might catch the eye of a producer. By coming out to Florida, you not only have an opportunity to compete in the biggest and best karaoke contest in the world, but you could be on TV, too. It’s a win-win situation.

By the way, while competing in Florida you’ll be staying at the elegant Lake Buena Vista Palace on Disney property for the special rate of $99 per night. This is a steal for a five-star hotel. The place is gorgeous and they slashed their prices just for our participants.

Registering for the KWS couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is find a computer and 25 bucks.

First, every contestant has to register at www.karaokeworldseries.com to become eligible to compete in the KWS, an international competition in which singers from all over the globe will vie for the top prize of $5,000.

Once you pay the $25 registration fee online via PayPal or credit/debit card, you’ll become a card-carrying member of the National Association of Karaoke Singers and reap the benefits, like receiving the International Association of Karaoke Clubs (INAKC) newsletter, getting full access to karaoke MP3 downloads, having access to KaraokeWorldSeries.com, KaraokeNiteLife.org, and

KaraokeSpace.org, where you can build your own home page and interact with karaoke enthusiasts from all over the world.

Those who live too far away from a contest location (or who aren’t 21) can submit video performances via the KWS site or by posting on a video on sites like

YouTube or Tune97.com so we can check it out. Keep in mind, those who actually interact with the judges at the clubs will likely score higher. We’re looking for an all-around entertainer and sometimes it’s hard to judge how good a person is based on a short video.

Your performance will be scored and uploaded to the contest home page and that score will determine your ranking at the finals in Orlando. Yes, you can skip the local prelims altogether and simply book your $99 room at Lake Buena Vista Palace and compete in the finals on an invite basis. But keep in mind that by doing so you will enter the finals unranked and will square off against a highly-ranked opponent in the first round of the finals. So getting ranked by singing first at your local contest location gives contestants their best chance to advance in the finals.

The one-on-one competition at the KWS will continue until there are only 30 singers left standing. This is when things get even better. An awards banquet on Sunday will be followed by the big show itself where the winner gets crowned “Karaoke King” (or Queen) and leaves with $5,000 and bragging rights at being the best karaoke singer in the world.

The most entertaining singers of the KWS finals in Orlando (and several not-so-great singers, too) will be whisked to the set of the Karaoke King TV show, a spin-off of the 2007 theatrical release The Karaoke King. Karaoke is huge right now and people are starting to take notice.

The first three episodes of the show will be shot on a nearby soundstage in Orlando and several KWS contestants will be asked to perform as part of the television show, acting as the singing talent in a fictional karaoke bar called Lil’s, which is the setting of the show. If this pilot is picked up that means you will find yourself on a cable or network channel near you.

Now, what if your favorite karaoke club isn’t hosting a KWS contest? Then it’s time to convince them to become a KWS host location. Every participating bar will run qualifying contests for four consecutive weeks, during which time it can hold fundraisers to raise money to send the club karaoke champion to Orlando for the World Series.

If a club happens to raise enough money to send its top two, even three qualifiers? No problem. That’s your home-bar advantage. But the second and third-placed singers won’t be ranked as high in the finals. And, of course, you will need to bring your entourage for encouragement. The more people in the audience who are cheering for you, the better your odds of performing like a pro.

If you believe your destiny lies in the entertainment industry, you simply have to take part in the Karaoke World Series. This is a sure-fire way to make a name for yourself and a chance at living out your dreams of stardom.

Or you can wait to be discovered by accident. Good luck with that.

---

Karaoke to be included in US Census Statistical Data

The United States Census Bureau has confirmed it will include karaoke as part of its’ statistical data for 2007. Currently you can get US Census data on how many people bowl, bird watch or play chess. But until repeated inquiries from the INAKC karaoke data has been unavailable. The INAKC has long contested that karaoke was the number two particpation sport in the US behind bowling. The PBA boast 52 million bowlers in the US. The PGA claims 21 million golfers. Only swimming and walking have higher number but these are recreational sports.
Surveys by the INAKC have consistently show karaoke to be an activity of 12-15% of the population in regions polled. INAKC data has karaoke at 34 million regular participants, clearly placing it in the second above golf.

Dianne Harrop of the INAKC says, “We’re really excited to confirm what we’ve known for a while: Karaoke is really hot in the U.S. now, too!”

---

INAKC Executive Director
featured at the NY Bar Show

Bart Loiacono, Founder and Executive Director of the INAKC, was a featured speaker at the New York Bar Show recently held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhatten.

Loiacono was there to man the INAKC booth during the trade show. When approached by show promoters, the RDP Group, to host a seminar on ‘setting the advertising budget’ he accepted graciously, stating anything he could do to help a bar/club or outlet increase its profitability, he would!

INAKC to Exhibit at the Bar
and Nightclub show in
Atlantic City and Las Vegas

In a continuing effort to make karaoke a spectator sport, the Inter-National Association of Karaoke Clubs will be exhibiting at the two largest Bar and NightClub trade shows in the country. In October, shortly after the Karaoke World Series in Orlando, the INAKC will have a booth at the East Coast Nightclub and Bar Show in Atlantic City. In addition to having a booth, your very own INAKC Executive
Director will again be a featured speaker. Oxford Publishing, the producers of the “Show” as it come to be known in the industry, have once again asked Bart Loiacono to be a speaker. The topic for the event will be: “Marketing your club: Deja vu all over again,” and will give tips for creating events that can garner local and even nation press. This is not a topic unfamiliar to Loiacono.

He currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the Association of Free Community Papers. The AFCP is the Largest Assocition in the free paper industry. Collectively, free papers have the largest audited circulation of any group of publications in the world, with weekly circulation of 68 million.

INAKC members wishing to attend either show will have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets through the INAKC.

---

Chicago’s Karaoke NiteLife $25,000
Entertainer Challenge crowns its champions

Annual Chicago-area competition sees the most and
the best talent of it’s five-year history in 2007.
Story by Janine Hnatusko

John Fitzgerald holds his prize check high after winning the $25K Entertainer Challenge on June 1st.

After months of anticipation the $25,000 Entertainer Challenge came to close on Friday, June 1st at Pyramid Club in Addison, Illinois, and the winner was…Johnny Depp? Actually, it was John Fitzgerald of Romeoville dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow while singing “Living on A Prayer” by Bon Jovi who captured the crowd and wowed the judges to take home the $2,500 grand prize.

The Entertainer Challenge began in February with nearly 60 qualifying rounds at local clubs and narrowed a field of more than 1,200 hopefuls down to the 41 finalists who sang their hearts out at Pyramid Club.

Johnny Cash (Denny Nables of Addison) came out wearing a prison jumpsuit and sang about the “Folsom Prison Blues” while Angel Birr of Montgomery was accompanied by a choir to finish out “I Got the Music in Me” by Heart. No idea was too extravagant for the finalists who had their eye on the prize.

But it was more than the cash the finalists came out for. It turns out singing is just part of the puzzle for karaoke enthusiasts.

“This is a chance at 15 minutes of fame for these people,” said Bart Loiacono, publisher of Karaoke NiteLife magazine and host of the Entertainer Challenge. “It’s a sport, a chance to enrapture an audience and say they are one of the top 41 entertainers in the Chicagoland area.”

Indeed they can because the Entertainer Challenge is the biggest karaoke contest in the United States. No other region can boast a contest of this kind and the finals were proof that this contest was a big deal to everyone involved. Pyramid Club was transformed from casual pool hall to aspiring Kodak Theater, complete with searchlights, state-of-the-art sound system, 25-foot projector screens and hundreds of adoring fans for the “celebrities” of the night.

And like Oscar nominees, the singers were full of anticipation before taking the stage. Three finalists at a time waited in the green room next to the stage, nervously checking themselves out in the mirror and congratulating each singer who stepped off stage on a job well done. But the judges were looking for more than just someone who could carry a tune.

“Like the name says, this a search for an all around entertainer, someone who can convince the audience to cheer for them and not just the person they came out to support,” Loiacono, Executive Director of the Inter-National Association of Karaoke Clubs, said. “But this year’s talent was so incredible it wasn’t hard to sway the crowd.”

Or sway the judges. In many cases, contestants were separated by only a point or two to determine their ranking. So what’s it like to win the biggest karaoke contest in the world?

“I didn’t even know what was happening at first. I was suddenly lifted into the air then it all hit me,” said John Fitzgerald, whose friends rushed the stage and hoisted him in the air. “It was one hell of a good time, that’s for sure.”

DID YOU KNOW...
The original bomb in Jager-bombs was black currant-flavored Bomba.
The drink made populain Europe with Black Currant Bomba is a little thicker and smoother than the current Jager and energy drink mix sold in the U.S.

BORN IN KOBE :
Karaoke is a Japanese abbreviated compound word: “kara” comes from “karappo” meaning empty, and “oke” is the abbreviation of “ookesutora,” or orchestra.

For a complete history of karaoke visit:
http://www.karaokescene.com/history/

---

---

Understanding the Karaoke Market

Thought from the Exec

Karaoke didn’t become popular because of the American Idol phenomenon.
Actually, just the opposite is true; American Idol only exists because karaoke was so popular in other countries already that producers felt a pure talent showcase for singers would work in the U.S. They were right.

Karaoke has been around much longer than AI. When it first became popular in the late 1980s and early 90s, it was well-received by those who love to sing, but its growth was hampered by a lack of technology. Back then karaoke jocks were forced to lug around huge laser discs layered with unnecessary video that took away from the singer’s performance. The advent of the CDG format (compact disc graphic), meant television monitors could now scroll lyrics only. No longer would a singer’s personal interpretation of a song be muddled by a video image playing on a monitor in the background.

Soon, ordinary people were letting their inhibitions go and making karaoke their stress-reliever of choice. And because the CDG format was affordable, the average singer got better and better. The mistake club owners made in karaoke’s early days was not recognizing its drawing power. Because karaoke was so much cheaper than hiring a band, club owners would still book live entertainment on weekends and hire a KJ to bring a few extra people in on slow nights. Hopefully, they thought, the KJ would at least pay for him/herself. Eventually, the KJ helped the bar do much better than break even.

I’ve been publishing a monthly entertainment and leisure guide called Suburban NiteLife in the Chicago suburbs for 15 years. We realized karaoke had become a monster when we counted eight full pages of advertising dedicated to karaoke alone. That’s why we spun off a second magazine called Karaoke NiteLife, which details news and information concerning the pastime locally. The first issue of that publication made money, a true rarity in the publishing business, and subsequent issues helped broaden the reputations of the singers.

THE MARKET you’re targeting for karaoke is the 21-and-up person who can sing (or not). The market, in essence, is made up of the people who could be classified as having passed on their dreams.

These are the people who sing in church choirs, who sang in the chorus, who were the lead in all their school productions growing up. These are the people who dreamed of being in a rock band or a girl group. Somehow, their artistic form of expression got waylaid and they were unable to pursue this dream.

To a large extent the majority of the people who sing karaoke have egos. When you’re talking about singing, you’re talking about their comfort zone. They sing in the shower. They sing in the car. They sing... anywhere.

And contrary to popular belief, the consumption of alcohol doesn’t make the main target sing more readily. The true karaoke fans, the ones counted in the 32 million, sing because it makes them feel good. Karaoke gives them the opportunity to sing in front of a live audience. It gives them the chance to bask in the accolades of their peers, their friends, their family, and yes, that third “F” you will come to know so well: their FANS.

When these people are on stage, it essentially becomes their show. The bar owners, the KJs and the staffs need to understand that. One of the biggest mistakes hosts make is trying to compete. If the host competes, belittles or mocks a singer or at any point in time makes the singer feel like he or she is unappreciated, they will terminate their relationship with your location, ending their particular flow of money. And they have a tendency to be vocal.

A competitive KJ is a bad thing. If it’s a matter of the KJ stroking his or her own ego by singing too much, you will see the number of singers at your bar decreasing. Remember, unhappy singers spread negative word-of-mouth to anybody who’ll listen and they do so at any club they happen to attend. If I had to summarize in one sentence all the cautions about the ego of this market, I would say: “Be careful how you treat the person who has access to a microphone.”

Karaoke doesn’t discriminate because humans have a universal need to sing. Karaoke singers are tall, short, skinny, slightly overweight. They are blond, brunette and red-headed. They are Asian, Irish, Hispanic. They are Jewish, they are Hindu, they are Catholic, they are Protestant. And they are not only here, they exist in every country on this planet. Singing is instinctive to human nature. If you take a toddler who knows no language, no race, no prejudices and you put him in front of music, he will dance.

Singing is one of the earliest forms of communication. In the mountains of Europe, people used to sing from one mountainside to the other to let their neighbors know they were OK. . . it was called yodeling. Every culture has a style of music. It is time to embrace all the cultures.

Now that you understand the ego of the karaoke singer, you should be able to make it work for you. For example, if you can get 30 singers into your bar on a regular basis, people who are almost as passionate about singing as they are about telling friends where to see them sing, turn their passion to your advantage. Take your best five or six regular singers and give them a “showcase night.” Let each sing a set of three to five songs. They’ll love it, they will bring their own fans (read: customers) and you’ll likely not have to pay them anything more than few drinks or an appetizer.

It also wouldn’t hurt to provide your singers with promotional materials to hype their own appearances. Give your top singers business cards that feature the times and dates of upcoming karaoke shows. This small gesture will not only make your singers feel appreciated, they will be putting the name of your establishment directly into the hands of potential new customers. Let your singers pass around a sign-up sheet to build their e-mailing lists and encourage them to list any upcoming performance dates on their Myspace pages.

Grass-roots marketing still works. Work in conjunction with your singers to aggressively promote their shows and everyone comes out a winner.

Download The PDF NewsLetter