There are some who will say that being a good singer isn't necessary because this is "just karaoke" and not about good singing. This is simply not true. In general, people expect the karaoke host to be a good singer. The host is often asked to help out with a duet and is expected to be able to do a decent job with their part. There will be times when the host will have to "carry" the show until some singers sign up. By "good singer" I don't mean you have to be the next winner of The Voice but you at least should be better than average. I don't know of any successful karaoke hosts who are not good singers.
A good ear for music is essential. You must be able to get the best sound out of your system in any situation. It takes a good ear, practice, and talent to accomplish this. Many a time I have attended a karaoke show where the host had top end equipment but the sound was horrible. And what's sadder still is that they did not even realize it.
And speaking of the sound system, do not settle for anything less than high quality components. Cheap components always make for cheap sound. Again, some will come back with the "it's just karaoke" argument and that the singers don't care about sounding good. Again, this is simply not true. Yes there are those who just like to get up and make a fool of themselves but they are the exception... not the norm. Most karaoke singers try to do a good job when they sing and they prefer to be singing on a quality system.
You need to build your music library with your singers in mind. Don't buy songs because they are the ones YOU like. And don't confuse quantity with quality. You've seen those karaoke hosts that brag about having 50,000 or more songs. I can assure you that a good 49,000 of them never get requested. The point I'm making is that you need to focus on a well rounded collection of popular songs. The old standards are a must. Would you believe that the average age of songs done at karaoke is about 20 years? A study I once did concluded exactly that.
Lets say you pass all the prerequisites to this point... all joking aside... that's the easy part. Being a karaoke host is nothing like being a DJ. It is far more difficult and demanding. You don't just get to sit behind your equipment, play tunes, and take the occasional request. You are constantly dealing with the public. There will be customers coming up to you, sometimes nonstop, asking about a certain song or when they will be up next. They'll want to change their next song or ask you to hold their turn because they have to step outside... and other things like this. And this is all going on while you're trying to adjust the sound for each singer and announcing the next singer and keeping the singer rotation in proper order. Oh yea, did I mention that most of the people you deal with will be drinking? You had better be a very tolerant person.
This last point is the one that I have seen many a wannabe karaoke host fail at miserably. Running a fair singer rotation is both super important and super difficult. Important because if the crowd thinks you are playing favorites they will eventually abandon you and then you're through. It's difficult because you cannot do favors for ANYONE. Not your best friend, your family, your spouse, or even the bar owner who hired you. People will often plead with you, get angry with you, and pester the hell out of you, but you MUST be able to turn these people away. A karaoke host who plays favorites is in this business for the short term.
Do you have what it takes to be a professional karaoke host?
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