Blog Archive

Saturday, January 11, 2014

JANUARY 2014 Harryoke Update: New Show and Info On Minimum Charges

HARRYOKE!
Newsletter and Update for JANUARY 11 2014
 
Hey everybody!  Happy New Year to you all.  Hope you had a great holiday season and all is well!  Just a couple of notes to let you know what is happening in Harryokeland, and fill in a couple of blanks...
 
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NEW MONDAY SHOW:  I wont bore you with the details here, as most of you probably already know about the new Monday show at the Grind.  IF YOU DO NOT, all the info is available at www.harryoke.com  The show starts MONDAY Jan 13, every Monday, from 6-10 pm.  All the info about the venue is at my page, and a link to the Grind website is there where you can see the menu, etc...  The big question I get is about parking.  Here are the details for parking at Grind Gastropub:  Grind is located at 49 W. Granada, on the north side of the street.  Your parking options are A) on the street on Granada,  B) in the free valet parking just east of the building  C) Behind Grind on New Britain street or D) Across the street in the municipal City Hall/Library lot...you would park in that lot off Tomoka, then cross Granada to Grind.  That is the option I personally would take as I don’t mind walking, but after your first visit, you will find it easy.  See you there. 
 
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MINIMUM CHARGE INFORMATION:  Most karaoke venues do not charge an admission fee, or enforce a minimum purchase.  Many simply gently raise the price of drinks or food during entertainment.  Some do not even do that.  The contract society has for karaoke is that the entertainer is paid, and the money comes from those who spend.  In a scenario where perhaps not enough people are spending, or where they are not raising the price of their products, occasionally a minimum purchase is enforced to ensure that everyone there is contributing a minimal amount.  Many come out and spend very little to nothing.  Even if they tip their server, the house still has work involved in hosting them, and the house has to pay for all the supplies, utilities, rent, labor and the entertainment.  In smaller venues, occasionally non/low spenders may be taking seats away from people who want to buy dinners.  As the snowbirds prepare to return to the area, seating can get hard to find at smaller or more popular venues.  Please understand that a minimum purchase IS NOT a cover charge, nor is it about greed.  It is simply a way to ensure that the entertainment can continue, and that if it does so, the hours that the entertainment is there are profitable.  If a restaurant pays me, pays the help and pays for the food it cooks and has nothing left over, either the place will not be there much longer, or the entertainment will be cancelled.  Please keep that in mind, especially if you enjoy singing or watching the singers.  CURRENTLY THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM CHARGE POLICIES ARE IN EFFECT DURING ENTERTAINMENT AT HARRYOKE SHOWS:  Sunday at Black Cloud there is a $7 minimum purchase per person, Friday at Halifax Plantation there is a $10 minimum purchase per person.  Enforcing the minimums ensures they will be able to continue providing free entertainment without a cover charge.  If revenues are poor, some places or performers charge admission at the door, and that is how they pay the entertainers.  Personally, that is not something I want to happen at Harryoke shows, so thanks for understanding what some of the venues are doing. 
 
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The website is updated with new info about the venues, and song lists of all karaoke songs sorted by Artist and Title.  Check it out.  If you have a mobile device or pad, you can access the site and it should be friendlier now to look at.  The online song list is more complete than the books at the show as the books do not have the new Chartbusters songs added.  The website does.  You can use your device to find your song at the show, or at home before you get to the show. 
 
Speaking of online, find me at Facebook.  Search Harryoke... my official page is www.facebook.com/harryokefl and my Harry Smith page for non show stuff is www.facebook.com/harryoke.  I regularly network with singers and customers there, and if I have wi-fi available, often can communicate with you at the show via Facebook. 
 
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All the best!  Thanks so much for your friendship and patronage!!  See you out and about!!
 
Harry
 
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Thanks so much...it is your show, so be sure to contact me with any requests, questions, comments, or criticism.