As a karaoke host, one of your tasks, apart from organizing a karaoke party, is to organize a karaoke contest. Since its birth in Kobe, Japan, karaoke has become a popular form of entertainment, so much so that numerous contests have been held in its honor.

Organizing a karaoke contest is very popular, in fact, there is even a world karaoke contest in which different nationalities participate. It goes without saying that everyone loves singing competitions because it is an opportunity to showcase their singing talents and abilities, as well as an opportunity to be recognized for their talent.

As a karaoke host, many dives or clubs will hire you to emcee their contest. Different hosts have different styles of hosting a karaoke contest, but the basics of contests are the same and these are what will be discussed in the next section.

1. Learn the exact plans of the organizers of this singing talent show, from the purpose of the contest, the rules of the contest and the prizes. Also know what kind of categories they have i.e. best female, best male and best duo.

When you run a karaoke program, the organizers may use other categories, such as by age group or music genre. It is your business to know them all. You should also know how to handle tied scores for the award show and the number of places per category, ie first, second and third place.

2. Find an odd number of qualified judges, preferably three, so that the probability of a tie between the judges is minimal. You must choose wisely when you run a karaoke show because if there are accusations of unfair judging, it is you who is the host and not the judges or the organization that hired you that takes the heat from the audience, as you are the one who is there.

The judges you choose for the singing talent show you are hosting should be individuals of unquestionable backgrounds and someone who does not personally know any of the contestants or demonstrates impartiality. If the judges are provided by the organizers, you should request to review them yourself to determine if they are biased.

If you feel uncomfortable and value your reputation and name, don’t use those judges. Of course they must have knowledge of music and singing of karaoke itself.

3. The next consideration when running a karaoke contest is the scoring system. Opt for a scoring system that suits amateur singers.

Criteria such as stage presence, musicality and impact on the audience are, in my opinion, suitable for a talent show for professional singers. Karaoke singing is a different form of entertainment where those who join may not be the best singers and if they go up against a pro on a pro fit criteria then it is clear who will be the landslide winner.

4. Have a record at the venue where you run the karaoke show, there are enough forms that contestants can fill out along with their choice of song. Make sure the instructions printed on the form say to print your handwriting legibly because you want to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to read a contestant’s scribbles. Don’t forget to limit the number of contestants by setting a deadline or else too many of them will overwhelm you and it will become unmanageable.

When running a karaoke contest, the easiest way to avoid arguments in the order of the contestants is to collect all the forms, fold them and place them in a bag, and randomly choose a form from the bag as the contest progresses.