Another trip around the sun is drawing to a close. With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year all lined up, traditionally, this time of the year means busy weeks for bars, pubs, and other hospitality players 🎊

Long COVID-19 restrictions are gradually being lifted in different parts of the world. Compared to last year, much-needed celebrations are now being booked in abundance by companies, teams, families, and friends. What better vibe-maker to throw a Christmas party or a New Year’s ball than letting it loose with a microphone!

Here are Singa’s best tips for organizing a jolly good time at your bar or pub.

1. Make your karaoke rooms profitable the right way

The business model behind successful karaoke rooms in a nutshell: remember that setting up karaoke rooms (or karaoke boxes or booths) isn’t just seasonal. Private karaoke rooms actually mean predictable revenue, so setting up now in high season is a smart move in the long run. It will help your venue hit the ground running. Need proof? Check out the 5 great benefits of the private karaoke room business model.

Speaking of money, it’s important that you, as a venue owner, can leverage your karaoke investments. Want to know how to turn your karaoke rooms profitable? Take a look at karaoke room costs and how to maximize revenues in this blog post.

2. Gear and logistics

You might be wondering whether you should set up a karaoke room or have karaoke in an open space at your venue?

Our blog post on how to set up karaoke in your bar and venue features an expert AV specialist, who walks you through everything you need to consider in putting karaoke into your venue – be it in a room or as an open mic activity. The blog also explains the hardware and software needed.

For business owners, Singa Business is a great option. It is a modern and professional karaoke software for nightlife venues with an ever-expanding song catalog across different genres and languages. Your guests will definitely find great songs for the holiday season!

a person choosing a karaoke song

3. Licenses and rights

To host karaoke commercially, there are licenses you need to take into account. Make sure you only use legal karaoke content at your venue and remember to check that the public performing rights are taken care of.

Read more about how licenses work: UK karaoke licences explained here and USA karaoke licensing here. But here comes the best part: when your establishment is Singa-powered, you don’t need to worry about the legality of the karaoke songs. We got that part covered!

4. Figure out your unique package

Make the karaoke experience special! It’s all about packaging and coming up with unique complementary activities for your unique venue or special event. Maybe you have trivia games available in karaoke rooms. Maybe your customers can order food and beverages at a special price in karaoke rooms or as a package. Or maybe there're some props or a cute little photo booth in the corner. Take advantage of that social media sharing!

Singa has assisted hospitality places all around the world to get started with their karaoke room concepts. You might be wondering how much you can charge per room and how to make more money selling food and drinks with karaoke rooms. We’ve compiled answers to those and other most common questions in this article.

5. Don’t forget the upkeep

Once your karaoke rooms are in smooth operation, make sure the singing can go on uninterrupted. Thankfully, KTV upkeep is pretty straightforward. Read about our most important points for karaoke booth maintenance here.

6. Get the best songs

Some of your guests might be more accustomed to karaoke singing than others. To make things easy for all levels of singers, create ready singlists.

Here are some end-of-the-year related karaoke songs to get you and your guests started:

Singlists for Thanksgiving:

Singlists for Christmas:

Singlists for New Year:

Come up with your signature singlist and share the fun. More Singa-curated singlists here.  

7. Dress your venue up for the part

Thanksgiving is about gratitude, Christmas is about giving, and New Year resonates with new beginnings. Themes give you, the organizer, much to play with. Give your venue a touch of magic by decorating it.

Thanksgiving is the time for harvest-related decorations, fall leaves, acorns, and perhaps a horn of plenty. Christmas parties are beautified with Xmas trees and mistletoes, candles, and garlands. New Year comes with confetti, balloons, shooting stars, and sparklers. The end of the year is filled with specific food and drinks, so make sure to leverage them as well.

More about fun themes for your next karaoke party here.

8. Make the party extra memorable

This is the final touch, the special spice, the secret sauce: think about what makes your venue unique – and then take it up a notch. Make your end-of-the-year party stand out like nothing out there! Your guests will feel super special – after all, the season is known for gift giving and showing kindness.

The magic component could be anything from giving your guests a small surprise take-home gift or goodie. You could also reward the party-goers with fun printable certificates on making it through this year, or simply for being a great karaoke sport. One venue goes as far as paying their customers 5 cents each for getting a refill cup of coffee! You could also reward your customers with free snacks or drinks if they bring in two friends or if they are wearing something according to your theme. The more creative you get, the better. Dazzle us, and we’ll be there! 💫

As a recap, here is our 8-point checklist:

1. Make your karaoke rooms profitable the right way ✅

2. Gear and logistics ✅

3. Licenses and rights ✅

4. Figure out your unique package ✅

5. Don’t forget the upkeep ✅

6. Get the best songs ✅

7. Dress your venue up for the part ✅

8. Make the party extra memorable ✅

We would love to know what you think about our end-of-the-year karaoke party checklist. Come up with festivity plans for your venue and create a Singa-powered karaoke song list here. Happy celebrations!

Remember to tag us on social media to show us your merry parties: @singakaraoke on Instagram, @singamusic on Facebook!