Get inspired! 6 karaoke room design tips you don’t want to miss

Need some ideas on how to make your future karaoke room look and sound fabulous? Are you wondering how to design a karaoke booth that keeps the customers coming? You came to the right place! Here are Singa’s 6 points to consider for a high-functioning and stylish karaoke room.

1. Space

Karaoke can live in many different spaces. Karaoke rooms, also known as karaoke booths, boxes, and KTVs are usually designed for 6–10 guests. The smaller ones fit 4 singers, whereas large rooms cater to a crowd of 50.

Your first task is to determine if your venue has an existing area you’d like to dedicate for karaoke or if you need to build a new room. Whether you are looking at a small karaoke room design, several rooms, or open stage karaoke at the heart of your venue, the space requirements depend on your floor plan and goals. Turning an unused space, such as a storage or smoking cabinet, into a karaoke booth is easy with basic interior design.

Remember to also think about acoustics. Soundproofing the karaoke room depends on how much the other customers mind hearing karaoke in the background. Some venues benefit from it, others need solid soundproofing. Planning is everything. Find out more about acoustics and soundproofing here.

2. Design

Hello, social media moments! Karaoke room designs can be anything from sporty to bling or furry to hot tubs. Oh yes, the now-closed Lovenet in Tokyo used to have hot tubs for singing. The main thing is to emphasize your venue’s vibe. It’s about branding, so consider hiring a professional interior designer to create your unique look and feel.

Typically each karaoke room has its theme. Some karaoke customers report having an alter ego that boosts their daring to sing. The alter ego can often be activated when stepping into an environment with an encouraging theme, so feel free to blow your customers’ minds.

Depending on the size of the room, you can install things like seating or a small stage. Thinking about suitable furniture is essential, also for serving food and drinks. A window or a glass door is further a clever idea. The glass element makes the room feel more open and allows other customers to sneak-peak into all the fun going on inside.

3. Equipment

Sounding good is vital in karaoke. Here is a list of basic karaoke gear for your venue:

• Screens: for example, a TV, projector screen, or monitor. Consider multiple screens if you have a large venue so folks can see the lyrics.
• Speakers: you might be able to use the ones you already have in the venue. Otherwise, we recommend the JBL Pro PSB-1 soundbar or Ohm speakers.
• Wireless or wired microphones: an example of a good-quality dynamic mic is the industry-standard Shure SM58.
• Amplifier/mixer: usually, a simple one does the job. For example, a 4–6 channel mixer with inbuilt effects, such as Mackie, Yamaha, or Behringer.
• Cables/adaptors: typically, HDMI is the one you’ll need.
• A commercial karaoke program: Singa Business is an easy-to-use professional karaoke software. It can be wired or wirelessly set up to your venue’s PA & video system with a mounted iPad. Singa works with any AV equipment.

4. Lighting

Good lighting works wonders in karaoke rooms. A dark little corner can be transformed into an exciting space with ambient lights, spots, and other luminous elements.

Lights create a feeling of space and influence the overall vibe. Pay special attention to where the performers are standing: the right kind of light makes the room more "Instagrammable". We recommend consulting with an expert when deciding on the lighting.

5. Budget

The initial starting cost of a karaoke room to an existing space is around $1,300–2,600 or £1,000–2,000. The estimate includes the core karaoke equipment and basic remodeling. As always, the expenses depend on your ambitions and are ultimately your decision. As a reference, some venues spend over 50K for designing and decorating one karaoke room – that’s a lot of disco lights, wind, and smoke machines!

According to Singa data, a typical karaoke room pricing for customers is around $40–130 (£30–100) per hour. Add food, beverages, and other revenues, and you get an idea of how many hours of room bookings is your weekly or monthly goal.

6. The coolness factor: examples of inspiring karaoke rooms

What creates desirability towards your karaoke room and acts as a selling point is figuring out why your venue is exceptional. Define what makes your brand yours and highlight it in your design solutions.

Singa has supported several venues in their karaoke room design journey by providing the software. Take a look at this selection of rocking karaoke rooms – and prepare to get new ideas!

The Melody Club

The Melody Club in Gothenburg, Sweden turns karaoke into a private stage show. They allow singers to change the background of their performance as well as have adaptable stage lighting that changes with each song. Beyond that they offer instruments and costumes and guests to further enhance the vibe.

Lane7

Nothing glows like Lane7’s UV and neon lights. They have premium dining, ten-pin bowling, ping-pong, pool, and most importantly, dazzling karaoke rooms.

Sing Sing

Vietnamese bistro Sing Sing has seven delicious karaoke rooms in various colors, shapes, and sizes. You can choose a room, for example, based on your mood.

O’Learys

Over ten O'Learys sports bars and restaurants carry a full Singa entertainment setup combined with a zappy atmosphere.

Amber Taverns

Amber Taverns is a group with over 140 pubs in the UK. The Northern Way pub in Bolton is an example of transforming an unused space into a successful karaoke room.

Holiday Bar

Holiday Bar has combined karaoke with fine dining. Their fun singalong concept brings friends and coworkers together for two of the best: savoring and karaoke.

Bloomsbury Lanes

Bowling, private karaoke rooms, and fine American food – nice combo! Bloomsbury's karaoke rooms offer a vibrant atmosphere for celebrations or pre/post bowling fun.

That sums up our top 6 factors in karaoke room design. We hope you got inspired by these concepts. For more interesting karaoke room examples, go to https://singa.com/business/fi/case-studies.