Karaoke Room FAQ: everything you wanted to know about karaoke rooms

Jason Dydynski -

Whether you’re looking to go to a private karaoke room with your friends for the first time, or you’re considering opening a karaoke room business with dedicated rooms for your audience –it’s important to know the basics and the more intimate details of where to start.

If you’re a budding singer looking to have a ball with friends in a private environment, check out the first half of our FAQ section below. Business owners? Be sure to have a look at some of the commonly asked questions about starting a karaoke business.

– Karaoke Room FAQ for singers

– Karaoke Room FAQ for businesses

Everything you need to know about karaoke rooms

What are karaoke rooms?

A karaoke room is a private room within a karaoke bar or establishment specifically designed for karaoke singing. It's essentially a rented space equipped for a fun and social singing experience. Unlike open karaoke areas in bars, karaoke rooms are private enclosures. This allows you and your group to sing freely without feeling self-conscious or disturbing others.

Karaoke rooms will feature a karaoke machine with a song selection interface, microphones, and a sound system. It will also likely have comfortable seating for your group and may also include elements like lighting effects or a small dance floor to add to the fun atmosphere.

The Wannabe themed karaoke room at S2.

There are different types of karaoke that are influenced by region, like the Korean-style Noraebang and the Karaoke Television (also known as KTV or Videoke) which is popular in Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Singapore and Cambodia.

What exactly do you do in a karaoke room?

Quite simply, a private karaoke room is a space to loosen up, sing your heart out with friends, and have a memorable and enjoyable social experience. And there are a number of different ways you can express yourself comfortably from the privacy of your own karaoke room.

But the most general criteria for what to do in a private karaoke room is as follows:

  • Sing songs: This is the core activity! Select songs from a large library using a touchscreen interface, take turns singing with your friends using the provided microphones, and belt out your favorite tunes.
  • Listen to others sing: When it’s not your turn to sing, you can relax and enjoy listening to your friends and family sing their hearts out.
  • Eat and drink: Many karaoke rooms allow you to order food and drinks from the bar or restaurant, making it an extra-engaging social gathering.
  • Have fun: The overall goal is to have a fun and enjoyable experience.
Group of karaoke singers in Star Karaoke

How much do karaoke rooms cost?

The cost of renting a private karaoke room can vary depending on several factors, but here's a breakdown of the general structure:

  • Base Rate: This is a flat hourly or per-session fee for renting the room itself. Prices can range widely depending on the location, popularity of the karaoke bar, and amenities offered. You might see rates anywhere from $50 to $360+ per hour. Though some karaoke rooms also charge per person, or some even have per song, so you need to check with your given location.
  • Minimum Spend: Some places have a minimum amount you and your group need to spend on food and drinks during your karaoke session. This helps ensure the establishment makes some money even if the room rental fee is low. Expect minimum spends to be around $30-$45 per person.
  • Room Size and Capacity: Bigger rooms that can accommodate larger groups often come with a higher base rate.
  • Day of the Week and Time: Karaoke rooms tend to be more expensive on weekends and prime times like evenings. Weekday afternoons might offer cheaper rates.

How do I find karaoke rooms near me?

One of the simplest, most straight-forward ways to find a karaoke room is to use Singa’s Karaoke Room Finder. Simply type in your desired city and location, and countless venues, rooms and bars will pop up. Check it out here.

Everybody has their own reasons for loving karaoke––especially venues with private karaoke.

Karaoke rooms cater to a wide range of people. Whether you're a confident singer or someone who just enjoys a good laugh, there's something for everyone. Unlike open karaoke bars, private rooms offer a space for uninhibited singing without worrying about an audience. This allows people to relax, have fun, and be a little silly without judgment.

Karaoke is also a great way to bond with friends, family, or colleagues, bonding together and creating shared memories and laughs. Karaoke rooms provide the perfect setting for these types of individual bonding sessions, and they are perfect for celebrating birthdays, work achievements, or just having a fun night out.

People enjoying the karaoke room at All Stars Lanes. Photographer: Melissa Lau

Learn more about karaoke rooms:

Check out the following guides and materials to learn more about the history of karoake and karaoke rooms:

What to know before starting a karaoke business

Over the years, we’ve put together many long-form articles that can help further explain the benefits of starting a karaoke/entertainment venue. Here are some answers to our most commonly asked business questions:

Are karaoke rooms profitable?

You might be wondering if the opportunity for turning a profit is readily available after establishing a karaoke business. Of course, opening any kind of business venture is risky, and takes a tremendous amount of time, money, planning, execution and, in some cases, luck. But venues and businesses that cater to audiences seeking competitive socializing have shown themselves to be highly profitable based on the growing popularity of pastimes like karaoke.

The Kenton Pub converted their kitchen into a karaoke room and outsourced their food service.

You can see how much your business could generate from karaoke rooms with out karaoke room calculator here.

To learn more about the profitability of karaoke businesses and how adding karaoke rooms to your existing business can result in increased sales, read our article here.

What Types Of Businesses Should Consider Adding Karaoke Rooms?

With karaoke continuing to be a fast-growing trend in the world of competitive socializing, business owners should take note of the many opportunities for increased business that adding karaoke rooms can bring.

Bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and specialized entertainment businesses (like bowling alleys, mini-golf courses, axe-throwing venues, and arcades) can ALL benefit from including karaoke rooms.

But if you need more reasons, check out our article on karaoke business benefits here.

What equipment do you need for a karaoke room?

Depending on a variety of factors, the amount of time, money and effort you want to incorporate into your space in the form of equipment – sound equipment, video, lighting, accessories, and so one–can run the gamut from low-end options to sky-high budgets.

The basic setup for a karaoke room includes:

  • The song request station
  • Singa Business Pro
  • One or two TV screen
  • One to two active speakers
  • A mixer
  • Two wireless or wired microphones
Check out the Singa karaoke hardware guide here.

Of course that is just the basic option, a more professional setup can create an even more amazing experience for your customers. Our team here at Singa can help guide you in creating a more quality setup and installation.

In this video you can see how KingPins in Manchester, UK has their karaoke set-up.

For tips from an AV specialist, check out our karaoke equipment article here.

What tips do you have for designing a karaoke room?

While in general karaoke rooms should be kept with the style and theme of the vneue in mind there are some basic things to keep in mind when designing your karaoke room.

  • Seating: Location of your seating is quite important, having a space in the middle so people can dance is quite important. Consider a U-shaped couch more square rooms, or if you have a longer, rectuangual room consider having benches on both sides of the wall.
  • Adding A Theme: Having a fun theme can be a great way to get people excited about your rooms and want to book and share them later on social media. For example, The S2 Karaoke Hall in Stolkholm, Sweden has each of their rooms themed after iconic karaoke songs.

For some great starting tips to help inspire your space, check out our design article here.

How To Keep Customers Engaged for Longer Than Their Booked Time?

Looking to keep the party going? Some specific strategies to keep karaoke customers engaged and singing for longer than their booked time in a private karaoke room can include:

  • Offering extended room packages: Provide booking options with extended durations beyond the standard time slots. Highlight any perks that come with longer bookings, like discounts or bonus features.
  • Themed song lists: Create themed song lists based on decades, genres, or holidays. Customers might book longer to explore a specific theme with their group.
  • Food and drink bundles: Offer food and drink bundles designed for longer sessions. This can encourage them to stay for refreshments and keep the party going.
Gangchu Chicken and Beer serves delicious Korean street food in their karaoke rooms.

How much should I charge for my karaoke room?

There are a number of factors that might influence your decision to charge whatever you charge as a karaoke business owner – location, number of staff, overhead costs/insurance, and so on.

If you want some clear examples check out these case studies to see how different venues have priced their karaoke rooms:

A group of people singing in the karaoke room at Gangchu Chicken and Beer.

Believe it or not, if you’re stuck, you can actually calculate a spend figure for your rooms based on just a few factors by using Singa’s Karaoke Room Profit Calculator. Simply punch in a few details about your specific venue and you’ll get an accurate pricing plan that you can use to increase profits.

Karaoke room resources for businesses

Check out these additional materials to learn even more about karaoke rooms and the benefits they can bring to your business: