New Singer Jumps Straight To The Top

[vialli25]

I have a feature request after using kJams at a gig for the first time last night.

If I have 20 singers in my list, and 10 of them have songs currently queuing, and they've all sung a song tonight already, I think it's unfair to make a new singer wait approximately 30 mins to sing whilst everybody else has another song.

Therefore, when a new singer is added to the list or when an existing singer in my venue hasn't sung at all tonight I like to get them to sing their first song nice and early, to save them waiting around and potentially leaving. So I navigate to KJ Rotation and drag them beneath the current singer.

Is there a way for this to happen automatically?

For example, say I already have 'Bob' listed in my venue as he is a regular visitor, but he's just arrived for the night. As soon as I select a song for 'Bob' it should recognise that it's his first song of the night and bump him to the top of the queue. Once his first song is over the normal rotation rules then apply for 'Bob'. This should also work for 'New Singer' as well.

I realise not everybody will want to work this way, but it would nice to have the option there.

Thanks

[dave]

yes, a revamp of the rotation manager is on the list. it will allow customization of how it works, with many optional choices. but that's for later, probably won't make it in for a while. i have to finish 1.0 and get it out the door first.

[Karanight]

You need to be aware that if you put singers on as soon as they come to the venue, it will annoy the singers that have been there for some time (Some can be selfish) so to avoid the problems of moaning I make singers that have just arrived wait until about half the list has been gone through.

If 10 singers have sung and your part way through the list again, say singer 6 is now singing, I put the new singer at the end of the list so they'll be singing after 4 more singers have sung.. I don't have a hard and fast rule, I just make them wait till about half the existing singers have sung again.

I've found if I put the singer in straight away the first thing I have is those that have been in a while moan, and then I have the new singer thinking that because they didn't have to wait that the karaoke is not busy and they're wanting to sing again sooner than there turn allows, and thirdly because they know they're going to be put up to sing as soon as they turn up, they won't come early and they spend less at the bar (It's that, that pays our wages)

It's up to you of course this is just my opinion.

[Jon Leggitt]

Personally, I just cap my first rotation at about 10-12 people, then alternate new and returning singers for subsequent rotations. It gets new singers in relatively quickly, but lets the folks who've been waiting for another song (and not-so-incidentally spending money at the bar) know that they're not being ignored. It takes a little more work than just putting them at the top or bottom of the rotation, but I've found that it reduces the number of complaints about fairness and the inevitable whining about wait times.

[Karanight]

Yes, I do that too I put a singer whose sung and then a new one. Another thing this helps is if a group of singers all come in together and there all singing in rotation next to each other I get folk moaning that I'm only getting that group up to sing, so I put one from one table and then one from another table and so on.
The problem is there's no perfect way to rotate singers and as long as I've got a hole in my arse I'll never please everyone

[vialli25]

I see where you are coming from about them thinking they don't have to turn up early, but then there's always the possibility that they will leave if they have to wait too long to sing. It's swings and roundabouts and as you said, there is no perfect singer rotation.

I think Dave's best bet is to provide options to customise the rotation like he's planning. That way, we can customise the rotation based on the venue, crowd, personal preference etc.

[dave]