I've gotten quite into doing pub karaoke for the past three years. It started as me going to monthly nights at my local, then following that particular KJ after they cancelled future gigs with her, to befriending and following a few other hosts.
There's three particular debates:
- Who produces the best karaoke backing tracks? There are a lot of websites/platforms that produce licensed karaoke tracks, such as Karaoke Version, Sing To The World, Sunfly, Karafun, Mr Entertainer, Zoom Karaoke and a few others. I think some can be more hit-or-miss than others. Karafun are generally good with lyric readability but their app/service is kinda shit if you don't have an internet connection.
- Should the host get on the mic and sing at all? Some i know are the kind who like the sound of their own voice a bit too much and tend to hog the mic, but there's also one I know who rarely if ever sings himself.
- As a host, should you play songs between singers. I can understand spacing out singers when it's quiet, but if it's busy and you have a few dozen singers waiting for their turn, you're just gonna piss people off if you play full songs between each act in my opinion.
IIRC I joined before the Reddit API protests. I wanted an alternative where I would be more free to speak my mind. The problem is, Voat and Ruqqus got overtaken by white supremacists, Tildes is too much of a walled garden and both Snapzu and Hubski are basically dead.