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This might seem really odd (maybe stupid to ask...) but I'm wondering about something...
Aside from the Karaoke Contest, which I'm sure has time allocated toward it, but when would open-mic be?
And I assume open-mic is for anyone that would like to sing outside the contest right?
Thanks in advance.

Open Mic is basically going to be whenever there is not a contest, or setup for a contest.

On Friday, it will be after the end of the contest.
On Saturday, it will start around 6PM, and run until 3AM.
On Sunday, it will start around 3PM, until 10PM, and then after midnight.

These are approximate hours.

Not to be a nuisance or anything, but am I correct in thinking that the rules for the Karaoke contest (not the gong show or acoustickaraoke!) have not yet been posted?  I just want to make sure that I'm not completely having a brain fart here.  :B

They have just been posted.

[FanimeCon 2013 Karaoke Contest Rules]

FanimeCon 2013 Karaoke Contest Rules

The FanimeCon 2013 Karaoke Contest will take place on Friday, May 24. Up to 45 will vie for the right to be crowned the best singing act of FanimeCon! All finalists will receive prizes, and this year's winner will receive a beautiful microphone trophy.

All contest-related events (signups, check in, and the contest itself) will be in the Karaoke room.

Schedule

Before Con:
5/5: Online sign ups open and run until full, or until 5/17, whichever comes first.
5/20: Contest Start List posted

At Con:
5/24, 2PM to 5PM: Check-in, warm ups, and at con sign ups.
5/24, 5PM: Deadline for online sign ups to check in.
5/24, 5:15PM: If spots are available, we will add entries from the waiting list. Waiting list entries must be present to be added.
5/24, 6PM: Qualifying Round
5/24, 9:00PM: Final Round


Eligibility

You must have a valid FanimeCon badge for Friday. FanimeCon Karaoke staff, Guests of Honor, and Industry members with professional singing or voice acting experience are ineligible to compete in the contest.

If you compete as a group, all singing members of the group must sing both songs, either as lead or as backup vocals. You may not add or change singing group members between rounds.

Signing Up/Checking In

The online signup link will be posted on this forum on 5/5. To sign up, you must complete the online form completely, including your real name and mailing address, and song IDs (if you are using our library). Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Contestants who pre-register for the contest must check in with us by 5PM on the day of the contest. To check-in for the contest, you will need your FanimeCon badge and your contest music (either on a CD, or the song numbers from our song library).  If you don't check in, then at 5 your spot may be canceled and given to the entries on the waiting list.

Any at-con sign-ups in excess of 45 will be placed on a waiting list. Waiting list entrants must be present in the Karaoke room at 5:15 to find out if they are in the contest.

Song Selection

Songs must be from the following categories: anime, vocaloid, video game, or J-rock/J-pop. Although our karaoke database has songs from other categories, only songs from the aforementioned categories may be used.

Songs limits: 2:00 (preliminary), 5:00 (finals). Songs longer than these limits will be faded out when the limit is reached.

You may not use the same song in both rounds of the contest.

English songs which were not originally created for an anime series or video game, or straight covers of such songs (for example, Fly Me To The Moon) are not allowed. Japanese adaptations of such a song are okay.

Original songs created for a localized version of an anime series or game are okay (For example, songs from Robotech or the North American Sailor Moon).

No a cappella singing. a cappella singers are invited to join our Acoustikaraoke! Contest instead.

Acoustic-only instruments (those not using an amp) are allowed if played by the singer(s) themselves. Performers part of a larger group or who desire a more complex musical setup are invited to join our Acoustikaraoke! Contest instead.

You should generally follow the song's original lyrics-this is not a "filk" contest. Changing the lyrics cannot help your score, and can hurt it.

If you bring your own music, you must provide their own music, preferably karaoke version, on an audio CD. No phones or mp3 players please. Unclaimed CDs will be disposed of at our discretion after the convention.

You may also choose songs from our open mic library. Just tell us the song ID number at signup/check-in. We are not responsible if the song sounds different from your expectations, or does not have lyrics. If you are unsure, you should try it out during the warmup period before the contest.

All contestants who do not use karaoke versions of their songs will perform with vocal dampening turned on. We want to hear you, not the original singer.
Note: Vocal dampening has been known to have unexpected effects with some songs, so if you plan to use vocal dampening, we strongly suggest that you test out your song at home before you sign up.

No song changes are allowed once the contest starts.

Scoring and Judging

In the Qualifying Round, singers will be evaluated on the following categories from each judge:

•   Vocal: musical quality of performance, breath control, pitch and tone
•   Visual Performance: stage presence; overall entertainment value; style and poise
•   Song selection/difficulty

The top ten scoring singers from the Qualifying Round will advance to the Finals.

In the Finals, each contestant will be scored by each judge in the following categories:

•   Vocal: musical quality of performance, breath control, pitch and tone (60%)
•   Visual Performance: stage presence; overall entertainment value; style and poise (30%)
•   Song selection/difficulty (10%)

In case of a tie in the preliminary round, the tied acts will advance to the final round. In the event of a tie in the finals, then a vote of the judges will determine final placement.
All decisions made by the judges are final.


Conduct
As a convention for anime fans of all ages, FanimeCon has certain standards of behavior which all convention attendees should abide by at all times. Karaoke is no exception.

All aspects of the act, including, but not limited to: costume, conduct on stage, and song lyrics, are to abide by no worse than a PG-13 standard. If you are in doubt as to whether something is suitable, just ask yourself: Would you do this in front of your mother?  If you're still in doubt, please email or post and tell us what you have in mind, and we'll make a decision.

If any violations of this policy occur, FanimeCon Karaoke staff reserves the right to disqualify offenders from the contest and/or terminate the act in mid-song. In extreme cases, offenders may also be subject to convention penalties including loss of badge and removal from the convention.

During the contest, no physical interaction with the judges or the announcer is allowed. Contestants may not leave the stage.

Contestants may not use an audience member in their act. Actions that encourage general audience participation as a whole (such as asking the crowd to sing along) are okay.

The only persons allowed in the performing stage are FanimeCon staff and contestants.

[FanimeCon 2013 Acoustikaraoke! Contest Rules]

FanimeCon 2013 Acoustikaraoke! Contest Rules

Play a musical instrument? Ever wanted to show off your own special arrangement of your favorite anime theme song on stage? Acoustikaraoke! is a chance for solo or small groups with their own instruments to show off their talents through instrumental numbers, original arrangements, and ensemble performances. Don't miss the weekend's most eclectic showcase of live music! The Acoustikaraoke! Contest will be held at 4PM on Saturday.

Some examples of things you can do include:

• Vocal performance with live instrument accompaniment
  
• Solo instrument or small instrument ensemble
• Instrument with accompanying track
• Unique a cappella interpretation of an anime song (also see note below on a cappella performances)

Please note that this contest is intended for individuals or small groups. Full-fledged bands with concert stage setups are beyond the scope of this event.

Signups

Signups for this event will begin when the Karaoke room first opens on Friday. Also, the room will be open one hour early (Saturday 3PM) for last-minute signups. There will be a limit of 15 acts. Contest spots are first come, first serve. If there is enough interest, we will add an "open acoustikaraoke" session after the contest.

This is a completely separate event from the main Karaoke Contest. You are more than welcome to enter the main contest, this event, and any of the other Karaoke events.

Rules
You must have a valid Fanime Con badge for the day of the event (Saturday).

You must bring your own instruments. We will only provide microphones. We're expecting there to be three microphones.

If you wish to use an amp, you may bring a standalone personal/practice amp that you can carry yourself onto the stage.

No equipment other than the microphones can be plugged into the PA system.

As the point of this contest is for you to perform the music, our song library will not be available for this contest. Also, you may not use any pre-recorded music such as CDs or mp3s.

For any instruments requiring setup, setup must be done in less than five minutes.

Performances are limited to six minutes per act.

a cappella singers are expected to have a good knowledge of their songs, or at least have a lyrics sheet handy. There is no penalty for having a lyrics sheet on stage. We reserve the right to abbreviate your performance if it becomes obvious that you don't know the lyrics. Also, for a cappella contestants to be competitive, your particular rendition should be more than just a straight singing of the original version of the song.


Awards

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Best Overall Performance
• Best Group Performance
• Best Solo Performance

The judges reserve the right to modify these categories depending on the entries received, and to award other prizes at their discretion. All decisions of the judges are final.

[FanimeCon 2013 Gong Show! Rules]

FanimeCon 2013 Gong Show! Rules

So bad...yet so good.

Taking place Sunday night at 10PM, the Karaoke Gong Show is for those brave and thick-skinned souls who are hellbent on creating most uniquely terrible, yet entertaining, karaoke performances.

Our performers (and commentators) can be quite imaginative, so we recommend 18 and over for this event!

Contestants should expect to be laughed at by the audience and subject to scathing judge commentary. Our panel of judges for this contest are specially selected for their lack of tact and love of punching below the belt. Thick skin, a good sense of humor, and a strong sense of self-parody are all highly recommended for this event. If your feelings are easily hurt, you should not sign up for this event (but you should still come and watch!)

To sign up for this contest, come to the Karaoke room (Ballroom C SJCC) any time starting on Friday. You can bring your own music on a CD, or choose a song from our song library.

How It Works
You will be allowed to perform for at least 30 seconds. After that, when the judges can take no more, the gong may be struck. Once the gong sounds, you must stop performing.

Judging
Contestants are encouraged to be creative, unique, and absolutely awful - a good entry will not only satirize the act of singing itself, but do so in a manner which is interesting enough to prevent their being gonged. This includes, but is not limited to, costumes, dances, group configurations, horrifying vocals, general concept, etc.

Contestants may not behave in any inappropriate manner that otherwise violates FanimeCon conduct policies, including (but not limited to) the following: nudity, inappropriate costumes, weapons, etc. You must stay on the stage until gonged. You may not throw anything into the audience (or at the judges) or make a mess on the stage.

Contestants must stop performing when the fateful gong has been delivered. Then, if they dare, they can stay on stage and face the judges. You are not required to remain on stage.


Prizes
Although we use the term loosely, "awards" will be given out for particularly infamous performances, with a "Worst of Show" to the contestant who creates the perfect blend of auditory horror and entertainment. Unlike the original TV version, prizes are not awarded specifically for staying on stage.

We'll be doing our annual update of the karaoke library this month. Want to request a particular song be added to our song library? Here's the procedure:

1. Look at our current song list to see if it's already added.

2. If you don't see it there, then post your requests in this topic!

We will probably do our update in the middle or later portion of this month. I will post when we are no longer taking requests.

The response in the other thread was correct.

Here's our song list.

The primary categories in our database are: anime, j-rock, j-pop, video game, vocaloid, American cartoons (including Disney) and most recently, some k-pop.

We also have a separate English database that is not listed on our web site. These are the popular songs you'd typically see at a karaoke place.

We'll be posting karaoke contest rules for 2013 by about next weekend (4/6 to 4/7)

Online Contest signups will start in the first week or so of May.

Hi, I've never participated in the Fanime karaoke contest but I was thinking of trying it this year.  Is there anything a first time participant really needs to know?  Also, I was wondering, do you get to see the lyrics while you perform during the contest, or do you have to memorize your song?

Most competitors memorize their lyrics, but you are not required to memorize lyrics.

If you select a song from our database that has lyrics, then they will be displayed on the screen.

[Karaoke Contest:]

Karaoke Contest:

1. Astro Ninja Fruits (Ariane Ferare and Nathalie Ferare)
2. Sara Cocanour
3. Diana Tolin
4. Christin Tomaschke
5. Caitlin Chang
6. Melanie O'Connor
7. Hong Shon
8. Benn Andrei Caldeo
9. The Rockettes (Michelle Wan, Rachel Stewart, Alexandra Pacheco de Sousa)
10. Lillian Martin

Acoustikaraoke! Contest

The Katamari Brothers

Hey folks,

Just letting you guys know that I will not be running the contest tomorrow night. Got called into work for all four days of FanimeCon.

The contest will still be run by the same very capable staff as always. Tommy and Ska, two of our most trusted and senior crew members, have been fully briefed and will be running the show. You can direct any at con queries to them.

My biggest regret is that I won't be able to see the many brilliant, talented, and dedicated singers who make the contest what it is. May you all sing your hearts out!

-Hank aka The Gale Wolf

Do we need to be there the entire time while everyone else sings? I'd love to hear everyone, but I have a few other commitments ><

Also when will group 4 start performing? :)

No you are not required to be there the entire time.

The smart ass answer is "after group 3". The real answer is that 3 minutes per contestant would be a conservative estimate.

Holy jesus...I didn't expect to go first
Umm...and cue stage fright! It's okay...I think I can do it... 0.o

That's the risk when you sign up so early ;-)

*sigh* Let's hope Standby gets a chance. I doubt five, if not six people won't show. Ah well. o3o

Historically, we usually take at least several standbys. If that trend holds, I'd expect everyone on this Standby list, and at least a few at con signups, to get in. This is not a guarantee or promise, but that's how it's been in the past.

[5PM]

This is the official order for the FanimeCon 2012 Karaoke Contest:

You must check in at the Karaoke room by 5PM . If you are providing your own music, you need to bring it with you to check in. You may change songs at check in. No song changes are allowed once the contest begins.

Group 1 (Early As Possible)

J. KO
L. Pan
K. Ishijima
J. Rock
C. Chang
V. Ukhalkar
S. Cocanour
W. Teng/J. Park
V. Domincil
A. Parish
S. Hubbard
J. Chang

Group 2 (No Preference)

E. Peterson
L. Mar
C. Tomaschke
C. Chan
A. Pacheco de Sousa, R. Stewart, and M. Wan
K. Warren
Y. Mori
P. Duong
D. Hyun
S. Ou
A. Molina
C. Fu and E. Hang
N. Dai
J. Carino and B. Ignacio
R. Hughes

Group 4 (Late As Possible)

B. Nguyen
H. Shon
M. Duran
I. Ramirez
A. Blanco
M. Ring
L. Talbert
J. Chen
V. Nguyen
E. Nguyen
M. Lara
A. Ondricka
M. O'Connor


The following people are on the Standby List, and if added, will form Group 3 (Standby List)
Standbys, along with At-Con signups, need to be present in the Karaoke room at 5:30PM. At that time we will release all spots of people who didn't show up and process standbys in the order below, and then at con signups in order of sign up.

Group 3 (Standby List)

M. Connor
S. Peng
B.A. Caldeo
L. Martin
P. Coleman

So if one of the people in my group brings an electric bass guitar and a small (5W) amp, will that be okay?  The amp still needs to be plugged into a power source, will that be alright?  (:

Yes that should be alright. Bring a long extension cord though just to be on the safe side.

Im wondering, if he said that the tv show length of songs were preferable for the contest, if the full versions are only available during the selection, would it be possible to say...Have them cut it off, or do a fade out from where the OP would normally end?  I was thinking of doing Shounen Heart for mine if I was able to get in, and it only goes for 1:30

Yes- just let the Tech Staff know when your turn comes up.

Song requests are now closed for this year.

MODERATOR: You may go ahead and close this topic. Thanks!

Hi!, I have 2 questions:

1) If we want to change the selection of songs or the order we want to sing them, do we have to email you in advance or can it be done when we sign in at the con?

2) Also, if originally I wrote a number of persons that were going to perform and that number will now decreased, do I email you?

Thank you

1. At the con.
2. Yes, or PM.

I feel kind of stupid for having to ask this, but since this is a Karaoke contest, do the lyrics need to be memorized?

I believe they let you bring a printed copy of the lyrics up to the stage but they do deduct points for doing so. I did that three years ago but honestly it was way to distracting and it made me even more nervous! I strongly suggest memorizing the lyrics so you can focus your attention to your performance and singing.

We don't deduct points for using a lyrics sheet. But we do judge on Performance. If you are heads down into the lyrics sheet during the entire song, then that would not be considered good performance. Many singers do just fine with a lyrics sheet, it's how you use it.

but for the first round, when u say 2:30, does that mean 2 mins and 30 seconds of SINGING or 2 mins and 30 seconds of the song itself?

The song itself. However, we may let the song run a little longer if right at the 2:30 mark you are in the middle of a verse.
So if you want to be safe, know the first 3 minutes.

Does this go for the finals round, as well? Let's say that 5:00 exactly is right in the middle of the last chorus, the singing goes until ~5:25, and the most logical place to stop before that is at ~3:30, would it be best to learn the song all the way through and hope that you guys extend it to the end of the singing, or should I cut it off really early (after the first chorus/before an instrumental portion)? It doesn't -really- matter to me, I'm mostly just wondering if I should brush up on my final verses or not.

Also, we won't get penalized in the prelims if the 2:30 cutoff is at kind of an odd spot, right? (It's not in the middle of a verse or anything, but it's kind of an odd note that's before a short silent section that leads into the final chorus) Again, trying to figure out if I should cut it off earlier, after the first chorus/before an instrumental/before the slightly awkward final verses (which is a little before 1:25, which doesn't seem like much singing at all!), or if I should stick it out to the end of those final verses. On this song, there's pretty much no danger of me having to go over the time, though.

Thank you!

There's no penalty if your song breaks in an odd spot at the time limit. We don't fade *exactly* at 2:30, we fade at the first natural break. So if your song happens to be in the middle of a verse, then expect to finish the verse.

For your finals song, either way is acceptable.

Basically, sing until you don't hear the music any more, and you'll be fine.

The rules for 2012 Acoustikaraoke! have been updated!

[FanimeCon 2012 Gong Show! Rules]

FanimeCon 2012 Gong Show! Rules

So bad...yet so good.

Taking place Sunday night at 10PM, the Karaoke Gong Show is for those brave and thick-skinned souls who are hellbent on creating most uniquely terrible, yet entertaining, karaoke performances.

Our performers (and commentators) can be quite imaginative, so we recommend 18 and over for this event!

Contestants will be laughed at by the audience and subject to scathing judge commentary. Our panel of judges for this contest are specially selected for their lack of tact and love of punching below the belt. Thick skin, a good sense of humor, and a strong sense of self-parody are all highly recommended for this event. If your feelings are easily hurt, you should not sign up for this event (but you should still come and watch!)

To sign up for this contest, come to the Karaoke room (Ballroom C SJCC) any time starting on Friday. You can bring your own music on a CD, or choose a song from our song library.

How It Works
Contestants will be allowed to perform for at least 30 seconds. After that, when the judges can take no more, the gong may be struck and the contestant escorted off the stage. Once the gong sounds, you must stop performing.

Judging
Contestants are encouraged to be creative, unique, and absolutely awful - a good entry will not only satirize the act of singing itself, but do so in a manner which is interesting enough to prevent their being gonged. This includes, but is not limited to, costumes, dances, group configurations, horrifying vocals, general concept, etc.

Contestants may not behave in any inappropriate manner that otherwise violates Fanime Con conduct policies, including (but not limited to) the following: nudity, inappropriate costumes, weapons, etc. You must stay on the stage until gonged. You may not throw anything into the audience or make a mess on the stage.

Contestants must stop performing when the fateful gong has been delivered. Then, If they dare, they can stay on stage and face the judges.


Prizes
Although we use the term loosely, "awards" will be given out for particularly infamous performances, with a "Worst of Show" to the contestant who creates the perfect blend of auditory horror and entertainment. Unlike the TV version, prizes are not awarded specifically for staying onstage.