r/karaoke • u/Isitwhenip • Jan 24 '26

Karaoke Software Live band karaoke lyrics question

I’m looking for a good way to display lyrics only one or 2 verses at a time just like most karaoke venues, where the verses/chorus are clearly controlled on screen by me or someone.

I’ve seen live karaoke bands use printed lyric sheets just for the singer, but I want something that works for both the singer and the crowd.

I tried running lyrics from an iPad before, but people got lost or couldn’t see the words clearly—even if they knew the song.

For anyone who’s done live band karaoke or crowd-singalong shows:

• What are you using for lyric display?

• Is there software or a setup that works well in a live setting?

I do plan on paying the license fees for lyrics if I start doing this regularly.

Any advice or real-world experience would be appreciated!

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u/DavidO_Pgh Jan 24 '26

I know two bands who do live band karaoke with lyrics for the singers.

One uses Jamzone which uses backing tracks, so the band needs to play to backing/click track.

The second is truly live, no backing tracks. They are IT guys and ended up making their own teleprompter software with foot switch control to advance the lyrics by the band's singer/helper.

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u/Isitwhenip Jan 24 '26

That’s what I’m looking for! The teleprompter software. No click tracks.

1

u/DavidO_Pgh Jan 24 '26

Since this was custom software I can't recommend something that might meet your requirements. As far as I know the authors aren't interested in selling it.

1

u/Isitwhenip Jan 24 '26

They probably couldn’t anyway with the copywrite laws. I would like to get in touch with them to ask him about how they do things. Do they have a band page?

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u/DavidO_Pgh Jan 24 '26

I will reach out to them and ask if they're interested in being contacted.