Inspiring Conversations with Rj M. & Mathew T. of Culver Karaoke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rj M. & Mathew T.

Hi RJ M. & Mathew T., thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Culver Karaoke is a private room karaoke establishment founded by two friends from college. While undergraduates at UCLA, RJ and Mathew became great friends through joining the same fraternity. There, they both got to experience a variety of social atmospheres, events, and past-times. One of their favorite weekend hangout destinations was Koreatown where a plethora of delicious food spots paired along with numerous private karaoke businesses. While in the grand scheme of things are considered minimal problems in comparison to what happens around the world, they found a few issues with the process of going to any of the other established karaoke places. Preset minimum spend, one drink minimums, “basic packages”, vague reservation processes, confusing song queuing tech, and the half hour (or more) uber ride one way made karaoke a “once in a blue moon” excursion for jobless college students. About a year after both Mathew and RJ graduated, Mathew approached RJ with the idea to be able to provide a karaoke space for not only college students, but all singers at heart who live on the West Side of LA. A place where we could change some of the not so appetizing aspects of our previous experiences going to karaoke establishments and do it ourselves. That is how Culver Karaoke came to be.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As first time business partners and owners, we would be remiss to say it was a smooth road the entire way. We’ve had struggles that range from unexpected business costs to accommodating the neighborhoods physically located behind the business to even deciding on a color of the interior walls. However, through compromise and a grander vision, we continue to tackle every obstacle head on with a positive mindset. Any issue that may arise, we communicate effectively and decide not to sulk, but rather handle it efficiently and move on.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our business, Culver Karaoke is a private karaoke room establishment. We have eight total rooms and each room is fitted with comfy couches, sound systems, tv monitors, a coffee table, and a tablet equipped with the Singa Karaoke program that will provide patrons with a fun, authentic karaoke experience. The rooms come in a variety of sizes in order to do our best to accommodate various party sizes. We specialize in providing an easy to navigate, fun karaoke experience; no singing in front of strangers, no extra hidden fees, no minimum spend. We want karaoke to not just be a once in a while experience, but spot you love to frequent without breaking the bank. What sets us apart is our easy to navigate program, the customer service expertise, and the fact we can cater to a variety of party sizes and parties of all ages; we have housed karaoke lovers from a party of one to a party of 20! We also specialize in private event bookings of 30+ people. We have hosted countless university organizations/clubs, as well as corporate department events and would love to host many more! We are most proud of our Wall of Fame, in the front entrance you will see a wall with various album covers framed and scattered. You might see one of your favorite artists on the wall.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Compromise, adaptability, and patience. All things needed to keep the ship running smoothly, and great character aspects to develop and hone for other relationships in life, with friends, family, partners, and even as an employee.

Pricing:

• Weekday adults: $12.00 pre tax per person per hour
• Weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) adults: $14.50 pre tax per person, per hour
• Children under 16 every day $10 pre tax per child per hour
• Reservation deposits for parties of 4 or more (that will be deducted from your end of session bill: $50 via zelle
• Reservation deposits for parties of 4 or less (that will be deducted from your end of session bill: $30 via zelle

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culverkaraoke/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/culver-karaoke-los-angeles