Why We Built Rotato
We are a crew of long-time karaoke fans from South California who recently started running karaoke four nights a week at our local tavern. We wanted to show our community what a "next-generation" karaoke experience would look like. As part of that, we chose KaraFun as our karaoke app of choice.
But we were disappointed by how KaraFun (and most other karaoke apps) handle singer queues and rotation. In our area, audiences expect a stable singer-oriented rotation, whereas most karaoke apps are song-oriented. Thanks to our decades of software engineering and UI experience at some of the world's most successful software companies, we were able to build Rotato, the ultimate performer rotation app!
What Is Rotato?
Rotato is an entirely web-based, state-of-the-art tool for managing performer rotation. It's applicable to karaoke, open mic nights, talent shows, ...you name it! It has been designed and field-tested by actual KJs. It runs on any laptop or tablet, with no app install required. And it is designed for maximum efficiency and robustness.
Smooth Continuous Rotation 💎
This is at the core of the Rotato philosophy: We've participated in every kind of karaoke show, and believe that smooth, stable and continous singer rotation creates the most satisfying audience experience. And our tool makes this a breeze! No more stacks of PostIt notes, or "rounds" that keep singers wondering if and when their next turn is coming. Singers stay in the rotation automatically, can choose their next song when their ready, and enjoy the show instead of watching the queue. It's fair, effortless and easy for everyone to follow.
Next-Generation Experience
But Rotato is more than just a rotation manager. As part of our "next-generation" promise, we will be adding a whole suite of web-based add-on features to enhance the show experience for performers and audiences alike. For example, we already offer the Live Queue display, that can run on any web-connected device.
And right now we are working on a QR-code based "landing page" for smartphones, from which performers will be able to
browse song catalogs, make song requests, and even tip the host! Another feature we're also exploring is "performer tracking",
where each performer's song preferences and history can follow them around, allowing them to have a smooth experience at
every Rotato-enabled venue that they frequent.
We're Better Together
Rotato is a passion project, and won't succeed unless we can build a community of show hosts around it. So we need YOU to try our product at your shows, and collaborate with us on ideas for new features and improvements. Join the Rotato community Discord Server today!