KARAOKE EQUIPMENT
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KARAOKE - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE:

How did it all get started and what is the impact of Karaoke in the World today?

 

IS THERE A SINGER IN THE HOUSE?

There are various historical references which could be deemed to be the start of Karaoke. In the U.S. in the 1950s for example, it is reported that there was a television show which showed singers performances with a “bouncy ball” type graphic running along the lyrics for the viewers at home to follow the performance. The term “sing-a-long” is said to be derived from this show.

 

The first commercial references to Karaoke are rooted in Japan in the early 1970s. At this time, singer Daisuke Inoue (Inoue Daisuke) was asked by frequent guests in Utagoe Kissa where he performed, to provide a recording of his perfomance, so that they could sing along on a company sponsored vacation. Realising the potential for the market, Inoue made a tape recorder that played a song, “jukebox style” for a 100-yen coin. This was, essentially, the first “karaoke machine”. Instead of selling his new karaoke machine he leased them out, so that stores didn't have to buy new songs on their own. Originally it was considered a fad which was lacking the "live atmosphere" of a real performance. It was also regarded as somewhat expensive since 100 yen in 1970s was the price of two typical lunches. In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was dubiously awarded the Ig Noble Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely new way for people to learn to tolerate each other."

 

The wider popularisation of the form seemed to originate from a humble snack bar in Kobe City in the Kansai area of Japan in the late 1970s. It is said that when a strolling guitarist could not come to perform at the bar due to illness, the owner of the bar prepared tapes of accompaniment recordings, and customers would themselves become vocalists, and would enjoy singing to the tapes. In this progressive region, the fad soon became a craze and soon there were many tapes and many machines in many bars in the area.

NEW TRENDS COME FROM THE WEST OF JAPAN
There is a saying in Japan that "New trends come from the West of Japan." Japan's first supermarket and sauna were established in the Kansai area, and Kansai has successively created unique businesses and products, bringing the world such diverse commodities such as instant noodles or automated ticket gates! Uniquely among the cities in the Kansai area, Kobe features an original urban and multi-cultural atmosphere. There is another saying that "Fashion comes from Kobe." It is said that the fashion of young women is recognized first in Kobe and becomes popular in Tokyo later, so fashion magazines have to keep an eye on the women in Kobe.

 

Since Kobe Port was opened to international trade in 1868, on the eve of the Meiji Restoration, Kobe has been leading the way towards international exchange, and many foreigners have come to live in Kobe. Western-style residences in which foreigners used to live are located in Kitano-cho, where a jazz festival is held every year, showing Kobe to be a mecca for jazz fans. In addition, many foreigners participate in the "Kobe Festival," known for its parade enlivened with samba rhythms and dance. Such musical leanings and surrounding influences almost certainly lie behind the birth of popular karaoke.

THE KARAOKE WORD AND IT’S MEANING

The word Karaoke comes from "kara" which is an abbreviation of "karappo" and means empty, and "oke" which is an abbreviation of "okesutura," or orchestra. Usually, a recorded popular song consists of vocals and accompaniment. Music tapes in which only the accompaniment was recorded were named "Karaoke." The word Karaoke is now used to describe a music tape or disc that has music but no vocals, instead the words to the song are shown on a television screen, allowing you to sing along to the music.

 

The Japanese word "Karaoke" is now listed not only in Japanese dictionaries but also in the latest edition of The Oxford English Dictionary published in England, one of the most distinguished and formal English dictionaries, proving the word has now become commonly accepted throughout the world.

 

THE BACKGROUND OF KARAOKE'S POPULARITY
The Japanese like parties. From ancient times, a party became enlivened when someone started singing and the others kept time with hand-clapping, making the atmosphere more cheerful. It has never mattered whether the person sings well or not. Even if he sings out of tune, it can spark laughter and make the party more lively.

 

Having such a custom, the Japanese are generous when they listen to other people sing, and can easily sing in front of others without feeling reluctance. This also seems to be one of the reasons that karaoke has been largely accepted in Japanese society.

 

Karaoke was born in a night amusement quarter at the end of the high economic growth period. Until then, customers used to listen to popular songs via wire broadcasting, request favourite songs by telephone, and the wire broadcasting company put the songs on the air. Such a system continued for quite a while.

 

However, it might be unnatural for many Japanese who like singing to only listen to other people sing. It was then that karaoke appeared on the scene. Holding a microphone and singing a song to the accompaniment of an "orchestra," you can feel like a professional singer. If other customers give you a big hand, you feel all the happier. Karaoke has thus stimulated people's desire to sing. For corporate soldiers living in a stressful society, there is no other entertainment that can make them feel so refreshed. Consequently, karaoke immediately spread from Kansai all over Japan.

 

Karaoke is now a typical form of entertainment for Japanese business people; they drop into a bar with colleagues after work, have a drink, and enjoy singing popular songs to the accompaniment of karaoke. Karaoke has been entertaining people ever since its invention more than 30 years ago, and has become firmly established in Japanese society, going far beyond just a temporary boom.

THE KARAOKE BOOTH
Using technological innovations such as the Video Disc, Laser Disc, and CD Graphics, Karaoke grew to be a major entertainments industry in Japan and South East Asia. Family-use karaoke sets became popular, making the amusement formerly limited to night spots possible in the home. However, there was an obstacle to this end of the business: since most Japanese houses stood close to each other and were still built of wood, with poor soundproofing, it was very annoying of the neighbours to sing into a microphone at night!

 

Seizing upon the opportunity created by this problem, entrepreneurs created the Karaoke Booth, a roadside facility containing closed-door insulated rooms for singing. They were advertised as the place where you could sing to your heart's content. The first Karaoke Booth appeared in 1984 in a rice field in the countryside of Okayama Prefecture, just west of the Kansai area. It was built from a converted freight car.

 

Since then, Karaoke Boxes have been built on unoccupied grounds all over Japan, most especially in Urban areas. Karaoke rooms, which consist of compartments made by partitioning and soundproofing rooms in a building, were introduced and set up one after another. Though karaoke was at first an entertainment mainly for business people, it grew to be a nationwide amusement in the Far East, thanks to technological development and this new business called the "Karaoke booth" (or “Karaoke box as it’s known in the Far East!)

 

As these facilities were established mainly to provide places to enjoy singing, they became widely popular among all sectors of the population - female office workers, housewives, college students, and even high school students.

KARAOKE'S UNEXPECTED EFFECTS

Social bonding. Since lots of families enjoy singing together in Karaoke Booths, the Karaoke Booth also plays a role as a place for family communication through singing. This is important at a time when generation gaps and family break ups are a nationwide concern.

 

Education. Now, the Karaoke boom has spread abroad from Japan, enjoyed not only in Korea and China but also in Southeast Asia, the U.S., the U.K. and Europe. Since Karaoke displays the words and scenes of a song on a monitor, it has also been attracting the attention of countries trying to improve their literacy rate, as a good educational tool.