Karaoke History
Karaoke, a portmanteau of Japanese kara, "empty," and kesutora, "orchestra")(pronounced
/kaeriouki/; in Japanese [kalaóke]; is a form of entertainment in which
amateur singers sing along with recorded music (and/or a music video) using
a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known
pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen,
along with a moving symbol or changing color and/or music video images, to guide
the singer. In some countries, a karaoke music video with lyrics and the option
to disable the original voice track is called a KTV. It is very commonly pronounced
as /kaeriouki/, some people incorrectly spell it "kareoke".
History
The concept of creating studio recordings that lack the lead vocal has been
around for probably nearly as long as recording itself. Many artists, amateur
and professional, perform in situations where a full band/orchestra is either
logistically or financially impractical and so they use a "karaoke"
recording, but they are actually the original artists. (This is not to be confused
with "lip syncing" in which a performer mimes to a previously produced
studio recording with the lead vocal intact.)
AudioSynTrac and Numark Electronics were the first companies that combined
to offer sing-along tapes and audio equipment to the rest of the world. The
president of AudioSynTrac, Scott Ebright was a California music promoter and
talent agent who booked singers at resorts and hotels across the United States.
The first karaoke machine was invented by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue[2]
in Kobe, Japan, in the early 1970s.[3] After becoming popular in Japan, karaoke
spread to East and Southeast Asia during the 1980s and subsequently to other
parts of the world.
In Japan, it has long been common to provide musical entertainment at a dinner
or a party. Japanese drummer Daisuke Inoue was asked by frequent guests in the
Utagoe Kissa, where he performed, to provide a recording of his performance
so that they could sing along on a company-sponsored vacation. Realizing the
potential for the market, Inoue made a tape recorder that played a song for
a 100-yen coin.
Development in Japan
Instead of giving his karaoke machines away, Inoue leased them out so that
stores did not have to buy new songs on their own. Originally, it was considered
a somewhat expensive fad, as it lacked the live atmosphere of a real performance
and 500 yen in the 1970s was the price of two typical lunches, but it caught
on as a popular entertainment. Karaoke machines were initially placed in restaurants
and hotel rooms; soon, new businesses called karaoke boxes, with compartmented
rooms, became popular. In 2004, Daisuke Inoue was awarded the tongue-in-cheek
Ig Nobel Peace Prize for inventing karaoke, "thereby providing an entirely
new way for people to learn to tolerate each other."
1980s: Filipino patent
Inoue never bothered to patent his invention, losing his chance to become one
of Japan's richest men. Roberto del Rosario, a Filipino inventor who called
his sing-along system "Minus-One", now holds the patent for the device
now commonly known as the "karaoke machine". As a matter of fact,
"Minus-One" has been in existence in the Philippines since the 70s.[citation
needed] The spread of "Minus-One" music would have been attributed
to a few Filipinos who brought with them their music wherever they go and a
few went to Japan as entertainers during the early part of this decade and that
may have had that indirect influence on Inoue's ingenuity. Following a court
battle with a Japanese company which claimed to have invented the system, del
Rosario's patents were issued in 1983 and 1986, more than a decade after Inoue's
original unpatented invention of the device in 1971.
Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and then (back) to the United States
in the 1990s, as well as to Canada, Australia and other Western countries. In-home
karaoke machines soon followed but lacked success in the US and Canadian markets.
When creators became aware of this problem, karaoke machines were no longer
being sold strictly for the purpose of karaoke but as home theater systems to
enhance television watching to "movie theater like quality". Home
theater systems took off, and karaoke went from being the main purpose of the
stereo system, to a side feature.
As more music became available for karaoke machines, more people within the
industry saw karaoke as a profitable form of lounge and nightclub entertainment.
It is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights a
week, commonly with much more high-end sound equipment than the small, stand-alone
consumer versions. Dance floors and lighting effects are also becoming common
sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple TV screens around
the bar.
Technology
A basic karaoke machine consists of a music player, microphone inputs, a means
of altering the pitch of the played music, and an audio output. Some low-end
machines attempt to provide vocal suppression so that one can feed regular songs
into the machine and suppress the voice of the original singer; however, this
is rarely effective. Most common machines are CD+G, Laser Disc, VCD or DVD players
with microphone inputs and an audio mixer built in. CD+G players use a special
track called subcode to encode the lyrics and pictures displayed on the screen
while other formats natively display both audio and video.
Most karaoke machines have technology that electronically changes the pitch
of the music so that amateur singers can sing along to any music source by choosing
a key that is appropriate for their vocal range, while maintaining the original
tempo of the song. (There were some very old systems that used cassettes, and
these changed the pitch by altering playback speed, but none are still on the
market, and their commercial use is virtually nonexistent.)
A popular game using karaoke is to type in a random number and call up a song,
of which participants take turns to try to sing as much as they can. In some
machines, this game is pre-programmed and may be limited to a genre so that
they cannot call up an obscure national anthem that none of the participants
can sing. This game has come to be called "Kamikaze Karaoke" or "Karaoke
Roulette" in some parts of the United States and Canada.[citation needed]
Many low-end entertainment systems have a karaoke mode that attempts to remove
the vocal track from regular audio CDs. This is done by center removal, which
exploits the fact that in most music the vocals are in the center. This means
that the voice, as part of the music, has equal volume on both stereo channels
and no phase difference. To get the quasi-karaoke (mono) track, the left channel
of the original audio is subtracted from the right channel. The Sega Saturn
also has a "mute vocals" feature that is based on the same principle
and is also able to adjust the pitch of the song to match the singer's vocal
range.
The crudeness of this approach is reflected in the often-poor performance of
voice removal. Common effects are hearing the reverberation of the voice track
(due to stereo reverb being put on the vocals); also, other instruments (snare/bass
drum, solo instruments) that happen to be mixed into the center get removed,
degrading this approach to hardly more than a gimmick in those devices. Recent
years have seen the development of new techniques based on the Fast Fourier
Transform. Although still not perfect, the results are usually much better than
the old technique, because the stereo left-right comparison can be done on individual
frequencies.
Early age
Early karaoke machines used cassette tapes, but technological advances replaced
this with CDs, VCDs, laserdiscs and, currently, DVDs. In the late 1980s and
1990s, Pioneer Electronics dominated the international karaoke music video market,
producing high quality karaoke music videos (inspired by the music videos such
as those on MTV).
In 1992, Taito introduced the X2000, which fetched music via a dial-up telephone
network. Its repertoire of music and graphics was limited, but its smaller size
and the advantage of continuous updates saw it gradually replace traditional
machines. Now, karaoke machines connected via fiber-optic links to provide instant
high-quality music and video are becoming increasingly popular.
Karaoke direct are an internet division established in 1997 and have been serving
the public online since 1998. They released the first karaoke player that supports
MP3+G and now[when?] the KDX2000 model supporting karaoke in DIVX Format.
Karaoke video games
The earliest karaoke-based music video game, called Karaoke Studio, was released
for the Nintendo Famicom in 1985, but its limited computing ability made for
a short catalog of songs and therefore reduced replay value. As a result, karaoke
games were considered little more than collector's items until they saw release
in higher-capacity DVD formats.
Karaoke Revolution, created for the PlayStation 2 by Harmonix and released
by Konami in North America in 2003, is a console game in which a single player
sings along with on-screen guidance and receives a score based on his or her
pitch, timing, and rhythm. The game soon spawned several follow-ups including
Karaoke Revolution Vol. 2, Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3, Karaoke Revolution Party
Edition, CMT Presents Karaoke Revolution: Country and Karaoke Revolution Presents:
American Idol. While the original Karaoke Revolution was also eventually released
for the Microsoft Xbox console in late 2004, the new online-enabled version
included the ability to download additional song packs through the console's
exclusive Xbox Live service.
A similar series, SingStar, published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe,
is particularly popular in the European and Australasian markets. Other music
video game titles that involve singing by the player include Boogie, Disney
Sing It, Get On Da Mic, Guitar Hero World Tour, High School Musical: Sing It!,
Lips, the Rock Band series, SingSong, UltraStar, and Xbox Music Mixer.
Karaoke VCDs
in East and Southeast Asia is partly due to the popularity of karaoke. Many
VCD players in Southeast Asia have a built-in karaoke function. On stereo recordings,
one speaker will play the music with the vocal track, and the other speaker
will play the music without the vocal track. So, to sing karaoke, users play
the music-only track through both speakers. In the past, there were only pop-song
karaoke VCDs. Nowadays, different types of karaoke VCDs are available. Cantonese
opera karaoke VCD is now a big hit among the elderly in Hong Kong.
Karaoke on mobile phones
In 2003, several companies started offering a karaoke service on mobile phones,
using a Java MIDlet that runs with a text file containing the words and a MIDI
file with the music. This is still a budding service, and it is unclear whether
it will become popular; however, some mobile karaoke providers, such as Karaokini,
have begun to achieve commercial success.
Researchers have also developed karaoke games for cell phones in order to boost
music database training. In 2006, the Interactive Audio Lab at Northwestern
University released a game called Karaoke Callout for the Nokia Series 60 phone.
The project has since then expanded into a web-based game and will be released
soon as an iPhone application.
Karaoke on computers and the Internet
Since 2003, much software has been released for hosting karaoke shows and playing
karaoke songs on a personal computer. Instead of having to carry around hundreds
of CD-Gs or laserdiscs, KJs can "rip" their entire libraries onto
their hard drives and play the songs and lyrics from there.
Additionally, new software permits singers to sing and listen to one another
over the Internet.
Karaoke in automobiles
Chinese automobile maker Geely Automobile received much press in 2003 for being
the first to equip a car, their Beauty Leopard, with a karaoke machine as standard
equipment. Europe's first commercial "karaokecab" which was a London
TX4 taxi with a karaoke machine inside for occupants of the cab to sing whilst
in the cab. The idea and installation was made by Richard Harfield of karaokeshop.com
and was featured on Channel 4's Big Breakfast and several German TV stations
featured the karaokecab. Granada TV also featured the cab, which is now in its
4th vehicle and operates in Bolton, Lancashire as Clint's Karaoke Cab. Karaoke
is often also found as a feature in aftermarket in-car DVD players.
Alternative playback devices
The CD+G format of a karaoke disc, which contains the lyrics on a specially
encoded subcode track, has heretofore required special—and expensive—equipment
to play. Commercial players have come down in price, though, and some unexpected
devices (including the Sega Saturn video game console and XBMC Media Center
on the Xbox 1) can decode the graphics; in fact, karaoke machines, including
video and sometimes recording capability, are often popular electronics items
for sale in toy stores and electronics stores.
Additionally, there is software for Windows, Pocket PC, Linux, and Macintosh
PCs that can decode and display karaoke song tracks, though usually these must
be ripped from the CD first, and possibly compressed.
In addition to CD+G and software-based karaoke, microphone-based karaoke players
enjoy popularity mainly in North America and some Asian countries such as the
Philippines. Microphone-based karaoke players only need to be connected to a
TV—and in some cases to a power outlet; in other cases they run on batteries.
These devices often sport advanced features, such as pitch correction and special
sound effects. Some companies offer karaoke content for paid download to extend
the song library in microphone-based karaoke systems.
CD+G, DVD, VCD and microphone-based players are most popular for home use.
Due to song selection and quality of recordings, CD+G is the most popular format
for English and Spanish. It is also important to note that CD+G has limited
graphical capabilities, whereas VCD and DVD usually have a moving picture or
video background. VCD and DVD are the most common format for Asian singers due
to music availability and largely due to the moving picture/video background.
Karaoke terms
Jkhachiban
(also ohako ASkQju, literally, Number 18; 18th place). Many karaoke singers
have one song which they are especially good at and which they use to show off
their singing abilities. In Japan, this is called jkhachiban in reference to
the 18 most popular kabuki plays.
Karamovie or Movioke
Karaoke using scenes from movies. Amateur actors replace their favorite movie
stars in popular movies. Usually facilitated by software or remote control muting
and screen blanking/freezing. Karamovie originated in 2003.
Karaoke jockey or KJ
A karaoke jockey plays and manages the music for a venue. The role of the KJ
often includes announcing song titles and whose turn it is to use the microphone.
Hitokara
Singing karaoke alone is called hitokara (Ò0È0«0é0,
Ò0È0 hito, "one person" or "alone" and «0é0
kara, "karaoke") in Japan. Recently this trend has become very popular
amongst amateur singers in Japan, also India and China.
Public places for karaoke
In Asia, a karaoke box is the most popular type of karaoke venue. A karaoke
box is a small or medium-sized room containing karaoke equipment rented by the
hour or half-hour, providing a more intimate atmosphere. Karaoke venues of this
type are often dedicated businesses, some with multiple floors and a variety
of amenities including food service, but hotels and business facilities sometimes
provide karaoke boxes as well.
In some traditional Chinese restaurants, there are so-called "mahjong-karaoke
rooms" where the elderly play mahjong while teenagers sing karaoke. The
result is fewer complaints about boredom but more noise. Noise regulations can
be an issue, especially when karaoke is brought into residential areas.
In the Philippines, karaoke machines are available for rent for use in occasions
such as parties.
North American and Europe
A karaoke bar, restaurant, club or lounge is a bar or restaurant that provides
karaoke equipment so that people can sing publicly, sometimes on a small stage.
Most of these establishments allow patrons to sing for free, with the expectation
that sufficient revenue will be made selling food and drink to the singers.
Less commonly, the patron wishing to sing must pay a small fee for each song
they sing.
Many establishments offer karaoke on a weekly schedule, while some have shows
every night. Such establishments commonly invest more in both equipment and
song discs, and are often extremely popular, with an hour or more wait between
a singer's opportunities to take the stage (called the rotation).
Private karaoke rooms, similar to Asia's "karaoke boxes", are commonplace
in communities such as Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Karaoke in Korean culture
In July 2007, the nation of North Korea issued an edict banning, among other
similar establishments, karaoke bars from operating in the country. The Ministry
of Security officially stated that the ban was enacted to "crush enemy
scheming and to squarely confront those who threaten the maintenance of the
socialist system.
Although extremely popular in South Korea, there have been expressions of dissatisfaction
with respect to the circulation of Japanese music and songs via Karaoke.
Karaoke production methods
Karaoke is very popular in Asia, and many artists distribute a karaoke track
at the same time the song is released.
In Europe and North America, karaoke tracks are almost never done by the original
artist, they are re-recorded by musicians. The world's largest creator of Karaoke
tracks, Blank Productions USA, (since 1986), produces between 40 and 60 titles
per month, adding to their 25,000 title library, which is licensed to manufacturers
and content providers. Karaoke companies like Sound Choice and Chartbuster select
popular songs and release soundalike tracks with lyrics synchronized, most commonly
in CD+G format.
Karaoke in film
Karaoke has been depicted in a variety of movies and television shows, including:
Films:
1989 film Black Rain
1996 comedy The Cable Guy
1997 romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding
1997 Korean gangster comedy No. 3
Karaoke is central to the 2000 movie Duets, which features a father and daughter
competing in karaoke contests
In the 2001 film Jackpot, an aspiring singer tours karaoke bars hoping to catch
his big break as a country star
2001 film Rush Hour 2 includes a karaoke performance by Chris Tucker, where
he upstages a tone-deaf local in Hong Kong by singing Michael Jackson's "Don't
Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
2003 film Lost in Translation
Karaoke is the central theme of The Karaoke King, a 2006 independent film
Television shows:
American television show Desperate Housewives
Several episodes of American television series Angel feature the demonic karaoke
bar Caritas, whose proprietor Lorne (Andy Hallett) can read the destiny of the
person singing.
All of American actor David Boreanaz's major television roles have involved
his character being assaulted (in particular, being shot at) in a karaoke bar.
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps featured Donna singing "Chick
Chick Chicken", which was made for the BBC by Zoom Entertainments, a karaoke
producer based in Hull, UK.
One episode of the american show Heroes.