Everyone is familiar with Karaoke. It has become a part of our social fabric. It is a very popular form of entertainment that can be used at parties, bars, restaurants and in our homes. But for those who do not know, Karaoke is when someone sings along to prerecorded music using a microphone and speakers. A person chooses from a list of songs, usually well-known or from your own personal favorites, and sings along when the machine plays the song without the lead vocals. Two screens are most often used to display lyrics to both the singer and the audience. The lyrics change color or a moving image is used to tell us when the words should be sung. It is a simple invention, but one that provides hours of fun and is enjoyed though out the world.
But where did Karaoke Originate?
While singing along to music that does not have lead vocals has been around for as long as recorded music. It was not until the development of audio and visual devices does Karaoke start to resemble the form we see today. There are two main disputes of who invented Karaoke. The first claim is that karaoke styled machines were invented by a popular Japanese musician, Daisuke Inoue. It is a custom in Japan to provide musical entertainment for your guest at parties or at a dinner. In 1970 Daisuke, a drummer, was asked by his audience to provide a recording of his music so they could sing along at a company sponsored vacation. He soon realized a potential market for this and made a machine that played a song for 100 yen.
Daisuke then leased this machine out to various stores, restaurants, hotel etc. 100 yen in the 1970 was the same price as two lunches, so this was, at first considered an expensive fad. But it soon caught on and became a popular form of entertainment. But Daisuke never issued a patent for his machine. Missing out on becoming one of the richest men in Japan.
The other claim is from a Filipino named Roberto del Rasario. Many Filipino musicians were immigrating to Japan during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. They soon began to devise ways to enjoy their music without having to pay out large fees for live musicians. So to cut cost of a live band and generate a larger revenue, a sing-along musical system started to development which they called ‘minus-one music’. Which is sing-along music recorded on a cassette tapes. Roberto del Rasario, an inventor, developed the sing along system in 1975 and Rasario did get a patent for his system in the 1980’s. And it is him that holds the patent for the device we now call the Karaoke Machine.
Regardless of which claim is true, Karaoke began to spread through the world. First to Asia in the 1980’s and then to the rest of the world in the 1990’s. It has become a popular staple for many nightclubs and bars. And as technology developed, karaoke crept its way into our homes. Becoming a poplar choice of entertainment at parties and family gatherings. Now there are many outlets for all us amateurs to pick up the microphone and belt out our favorite tunes.