In the early 1970s in Japan, a singer named Daisuke Inoue essentially started the trend of karaoke after being asked by local patrons for versions of his music with no lyrics so they could sing along at a company function. He made a tape recorder that played his songs for a 100-yen coin each. Realizing the opportunity, he started doing more of this, and leased his machines so that stores didn't have to install their own. Throughout the last three decades, more sophisticated karaoke machines have emerged, and are now extremely popular all over the world. Now, in karaoke bars, homes, and businesses, would-be singers can imitate their favorite stars by singing into a microphone over instrumental music. Most machines have a video component that broadcasts the lyrics for the singer to read as he or she sings. Today's machines are equipped with DVD players that can play hundreds of songs on one disc. Karaoke DVDs typically have themes, including '80s music, '90s pop, international languages, and much more. When the lyrics appear on the screen (this is known as "subcode"), video images are also broadcast for the entertainment of the singer as well as the crowd, who can often see the screen as well. Some karaoke DVDs even feature the original music videos from the artist who recorded the song. Overseas, this phenomenon of video lyrics is called KTV. Karaoke DVDs can be purchased in several places. Online websites, auctions, and retailers are readily available, as well as freestanding stores and outlets. Some people even make their own karaoke DVDs by recording lyrics in a graphics program and burning their own DVDs. |
