What is Karaoke

Karaoke is a form of entertainment in which amateur singers replace the lead vocalist and sing along with pre-recorded music using a microphone and PA System. The lyrics of the singer presented to the singer on a video screen, highlighting the words to be sung so the performer can follow along without memorizing the song lyrics.

Karaoke songs are never produced by the original artist or recording studio, they are recreated by independent Karaoke manufacturers. Most of the manufacturers use professional musicians and singers to produce a likeness of the original song. If the original song contains backing vocals (e.g. chorus, harmonies etc.) the Karaoke version will usually contain them as well.

History of Karaoke

Karaoke today was popularized by the Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in Kobe, Japan in the early 1970's. The In-house band recorded their music onto tape, and if they were not there, the singer would just sing along to the tape. The word Karaoke was written on the tape, Kara meaning "missing" and Oke meaning "band" or "orchestra".

Daisuke Inoue was asked to provide a copy of his tapes so people 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. These machines he then leased out to restaurants and hotel rooms. Sadly Inoue never patented his machine, losing his chance to become one of Japan's richest men.

Evolution and technological advances helped karaoke transfer from tape to CD's, VCD's, Laserdiscs and currently DVD's.

After becoming popular in Japan, Karaoke spread to East and Southeast Asia during the 1980's and then rather rapidly to other parts in the world.

Karaoke fun

Karaoke in the UK is all about fun, and we at MaxxTraxx Karaoke aim to make you the singing star. Don't know the words? No problem, simply follow the guided lyrics as they scroll across the video screen. Now anyone can become a star!