Karaoke Machine
Julie Fox
Joan Petrusky
English 111-15655
August 12, 2011 Essay Two Most people will sing loudly in the shower, in their car on the way to work, or perhaps even in the kitchen while they are making dinner; however there are those that love to pronounce their shower voices and sing for whoever is brave enough to listen. Those are the ones that enjoy what has come to be known as karaoke. The term Karaoke came from Japan and literally means "empty orchestra” (Southeastern Louisiana University). The literal meaning really defines just exactly what karaoke is all about. It involves typically a single person, or duet, singing along with simply the background music of a song of their choosing. They are provided a screen that has the lyrics pop up in tune and on beat to the music. With technology advancing there are now many options for those that want to sing. Most KJ’s, which stands for karaoke disc jockey, can very easily and very quickly pull up any song a patron may want to sing with just a quick internet search, giving people options of songs that are endless. It is believed that karaoke was started in the 1970’s in Kobe Japan, when the performer who was supposed to perform for the night was a no show. It is said that the patrons became restless and from this karaoke was born. In the same decade Daisuke Inoue invented the first coin operated karaoke machine. He made a business out of it and started renting his karaoke machines out to restaurants and bars. It is from this very first machine that the modern karaoke machine was developed (Wu). Today karaoke can be found as a way to entertain people everywhere from a local bar down the street, to weddings, birthday parties, and even at baby showers. In fact karaoke has become so popular that there are even national contests where you can compete for fame and fortune (Talent Quest National Karaoke Singing Contest). People travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to compete in these
Joan Petrusky
English 111-15655
August 12, 2011 Essay Two Most people will sing loudly in the shower, in their car on the way to work, or perhaps even in the kitchen while they are making dinner; however there are those that love to pronounce their shower voices and sing for whoever is brave enough to listen. Those are the ones that enjoy what has come to be known as karaoke. The term Karaoke came from Japan and literally means "empty orchestra” (Southeastern Louisiana University). The literal meaning really defines just exactly what karaoke is all about. It involves typically a single person, or duet, singing along with simply the background music of a song of their choosing. They are provided a screen that has the lyrics pop up in tune and on beat to the music. With technology advancing there are now many options for those that want to sing. Most KJ’s, which stands for karaoke disc jockey, can very easily and very quickly pull up any song a patron may want to sing with just a quick internet search, giving people options of songs that are endless. It is believed that karaoke was started in the 1970’s in Kobe Japan, when the performer who was supposed to perform for the night was a no show. It is said that the patrons became restless and from this karaoke was born. In the same decade Daisuke Inoue invented the first coin operated karaoke machine. He made a business out of it and started renting his karaoke machines out to restaurants and bars. It is from this very first machine that the modern karaoke machine was developed (Wu). Today karaoke can be found as a way to entertain people everywhere from a local bar down the street, to weddings, birthday parties, and even at baby showers. In fact karaoke has become so popular that there are even national contests where you can compete for fame and fortune (Talent Quest National Karaoke Singing Contest). People travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to compete in these
Bibliography: "Karaoke: Culture With A Two Drink Minimum." Southeastern Louisiana University. Web. 18 July 2011. . Wu, Christine. "The “Empty Orchestra” – Origins of Karaoke And The Home Singing Machine." Scribd. Web. 18 July 2011. . "History." Talent Quest National Karaoke Singing Contest. Web. 18 July 2011. Mol, John D. The Voice. Television. < http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/about/> Carol. E-mail interview. 19 July 2011. Kilcoyne, Maureen. "Confessions of a Karaoke Diva: My Journey from Novice to KJ."Worcestor Spy. Web. 18 July 2011. .