Editing Karaoke (section)

==History==
[[File:Wuhan-LuoyuDongLu-karaoke-4108.jpg|thumb|A karaoke bar in [[Wuhan]], Hubei, China]]

===1960s: Development of audio-visual-recording devices===
From 1961 to 1966, the American TV network [[NBC]] carried a karaoke-like series, ''Sing Along with Mitch'', featuring host [[Mitch Miller]] and a chorus, which superimposed the lyrics to their songs near the bottom of the TV screen for home audience participation.<ref>{{citation|first1=Tim|last1=Brooks|first2=Earle|last2=Marsh|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows|publisher=Ballantine Books|year=1992|isbn=978-0-345-37792-0|title-link=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows}}</ref> The primary difference between karaoke and sing-along songs is the absence of the lead vocalist.

Sing-alongs (present since the beginning of singing) fundamentally changed with the introduction of new technology. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, stored audible materials began to dominate the music recording industry and revolutionized the portability and ease of use of band and instrumental music by musicians and entertainers as the demand for entertainers increased globally. This may have been attributable to the [[Cassette tape#Introduction|introduction of music cassette tapes]], technology that arose from the need to customize music recordings and the desire for a "handy" format that would allow fast and convenient duplication of music and thereby meet the requirements of the entertainers' lifestyles and the 'footloose' character of the entertainment industry.

===1970s: Development of the karaoke machine===
Despite the Japanese provenance of the term ''karaoke'' (first attested in 1977), the invention of karaoke-styled machines is controversial.<ref name="Tongson journal">{{cite journal |last1=Tongson |first1=Karen |title=Empty Orchestra: The Karaoke Standard and Pop Celebrity |journal=Public Culture |date=1 January 2015 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=85–108 |doi=10.1215/08992363-2798355}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=karaoke |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/karaoke_n |website=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref> It is usually credited to two people, depending on the sources: [[Daisuke Inoue]] of [[Japan]] or [[Roberto del Rosario]] of the [[Philippines]].<ref name="Tongson journal"/> Neither of whom significantly benefited from the worldwide surge of popularity of the karaoke starting from the 1980s. The profits in the karaoke industry went to later machines developed by larger Japanese corporations.<ref name="Tongson journal"/><ref name="Zhou"/> Other people have also claimed to have invented karaoke-styled machines at various dates, but only del Rosario has a patent on his machine.<ref name="Zhou">{{cite book |last1=Zhou |first1=Xun |last2=Tarocco |first2=Francesca |title=Karaoke: The Global Phenomenon |date=2013 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=9781780232409 |pages=19–21}}</ref><ref name="Drew">{{cite book |last1=Drew |first1=Rob |title=Unspooled: How the Cassette Made Music Shareable |date=2023 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=9781478027713}}</ref><ref name="Shahriari">{{cite book |last1=Shahriari |first1=Andrew |title=Popular World Music |date=2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317345381 |page=175}}</ref><ref name="Tongson">{{cite book |last1=Tongson |first1=Karen|chapter=Karaoke, Queer Theory, Queer Performance |title=The Oxford Handbook of Music and Queerness |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780197607527 |page=223}}</ref><ref name="Lee">{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Raina |title=Hit Me with Your Best Shot! The Ultimate Guide to Karaoke Domination |date=2008 |publisher=Chronicle Books |isbn=9780811861403 |pages=25–27}}</ref> The fact that the karaoke machine is simply an aggregate of existing technologies and is built on the older concept of sing-alongs makes it likely that it was developed independently multiple times.<ref name="Tongson journal"/>

====Daisuke Inoue====
In a 1996 interview with a [[Singapore]]-based all-karaoke TV channel, the Japanese nightclub musician Daisuke Inoue<ref>[http://www.events-in-music.com/who-invented-the-karaoke-machine.html Who Invented the Karaoke Machine?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305204829/http://www.events-in-music.com/who-invented-the-karaoke-machine.html |date=5 March 2008 }} Events-in-Music.com</ref> claimed to have invented the first karaoke-style machine in the city of [[Kobe]] in 1971.<ref>[http://www.inouej1.com/index.html 井上大祐【カラオケ発明者】 J-ONE/INOUE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321051214/http://www.inouej1.com/index.html |date=21 March 2009 }} Events-in-Music.com</ref><ref>''Time 100:Daisuke Inoue'', 23–30 August 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 7/8</ref> He was also credited for the invention of karaoke when he was later also featured on a [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] article in 1999.<ref name=time>{{cite magazine |last1=Iyer |first1=Pico |title=Daisuke Inoue |url=https://time.com/archive/6955676/daisuke-inoue/ |access-date=23 March 2025 |magazine=Time |date=23 August 1999}}</ref>

Inoue, a bandleader, drummer, and [[Electone]] keyboardist, specialized in leading sing-alongs at nightclubs in Sannomiya, the entertainment district of the city of Kobe. In 1970, he and six bandmates played instruments in fancy drinking establishments to accompany middle-aged businessmen who would sing traditional Japanese songs. He claimed to have first thought of the idea of a karaoke-style machine when he was asked by a prominent client to play for him on an overnight trip to an [[onsen]]. Not being able to do so, he instead provided a tape of his accompaniment to the client. Realizing its potential, he thought of merging these pre-taped accompaniments with a [[jukebox]].<ref name=time/>

Lacking the skills to make the machine himself, one of his bandmates introduced him to a friend who owned an electronics shop. He described his idea to him and commissioned 11 home-made machines which he called "8 Juke." Each machine cost around $425 per unit and consisted of a box containing an [[amplifier]], a microphone, a coin box, and a [[Vehicle audio|car stereo]] which used specially-made 8-track tapes. The machines metered out several minutes of singing time and used ¥100 coins.<ref name="Inoue">{{cite journal |last1=Inoue |first1=Daisuke |last2=Scott |first2=Robert |title=Voice Hero: The Inventor of Karaoke Speaks |journal=The Appendix |date=October 2013 |volume=1 |issue=4 |url=https://theappendix.net/issues/2013/10/voice-hero-the-inventor-of-karaoke-speaks}}</ref>

He initially recorded his own versions of popular songs with his bandmates for the tapes.<ref name="Inoue"/> Starting from 1971, Inoue loaned the machines to establishments for free in exchange for a portion of the monthly earnings from the machines.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World|last=Alt|first=Matt|publisher=Crown|year=2021|isbn=978-1-9848-2671-8|pages=92}}</ref> He placed the first 8 Jukes in Sannomiya's "snack bars", but they initially failed to take off. Inoue then hired hostesses to ostentatiously sing on them, which successfully sparked interest. This also caused a great deal of friction with Inoue's fellow musicians, who saw it as drawing customers away from them. 

When profits improved at around four years of operation, he hired professional musicians and rented a recording studio to create the 8-tracks for the machines.<ref name="Inoue"/> He made the songs in keys that made them easier for casual singers. As such he also included a rudimentary reverb function to help mask singers' deficiencies.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World|last=Alt|first=Matt|publisher=Crown|year=2021|isbn=978-1-9848-2671-8|pages=90–91}}</ref><ref name=time/> By this time, the number of units he rented had increased from the initial eleven to around 25,000. Club owners from Kobe had started bringing his machines to new clubs in [[Osaka]] which became the birthplace of the karaoke boom in Japan. He also managed to convince large record labels to include their songs in the tracks for the 8 Jukes.<ref name="Inoue"/> For these reasons, Inoue is often considered to be the inventor of the modern business model for karaoke.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World|last=Alt|first=Matt|publisher=Crown|year=2021|isbn=978-1-9848-2671-8|pages=90–93}}</ref>

Inoue never patented his machine. While initially successful and earning approximately half a million dollars a year, Inoue lost interest in the business. He eventually handed over the company to his brother. By the 1980s, the idea of coin-operated sing-along machines was picked up by larger Japanese corporations who started manufacturing commercial versions of their own with better technologies like [[LaserDisc]]s.<ref name=time/><ref name="Inoue"/>

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."<ref name="ignobel 2004">{{cite web|url=http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2004|title=The 2004 Ig Nobel Prize Winners|work=Winners of the Ig Nobel Prize|date=August 2006 |publisher=[[Improbable Research]]|access-date=17 October 2009}}</ref>

====Roberto del Rosario====
In 1975, the Filipino entrepreneur and piano manufacturer Roberto del Rosario also claimed to have invented the first karaoke-type machine known as the "Sing-Along System" (SAS). The machine included multiple features enclosed in a single portable cabinet casing; including an amplifier, a [[Loudspeaker|speaker]], a double or single tape deck, an optional [[Electronic tuner|tuner]] or radio, and a microphone mixer that enhances the singer's voice using effects like [[Reverb effect|reverb]] and [[Echo#Echo in music|echo]]. The machine used [[Compact Cassette|cassette tapes]] of [[instrumental]] versions of popular songs which would later become more widely known as [[Minus-One recordings|Minus-One]]. The machine did not have video, but it included songbooks with lyrics.<ref name="Zhou"/><ref name="Shahriari"/><ref name="Drew"/><ref name="Lee"/><ref name="Herbert"/>

The SAS was originally developed since the late 1960s as a teaching device for students taking singing lessons at del Rosario's Trebel School of Music.<ref name="Malang"/> It was refashioned for amateur and recreational use from 1975 to 1977. Unlike Inoue's "8 Juke", it was not coin-operated.<ref name="Tongson journal"/><ref name="Malang"/>

Del Rosario was himself a pianist and was a member of the amateur [[jazz]] group [[Raul Manglapus#Early political career|Executive Combo Band]] (composed mainly of politicians and prominent businessmen). He  owned a company, Trebel Industries, that was the leading manufacturer of [[piano]]s and [[harpsichord]]s in the Philippines. Del Rosario also invented and patented other audio equipment before and after the SAS. His other inventions included the 1972 "One-Man Band" (OMB), an acoustic piano that automatically plays a full orchestra accompaniment; the "Piano Tuners' Guide", an electronic push-button device for piano tuning; and "Voice Color Tapes", ready-made multiplex tapes with songs recorded and programmed to match a specific vocal range.<ref name="Malang"/><ref name="ifia">{{cite web |title=World Intellectual Property Day – April 26, 2025 |url=https://ifia.com/world-intellectual-property-day-2025/ |website=International Federation of Inventors' Associations (IFIA) |date=3 March 2025 |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>

Unlike Inoue, del Rosario patented the "Sing-Along System" (issued in 1983 and 1986) and is recognized as the sole holder of a patent for a karaoke system in the world after he won a patent infringement case against a Chinese company in the 1990s.<ref name="Zhou"/><ref name="Herbert"/><ref name="Lee"/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20110812-travelwise-karaoke-in-the-philippines| title = BBC – Travel – Karaoke in the Philippines| date = 12 August 2011}}</ref> Despite this, he also did not profit significantly from his invention. Like Inoue, his machines were eventually replaced by more advanced commercial versions made by larger corporations that became available by the 1980s.<ref name="Malang"/>

In 1985, Del Rosario was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Inventor by the [[World Intellectual Property Organization]] for the Sing-Along System, among other awards.<ref name="Herbert">{{cite book |last1=Herbert |first1=Marion |title=Multicultural America |date=2013 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=9781452276267 |pages=1286–1287}}</ref><ref name="Malang"/> He was also elected to the executive board of the [[International Federation of Inventors' Associations]] (IFIA). He also lobbied for more government support for inventors in the [[Congress of the Philippines]], leading to the successful passage of Republic Act No. 7459, better known as the Inventor and Inventions Incentives Act of 1992.<ref name="Malang">{{cite book |last1=Malang |first1=Virgilio L. |title=Inventions & Innovations: A Glimpse of the Filipino Legacy |date=1999 |publisher=TAPI Book |isbn=9789718822012 |pages=35–37}}</ref><ref name="ifia"/>

====Other possible inventors====
Japanese engineer [[Shigeichi Negishi]], who ran a consumer electronics assembly business, also claimed to have made the first karaoke-styled machine in 1967;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.karaoke.or.jp/03nenpyo/|title=A History of KARAOKE|website=All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Karaoke Secret History – world revolution of ingenuity|last=Ugaya|first=Hiromichi|publisher=Shinchosha Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-4106102929|pages=49–53}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|title=Selection from TOP 100 Japanese Innovations of "Karaoke"|url=https://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/kokusai_e/training/enishi/theme/No11_December2015_11.pdf|journal=IP Friends Connections|volume=December 2015 No. 11|pages=53|access-date=19 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109014209/https://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/kokusai_e/training/enishi/theme/No11_December2015_11.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> He subsequently began mass producing coin-operated versions under the brand name "Sparko Box", making it the first commercially available karaoke machine. For media, it used 8-track cassette tapes of commercially available instrumental recordings. Lyrics were provided in a paper booklet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-man-who-invented-karaoke-is-95-and-his-machine-stil-1844154550|title=The Man Who Invented Karaoke Is 95 And His Machine Still Works|website=kotaku.com|date=26 June 2020 }}</ref> However, he ran into distribution troubles and ceased production of the Sparko Box shortly thereafter.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World|last=Alt|first=Matt|publisher=Crown|year=2021|isbn=978-1-9848-2671-8|pages=89–90}}</ref> Despite being credited by some as the first to automate and commercialize the karaoke singalong, Negishi, who died in 2024, never patented his invention.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/karaoke-inventor-shigeichi-negishi-dies-100-79d2d52d|title=Shigeichi Negishi, the Inventor of Karaoke, Dies at 100|first=Matt|last=Alt|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=March 14, 2024|accessdate=March 14, 2024}}</ref> 

Another possible early pioneer was Toshiharu Yamashita, who worked as a singing coach, and in 1970 sold an 8-track playback deck with microphone for sing-alongs.<ref name=":1" />

===Later developments===
Shortly after the development of the [[LaserDisc]], [[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]] started to offer Video Karaoke machines in the 1980s. These are capable of displaying lyrics over a video that accompanies the music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jg8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41-IA3|title=Billboard – Karaoke Japan|date=30 May 1992}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=U.S. Dealers Set To Chime In On Karaoke Sing-A-Long Profits / Japanese Karaoke Craze Ready To Roll Into Lucrative American Music Market |magazine=[[Vending Times]] |date=August 1989 |volume=29 |issue=10 |pages=100, 107 |url=https://archive.org/details/VendingTimesVOL29NO10August1989Clearscan/page/n91}}</ref>
[[File:Taipei KTV-Eingangshalle.jpg|250px|thumb|Entrance hall of a karaoke box in [[Taipei]], Taiwan]] In 1992, a scientist named Yuichi Yasutomo created a networked karaoke system for [[Brother Industries]]. Called {{Nihongo|''{{ill|tsūshin karaoke|ja|通信カラオケ}}''|通信カラオケ|{{literal translation|communications karaoke}}}}, it served up songs in [[MIDI]] format via phone lines to [[modem]]-equipped karaoke machines. This new technology swept Japan; by 1998, 94% of karaoke was being sung on networked karaoke machines.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.karaoke.or.jp/03nenpyo/03_02.php|title=Karoke History Chart}}</ref> As an early form of music on demand, it could be called the first successful [[audio streaming]] service. It also allowed for [[big data]] analysis of songs popularity in realtime.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World|last=Alt|first=Matt|publisher=Crown|year=2021|isbn=978-1-9848-2671-8|pages=177–178}}</ref>

Karaoke soon spread to the rest of Asia and other countries all over the world. In-home karaoke machines soon followed but lacked success in the American 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 cinema|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 [[Bar (counter)|lounge]] and [[nightclub]] entertainment. It is not uncommon for some bars to have karaoke performances seven nights a week, <ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nVTqAQAAQBAJ&q=karaoke+performances+seven+nights+a+week&pg=PA67|title=Karaoke: The Global Phenomenon|last1=Zhou|first1=Xun|last2=Tarocco|first2=Francesca|date=1 June 2013|publisher=Reaktion Books|isbn=9781780232409|language=en}}</ref> commonly with high-end sound equipment superior to the small, stand-alone consumer versions. [[:wikt:dance floor|Dance floor]]s and lighting effects are also becoming common sights in karaoke bars. Lyrics are often displayed on multiple television screens around the bar.