Karaoke Magazine

          Karaoke Origins The word karaoke comes from combining two

         Japanese words: karappo, meaning empty, and okesutura, which means orchestra.

         The craze started in Kobe City, Japan, and has spread like zebra mussels around

         the world, infiltrating every musical market.

           Auto Exec Wins Karaoke Marathon

           Karaoke King

           After an all-night long karaoke marathon at its Times Square studio, Good

           Morning America showed you five finalists who managed to out-sing the rest.

           They sang all night long in Good Morning America's karaoke marathon in

           Times Square and viewers voted online for their favorite singer.

           Loves To Sing Derek Leggins, a 48-year-old Philadelphia auto executive

           who wooed the Times Square crowd with his smooth delivery of

           "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by Lou Rawls apparently

           dazzled the viewers at home too. He handily won the ABCNEWS.com vote,

           with votes pouring in from across the country all day Friday.

           The prize: a new karaoke machine, and a chance to sing the national

           anthem at a game of the Brooklyn Cyclones (the farm team for the

           New York Mets). And, of course, he also was able to sing on Broadway

           during Monday's show, at the Good Morning America studio at 1500 Broadway

           in Times Square. "I've been a long time doing this, waiting on a break.

           Mr. Leggins, who would love to become a professional crooner, has been 

           singing since he was a child, where he started in the church choir.

                   Taken from an article from ABC News.

           Karaoke Cabbie

             Karaoke Relief One man's passion for music has been the

          driving force behind his very own...

            One man's passion for music has been the driving force behind his very own

          karaoke taxi service in traffic-clogged Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok

          traffic is simply notorious.

          Cab Driver Suwit Thongthim said I am providing much needed

          relief for stressed out passengers while we all wait stranded in

          the never ending traffic jams." I like music very much and I drove

          past a karaoke bar one day and a brilliant thought came over me,

          " says Suwit. " I had a very good feeling about this idea" Suwit

          figured it was a safe bet that installing a karaoke system in his cab

          would attract many more passengers.

             Cost Me Plenty The karaoke gear inside the taxi consists of a five inch

          lcd mini television monitor installed on the ceiling, two wired microphones

          and a video cd karaoke player. "This sound system cost me plenty" as he

          opens his trunk to reveal power amplifiers and speakers. "I don't have room

          for luggage" he say's with a grin. In addition, to all of this there's a set

          of cool flashing disco lights and a mini mirror ball to create the right

          atmosphere even in the heaviest of traffic. His selection of karaoke

          songs range from classic Thai, Japanese, and English with Thai love

          songs being the most popular.

           Local Celeb You won't pay more for a ride in this cab, the only charge

          the passenger pays is on the meter. And the passengers are flocking to him.

          Suwit is never without a fare, as would be passengers shout for "Suwit".

           "I feel very happy when I drive my taxi". The karaoke taxi gives me a

          chance to forget about heavy traffic jams and to relax while waiting.

          On a good day Suwit can make up to $40 u.s., excellent money in Thailand.

          Since starting up his karaoke taxi service, his name has become a

          household word. He has appeared on several local television

          talk shows and in newspaper articles. Written by Frank Falvo 02/04/2002

          Take Me To Your Microphone

            Cheaper Than Therapy The unconverted may have a hard time referring

          to karaoke as entertainment, like terming paint-by numbers art or ketchup a

          vegetable. Those familiar with karaoke know the stereotypes and

          prejudices  associated with their activity of choice. Frank says,

          there is more to it than

          singing off-key to a Sinatra standard.

          But to serious devotees, karaoke offers a chance to make friends,

          kindle musical connections and take a shot at those 15 minutes of fame.

          OK, so it's more like four minutes of fame. Nevertheless, for the average

          singer, it is the opportunity to shine in a way they just cannot do

          in the office, on the bus or collecting dust in a tavern.

          "Many people find karaoke a respite from their normal,

          tedious lives," observes Frank Falvo who does the karaoke

          for "eight years now" at  Bourbon Street West

          They leave their stress behind and use it as a way to be silly.

          It's an escape." As soon as Falvo sets up his gear  a flock of

          singers fill out and hand in slips of paper and patiently wait

          their turn to get their 4 minutes of fame.

          Five Types Of Singers For those  who label  karaoke as cheesy and kitsch,

          Frank defends it as cool. It takes guts, he says, to stand in front of a

          room full of strangers and pour your emotions into a song.

          In that respect, karaoke is no different than watching any band

          that cares about its performance. Frank adds his ideal audience

          consists of 70 percent people who do not sing and 30 percent that do.

          According to Frank, five types of people show up at a karaoke show.

          The first, believe it or not, he calls groupies people who regularly

          attend shows but never sing.

          The second group consists of the actual singers who make the rounds

          at the numerous karaoke shows in area clubs. These people light up

          their lives through singing.

          The third are cheating husbands with the rationale, since a

          karaoke bar is the last place any wife would look to find them,

          Frank says with a grin.

          The fourth type are members of bands in search of a singer.

          The fifth and final category are musicians who are simply looking

          for some entertainment without pretension.

          Are You a Karaoke Addict:

          Read The Top 10 List 

          No.10 -You have your own personalized song requests slips.

          No.9 -You arrive at the bar with more karaoke discs than the host.

          No.8 -You plan you’re vacations by how many karaoke bars are in the area.

          No.7 -You carry your own microphone with you at all times

          in case a karaoke party breaks out.

 
          No.6 -You moved, to be across the street from a karaoke bar.

          No.5 -You installed a karaoke machine in your shower.

 
          No.4 -You personally sang the first dance for your own wedding.

 
          No.3 -You’re grocery list is on the back of a karaoke request slip.

 
          No.2 -You earn more money by winning karaoke contests than at your day job.

          And The Number One Reason You Know You’re a Karaoke Addict!
          No.1 -You were recently spotted shopping for an Elvis jump suit.

            Written on 02/04/2002 By Frank Falvo

          Perfect-Pitch Karaoke
          New Technology
          Japanese firm unveils technology for perfect-pitch karaoke

          TOKYO - Some might call it Japan's biggest victory against noise pollution

          since pop duo Pink Lady split up two decades ago. Karaoke sound systems

          provider Taito Corp said on Tuesday it had teamed up with a U.S. professor

          and chipmaker Analog Devices Inc on technology that could give even

          the most tone-deaf crooner perfect pitch. Using the ''Csound'' computer

          music language pioneered years ago by Massachusetts Institute of

          Technology professor Barry Vercoe, Taito will market a system this

          summer that adjusts sing-along music automatically to the pitch

          and tempo best-suited to an individual singer.

          Particularly Suited For Ballads
          ''This is sound synthesis on software that until now was only used

          in experiments and research,'' said Hidehito Kitamura, who

          headed up Taito's development of the new system. Eventually,

          he said, Taito may use the technology to reconfigure a singer's

          errant tones to the proper pitch, without otherwise altering

          the sound. ''We'll be moving from one new feature to the next.

          '' That could be good news for the millions of regular patrons at

          Japan's karaoke bars -- both those who dread the inevitable

          pressure to sing even if they can't carry a tune, and those who

          have to listen to them. ''Karaoke is said to be an original Japanese

          cultural contribution, but this could take it to new levels,'' Keio

          University professor Toru Iwatake told a news conference unveiling

          the technology. Tuesday's demonstration was limited to automatic

          tempo adjustment, particularly suited for ballads, Kitamura said.

          It Can Convert A Spoken Voice Into A Melody
          The system will also let a singer calibrate the key automatically

          before a song begins, he added. Machines now require manual

          pitch and tempo adjustments, which can be hard for amateur

          songsters to gauge and can create distortions that are difficult to

          sing along with. For those confident of their vocal prowess, moreover,

          the new system will be able to objectively assess pitch, rhythm and

          skill at such voice techniques as vibrato and crescendo -- an indispensable

          item for the occasional karaoke competition. Karaoke rating systems

          already exist, but they can only determine how closely the singer's

          voice matches the recorded original, not singing ability. ''This assesses
          singing skill mathematically,'' Kitamura said. MIT''s Vercoe, who lauded

          Taito for finding a way to bring the sound synthesis technology to market,

          said pitch correction with Csound had been demonstrated long ago.

          It could even convert a spoken voice into melody, in real time.

          ''It's in the technology. You just have to switch it on,'' he said.
           Taken from an article from Reuters News April 02, 2002

          My Way or The Highway
           Karaoke Krazy
            Sinatra's My Way banned?....


          Dreadful Performance
          Manila, A Filipino man was killed and his friend sustained serious

          knife wounds, after they sarcastically applauded a karaoke singer’s

          dreadful performance of Frank Sinatra's classic "My Way".

          Attacked Two Victims
          An Off-Key 21-year-old student turned angry and offended when the

          two victims commended his performance. The livid singer then attacked

          the two victims who later escaped outside to avoid further injuries.

          However, were later ambushed outside the bar and attacked again

          by the scholar this time slaying one of the victims. Witnesses

          immediately called police and the mad student was later arrested.

          Not The First Time
          In a remarkably similar incident, one man was killed and another

          wounded, when a brawl broke out in a karaoke bar in northern

          Manila, once again apparently sparked by the abysmal quality of singing.

          My Way No Longer "A Number 1"
          Newspapers reported Philippine karaoke bars have been removing

          "My Way" from their song lists because fights were becoming a

          frequent phenomenon. For unfathomable reasons anytime “My Way” is

          sung disappointingly, drunken men will perpetrate anything from

          verbal insults and threats to physical injuries and now homicide. Who knew!
          Written on 03/13/2002 By Frank Falvo