The Story of Karaoke

The story of karaoke is one of innovation, cultural exchange, and the universal appeal of song. Today, the entertainment pastime remains just as popular as ever and continues to adapt with new technology and trends.

The origins of karaoke date back to the postwar era in Japan, when cabarets and hostess clubs popped up around Tokyo to serve as hangouts for salarymen looking to unwind or entertain their coworkers. Music, whether being performed live or played on a stereo, was central to the entertainment at these establishments and the man most often credited with inventing karaoke is Daisuke Inoue. He reportedly developed the basic concept in 1971 when a friend asked him to record instrumental music so that his friends could sing along to it during dinners and parties.

Unlike other music-making machines at the time, Inoue’s machine was designed to take in money from patrons and allow them to select songs of their choosing. He called the device a “Juke 8,” which was a reference to its use of eight-track tapes. While Inoue’s idea ultimately failed to become a household name, it did establish the fundamental business model for karaoke.

After his first prototype failed to take off, Inoue reworked his design to include a screen for showing lyrics to the patrons. He also incorporated a rudimentary reverb function to help mask singers’ deficiencies. He was able to patent his device and became a pioneer in the karaoke industry.

It was in the 1980s that karaoke truly took off in the United States and other Western countries. The introduction of LaserDisc technology allowed for the lyrics to be displayed on a screen and helped propel its growth.

At the same time, a burgeoning class of young directors was showcasing their wildly imaginative cinematic style in music videos for karaoke standards like Elton John’s “Friends in Low Places.” These video directors had little restriction and big imagination to work with and, as a result, some of the most iconic karaoke music videos of all-time were created.

In the 1990s, the karaoke boom continued to grow as digital technology made it easier and cheaper to store and access songs. The internet also introduced mobile karaoke apps and allowed people to play karaoke at home, even during the pandemic. This fueled karaoke’s growth in a way that it hadn’t done since the early 1980s and brought the hobby into many more homes. In the years to come, karaoke is sure to continue to grow and expand into new areas of pop culture.