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Karaoke has its roots in 1970s Japan. The Kobe City port was an international mecca, often referred to as “the gateway of fashion and trend.” In fact, instant noodles, automated ticket gates and saunas all stemmed from this region. Whenever a strolling guitarist canceled a gig, bar owners would bust out accompaniment tapes for their patrons to sing along to, which would up becoming a popular pastime not just in Japan, but around the world. Perhaps it was the suppression of individualism, the pent-up frustrations of working such long hours or the exportation of karaoke around the world that ensured the karaoke party never stopped.

So how did karaoke move from Japanese bars to become embedded into the American culture? In small Japanese enclaves such as San Jose, California’s “Japantown,” little traditional karaoke houses opened up playing Japanese songs on cassette tapes for Japanese patrons to sing along to. The club featured several private 12 ft x 12 ft rooms with pillow seating on the floors and busy hostesses to fills drink orders and runs the karaoke machines. These intimate parties attracted a very narrow audience but gradually the patrons began taking a greater interest in American music, particularly with the rise of pop icons in the 1980s. Simultaneously, Americans became fascinated with Japanese anime like Robotech, cartoons like Transformers and video games like Nintendo. So naturally, the karaoke party was poised for widespread acceptance in American culture too.

At the turn of the millennium, karaoke took on a more serious note in American culture. With the advent of shows like “American Idol,” aspiring talent saw the opportunity to sing karaoke as pop star or rock star practice. In the past, the best singers would occasionally receive a standing ovation, a free drink at the bar or a small pot of prize money. Today, however, singers can get recruited by agents hidden in the audience and awarded with lucrative multi-million-dollar contracts. Everyone enjoys a good sing-a-long these days and Numark was quick to revolutionize karaoke equipment with the KMX01, KMX02 and CDN25+G, which make performances even more professional-sounding.

Since many Americans still feel a bit timid about belting out in public without practice, websites like www.karaokeparty.com have popped up to revolutionize the industry. Friends can get together, create a play list, sing free online karaoke songs and upload the good ones to share. Songs can then be rated by other karaoke enthusiasts. Boasting a worldwide community, the site has partnered with Facebook to let users include their karaoke party widget to their profiles. Over the past forty years, karaoke has moved from the Japanese box to the American stage. Who saw it coming?

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