Punk Rock Karaoke

Across the pond, karaoke is just a bit different. Most people love to belt our lost Meatloaf ballads, and disco their way across the karaoke stage, but in England, punk is king and karaoke means a live band, a microphone, and your favorite head banging tune. The band that puts on this punk rock karaoke show is called, well, “Punk Rock Karaoke”, and you can easily be a star for a night with this new invention.

Punk Rock Karaoke is available for birthdays, weddings, bachelor parties – whatever sort of crazy adventure you have in store. Simply call them up, book a spot, and don’t forget to wear you favorite rocker gear (www.punkrockkaraoke.co.uk). You can choose songs from The Damned, The Ruts, The Clash, The Members, and Generation X – whatever sort of punk tune gets your heart popping is just what Punk Rock Karaoke wants to play.

Those who have decided to embark on the punk rock karaoke adventure liken the experience to being an American Idol for a day, fans and all. In fact, this punk rock idea is not a bad one. Just imagine – you can have all the glory of the karaoke stage, but you get to stay in the spotlight all night long. If you decide to book Punk Rock Karaoke, you will need to save your voice – this band can really play. Unfortunately, the concept has only picked up speed in London, so if you are located in the United States, you will have to wait until a local band decides that punk rock karaoke is the wave of the future – and, hey, why not? The next time that you hear somebody raving an already bad pop song on the karaoke stage, grab the mic and start screaming out your favorite punk tune – who knows, you just may start a new trend across the nation.

Even the Stars Come Out to Sing Karaoke

Sometimes even big stars have to have a break from all that pretending. Recently, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz were seen at Pete’s NYC bar (Angels & Kings) singing their hearts out to some karaoke tunes. One might think that celebrities have better things to do in the middle of the week than spend their time “wasting away in Margaritaville,” but this duo knows that the way to have a fun night out includes an evening of karaoke hits.

Both Ashlee and Pete sang in time to their favorite lyrical rhymes, and they held a karaoke contest for all their customers. Who were the judges of this contest? Why, Pete and Ashlee of course. The couple was photographed holding up score cards and laughing to the sounds of those that had too much liquid courage. The event was entitled “Vive Le Karaoke,” and quite a crowd gathered hoping to impress the famous duo with their voice and dance moves.

Pete has just been named “unsexy” on AOL’s “unsexy poll,” but the musician had only this to say about his recent nomination, ““I’m just happy to be nominated. It’s funny, I got on People’s Most Beautiful list because of eyeliner, and I got on AOL’s Most Unsexy because of eyeliner, too. It was the reference in both of those. And I don’t really view myself as a particularly attractive person. So it doesn’t really bum me out that much. I have a mullet. I don’t care.” If you are in the NYC area, you might want to stop by Pete’s laid back bar – chances are, there will be another karaoke contest in the near future.

Karaoke Knowledge

The word “karaoke” originated in Japan. The word “kara” means empty and the word “oke” means orchestra. History indicates that karaoke actually started in a snack bar in Kobe City in Japan in the 1970’s. The owner of the bar created some cassette tapes of recordings and the patrons of the bar began singing along with the recordings.

Karaoke machines were placed in hotels, parks, and restaurants. The first type of karaoke bar was actually a small booth with a machine and it was called a Karaoke box, which was a closed-door insulated room. It could be rented by the hour to small groups for private parties.

Karaoke has become an entertainment form that has spread throughout Japan and the world. Popular songs are recorded without the vocals, including only the accompaniment. The vocals are provided by a live person, holding a microphone, and singing along while the words are displayed on the TV or PC screen. It doesn’t really matter if the person singing along can sing or not because you’ll feel like a professional singing to yourself or to a crowd of people. Karaoke has given people the encouragement to sing.

Originally, Karaoke music was only available on cassette tapes now there are media formats that include VCD and DVD versions. In 2002, Americans spent over $200 million on karaoke equipment and music and quite a bit of that was used to purchase karaoke sets for use at home. This has been a great way to get families to communicate through singing.

History of Karaoke

The word karaoke is derived from two Japanese words, "kara" with stands for empty or void, and "oke", which stands for orchestra. It is believed to have started in Kobe, Japan by the Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in the early 1970s. Another story claims it was started by a bar owner in Kobe; when a performer didn't show, he supposedly put tapes of music on and asked patrons if they wanted to sing along. Karaoke caught on and brought people together in ways not heard of before.

The first real revolution came for karaoke with the development of the home karaoke sets. Now people could try their singing skills (or lack of skills) in the comfort of their own homes. You could buy tapes (and later CDs) with vocals and music on one side and the other side had music only. This phenomenon allowed people to learn new songs at home. Therefore, when they would go out to their favorite karaoke bar, they could show off before the friends. The Japanese wouldn't just sing Japanese songs, they sang Western songs as well. The favorite Western songs of the Japanese were Elvis and the Beatles tunes. From tapes, it moved to CDs and finally incorporating video and graphics along with on screen text prompting for the words.

One side problem of the at home Karaoke sets was noise. To combat this, Japan developed the Karaoke box, which were initially built from converted freight cars as soundproof venues to sing at.

Karaoke then spread to the East and Southeast Asia in the 1980s. In the 1990s in finally spread to the US and Canada. You can now find Karaoke performed in clubs, bars and even many restaurants in most towns and cities throughout the US. Most of these venues host Karaoke contests where the winner gets monetary rewards (some quite large). The proprietors, especially the Karaoke bars, have found Karaoke to be a big drawing card for lots of paying customers, thus explaining its growing popularity.

Karaoke.com

If you have ever stumbled into a karaoke bar, you know just how great belting out tunes can be for the ego. So, why not take a piece of your own personal heaven home with you? Searching for a karaoke machine can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead of scouring retail stores, why not head directly to the net’s largest karaoke supplier? The website www.karaoke.com has everything that you could possibly need to turn your home into a hot karaoke night spot.

Karaoke.com has players, music, and many theme packages to choose from. Do you love to sing Broadway hits? Why not choose from over three hundred of them? This site is so popular that they can hardly keep all the karaoke craziness stocked. Some of the best deals on the site are listed underneath the “bargain” section, and the “hot picks” section will guarantee that you pick up the latest gear that the world of karaoke has to offer. The best part about this site is that even if you can’t sing, you can easily learn with your own “voice warm up” package.

Ordering from karaoke.com is simple, easy, and effective, which is why over 20,000 people use this site daily. Oh, and the best part? Karaoke.com is so confident that they rule the karaoke world, they are wiling to match any other online price, so start shopping. Whether you are planning a party (they have karaoke party tools too), or whether you just plan on closing the shades and dancing around the house, www.karaoke.com is the only stop that you will need to make in order to become your own personal rock star.

Singme.com

Ok, karaoke fans – if you haven’t heard of www.singme.com yet, you don’t know what you are missing. This is the only site out there with MP3 “backing tracks” that will allow you to download, watch, and sing any song you can think of. Singme is the only one of its kind, thus far, and this site is really starting to make an impact in the world of karaoke.

You can easily download any MP3 song for a mere price (eighty-eight cents per backing tune, $1.50 per video), and download it to your iPod, PSP, MP3, and MP4 player. The best part about this site is that it offers you unlimited file transfer capabilities, so share with your friends (or charge them to share with you). You don’t have to pay any monthly subscriptions for this site, and Singme really does have all the music that you can think of.

From pop to current rock, and now even holiday hits, this site has it all. Imagine the possibilities of making, recording, and distributing your own CD. Who knows, if you happen to have a great singing voice you could become the next big music sensation. Karaoke has finally met the internet, and now it is being piped into MP3 players everywhere. Also, if you happen to have a PSP, you can download any video and sing along while you dance across your living room. What could be more fun than this site? If you love karaoke, and you can’t seem to detach your MP3 player from your ears, then Singme is definitely for you.

Singme Christmas Karaoke

The net’s only karaoke MP3 download site has just launched a new Christmas catalogue full of your favorite holiday tunes. Just imagine, instead of singing along with Bing Crosby, you will finally get to prove that your voice clearly outdoes his. Singme has listed its latest collection of holiday hits under the title “Sing with Friends this Holiday Season,” and sing along with friends you will.

The new collection includes Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Silent Night, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Of course, there are many other holiday songs to choose from as well, and they come in all different styles. Sometimes those old Christmas tunes can really warm you heart, but after a few weeks of the same old “Frosty” your ears just want to hear something a bit different. So, why not create your own rendition?

The best part about singing your very own Christmas tunes is that you have the possibility of making your very own Christmas compilation – just don’t be surprised if nobody finds this musical gift amusing. To play around with your favorite holiday tunes, head to www.singme.com, and download to your heart’s (or ear’s) content. Singme allows visitors to watch videos and sing along like a real karaoke bar, but the difference is that this time you may actually get those Christmas lyrics right – no, it isn’t “in-egg-shells-ease-day-o.” Do yourself a favor, sign up for Singme’s karaoke Christmas tunes today, and start singing some holiday cheer like a pro.

Holiday Karaoke

Can any holiday party really be complete without the traditional embarrassing karaoke moment? Whether you are hosting an office party, or whether you just want to get a few friends together for a night, karaoke is the way to add true cheer to your holiday party. The best thing about a karaoke holiday party is that you don’t need a lot to get the party going.

Simply grab a mic, a karaoke machine (you can rent these), a KJ (karaoke jockey), and some snacks and treats for all. Instantly, you will have a smashing holiday party success on your hands. Also, think about asking your guests to dress up in the style of their favorite rock star, which will make the evening all the more entertaining. Of course, where there is karaoke, there is play, which means that you can easily mix things up to make your party even more entertaining. Why not select songs for your guests to sing – sort of like a karaoke spin the bottle.

Imagine your die hard country music friend being forced to sing punk music. Or, that tone deaf buddy of yours lined up with some Whitney Houston – the laughs will go all night long. Although most holiday parties are full of suits, ties, and cocktails, you can easily make your karaoke party the talk of the town – oh, and make sure that you warn your neighbors (things could get a bit rowdy!). This holiday season, start things off right – pass around a bit of karaoke with that champagne.

Karaoke

Karaoke is a form of entertainment where a person sings into a microphone along with a pre-existing song while reading the words off of a screen. The word karaoke comes from "Kara" meaning empty and "okesutora" meaning orchestra. Karaoke was born in a snack bar in Kobe City, Japan back in the 1970's. It began as a form of entertainment for Japanese business men to get together with their colleagues after a hard day's work and have a few drinks and let loose.

It quickly rose in fame and soon the Karaoke Box was invented. Converted from an abandoned freight car, the karaoke box was a soundproof room for the participants to sing as loud they want. These were incorporated in bars and restaurants as well.

Karaoke games were soon thought up. Such games include Kamikaze Karaoke better known as Karaoke Roulette in the United States. A contestant approaches the machine as the audience shouts out a song. The contestant than sings the songs that they shout out until they come to a song that they can't sing. This goes on until there is only one person left.

This is not the only Karaoke game now. In 2003 a video game was released in the United States for Play Station 2 called Karaoke Revolution. In this particular game, players sing into a microphone to the songs appearing on their television. They receive a score on the pitch, timing, and rhythm of their voice. Four more versions of the game were released and one for Xbox.

In Japan, there are many inventors thinking up new ways to incorporate karaoke. One man invented a car, the Beauty Leopard, in 2003 with a built in karaoke system! The game is very widely spread now, not only for business men but for everyone. It is even used as a literary tool to help learn to read and speak in some countries.

Fun Facts about Karaoke

Karaoke is a Japanese term derived from the words, kara meaning empty, and oksutora meaning orchestra. It is the act of amateur singing using a microphone and a speaker to sing popular tunes that have had the lyrics filtered out. The words to the song may be projected on a screen for the singer.

Karaoke originated in Japan during the 1970’s as a form of entertainment at dinner parties. It quickly gained in popularity around the world. It was introduced to the United States in the 1990’s. In the United States today it's difficult to find anyone who doesn't know about Karaoke. But below are a few facts you may not know.

Karaoke has been available on mobile phones since 2003, although it remains to be seen whether the world is ready for Mobile Karaoke. Only one company, Karokini, has seen commercial success. New Karaoke software is making it possible for singers to sing and listen to each other over the Internet globally. There are various web sites where stars of the future may show off their skills and have fun with not only audio, but video. Some free sites are UK-based internetkaraoke.net, Yahoo's bix.com, Electronic Arts' singshot.com and Fox Interactive's ksolo.com.

The Chinese automaker Greely Automobile was the first to equip a car with a Karaoke machine as standard equipment.

Finland holds the record for the largest number of people singing Karaoke at one time, 80,000 people singing Hard Rock Hallelujah in May 2006. Finland also holds the world record for the longest non-stop bout of Karaoke, 240 hours.

Neither North nor South Korea is pleased with karaoke. North Korea has banned Karaoke Bars and South Korea is listed as very dissatisfied in spreading music in such a way.

SIMS Karaoke

Alright all you SIMS fans out there – today is your lucky day. EA has just announced that another SIMS community will be launched sometime soon that features SIMS characters singing karaoke. The “SIMS On Stage” community will allow all your favorite SIMS characters to jump up on stage, grab a virtual mic, and start singing to their, electronic, heart’s content.

Not only will your SIMS community be able to sing onstage, they will also be able to write comedy sketches, poetry, and stories, which they will be able to present to other SIMS peers. Or, if your SIMS character is not literate, they can create small virtual movie clips for presentation to other SIMS friends. Of course, this “virtual community” would not be complete without some sort of audience feedback, which is why you can watch, listen, rate, and write comments pertaining to other SIMS’ character sketches. The best part? You can even merge your SIMS life with your real life, if you so choose.

EA has now made it possible for you to take any sort of SIMS creation and embed it into your MySpace or Facebook page for all of your friends to see. There you have it, two worlds collide – if you want them to, that is. It was only a matter of time before SIMS got creative, the characters can do everything else, so why not sing and write too? The new SIMS community will be available soon, so keep your eye out for the new EA release. Suddenly, all of your virtual characters are starting to take shape – just be careful not to let them take over your real life...

Jackie Chan Karaoke

What do Jackie Chan and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics have in common? Well, they might have more in common than you think. Jackie Chan will be signing the opening theme at the upcoming Olympics, and he will be doing it karaoke style. Jackie Chan fans are used to seeing this martial arts expert beating up bad guys, but what will some heart felt singing do for this tough guy’s career?

Jackie Chan has chosen to sing “We Are Ready,” which will be the official song of the 2008 summer Olympics. Chan has been working hard to get the song just right, and he has been pouring his heart and singing soul into the tune for the past three years. The song itself was written and composed by Mandarin Chinese song writer Peter Kam, who is well known in his own musical circles for being a bit of a genius.

The song features lyrics that seem to protect China’s stance within the rest of the world, and the 2008 Olympics in particularly, stating things like "Waiting year after year / We can see into the future / Together with hard work and sweat, we've created the five different (Olympic) colors." Of course, since the Olympics will be held in China, the song itself will be sun in Chinese. Although Chan did tell press that an English recording may be part of a future plan. For all of you Jackie Chan fans out there, tune into the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics in order to hear your favorite fighter sing – just don’t expect too much action.

AVnex Karaoke Maker

AVnex is handing out free karaoke software on its website at http://dvd-player.audio4fun.com/video-karaoke-maker.htm. Why would you want this software? AVnex is a company dedicated to making audio and video software technologies, which means that they tend to make products that are fun to use, and usually, free. The karaoke maker that is available will allow you to make your very own karaoke, but that’s not all.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to make your very own karaoke? Have you ever watched a karaoke screen and thought to yourself, “hey, I can do better than that.” Well, now is the time to prove it. Simply head to the link mentioned above, download the software, and start uploading your person photographs, files, and videos in order to make your very own karaoke video. Using this new karaoke software, you can drag karaoke words onto your personal videos or photographs and sync them to the time of your video. This new software will even allow you to adjust the sound levels, text, and font that goes onto your video, which means that you can produce your very own video for homes, internet page, or for use at a local karaoke bar – if they let you.

AVnex has previously released other free products onto the market include a talking parrot screen save that was largely popular up its release. This parrot would not only hang out on your screen, it would talk and interact with you as well, almost like having your own virtual pet.

If you want to get your free karaoke software, just head to the site, click on the karaoke link, and look for the free key that goes along with the product. AVnex karaoke is compatible with Windows Vista, and most other Windows programs. Whether you have always wanted to create your own karaoke video, or whether you just want to create a special project featuring your own home videos, AVnex karaoke is just the thing that you have been looking for.

New PS2 With Karaoke Bundle

PlayStation likes to stand behind its products, even when said product has been replaced by a newer game system. Even though PlayStation 3 has been on the market for some time now, PlayStation has just announced that it will release a Karaoke and Mic bundle for its PlayStation 2 console. Needless to say, this latest move by the gaming giant has many tech reviewers and gamers slightly confused.

Other gaming systems all but stop making any games for older console models. In the end, if you have purchase a gaming console that is now outdated, usually you are out of luck. Games are often manufactured for newer systems, but the old ones tend to become obsolete within a few years. PlayStation is attempting to put a stop to the phasing out of old systems in order to make more room – and make more money selling the new system – for the newer systems and games. Therefore, the all new "ceramic white" PlayStation 2 bundle will appeal to gamers everywhere who want to get in on the karaoke action.

You don’t have to buy the new PlayStation 2 in order to enjoy this company’s karaoke game, but the new console will include mics, a karaoke game, DVD, CD playback, digital surround sound, two memory slots, and Ethernet capabilities. PlayStation has recently seen Microsoft’s XBOX 360 and Nintendo’s Wii take over their (previously cornered) market. Perhaps this new karaoke bundle is merely an attempt to win back a few gamers, or maybe PlayStation simply wants to stand by by their product like a good gaming company should.

ITV Celebrity Karaoke Christmas

England’s karaoke craze just got taken to a whole new level – and that level involves some rather unknown celebrities singing well known Christmas tunes. British television channel ITV has just announced that its annual Christmas special will take place as usual this year. Only, instead of lining up a group of professional singers in order to entertain viewers, ITV has decided to pit celebrities against one another in a karaoke showdown.

Celebrities included in the upcoming ITV special are Antony Costa, Kelli Young, Liz McClarnon, Kim Wilde, Martin Fry, Craig Doyle, Claire Goose, Jeremy Sheffield, Gaby Roslin, and Jo Brand. These celebs (along with many others) will form a twenty person strong choir, and they will sing, scream, yell, and shout their way through all those beloved Christmas tunes that we all know so well. The twist? The viewers at home will have the chance to decide upon the songs that they want to hear more of, and the songs that are unbearably terrible.

The funds raised by the ITV Christmas show will be given to the Prince’s Trust, which may be worth listening to hours of excruciatingly bad karaoke Christmas tunes. ITV will also reward those who watch the celebrity karaoke Christmas tribute with and end performance by Britain’s own Kylie Minogue. If you happen to get ITV, why not tune in for the festivities? The date of the show has not yet been released, but it is sure to be a screaming good time for all karaoke/Christmas fans.

Bollywood Karaoke

Have you ever felt the need to sing your heart out while dancing across the room? Have you ever watched movies such as “Bollywood/Hollywood” or “Monsoon Wedding,” and wondered how you would fare at singing some Bollywood tunes? Well, PlayStation 2 has just released “Singstar Bollywood,” and this newest video game is sure to make more than a splash.

On October 19th, 2007, PlayStation started a whole new craze in karaoke. The Singstar Bollywood game features songs such as Ran De Basanti, Salaam-E-Ishq, Don, and Guru along with many others. Playstation decided to release this new game based upon the fact that Bollywood is the largest movie industry in the world – yep, it even beast good old Hollywood. The game will allow you to sing, score you, and even compare you to other singers, just in case you want a bit of a challenge. But most importantly, this game will also feature screens depicting your favorite Bollywood scenes – just in case you want to mimic the head movements too.

Currently, Singstar Bollywood is only available in Europe, but that doesn’t stop you from ordering it online. If you love Bollywood, why not try your stuff at playing the part of a Bollywood star? Most Bollywood films feature a bit of dancing to go along with all that singing, so you might want to brush up on your steps just a bit. Who knows, maybe PlayStation will come out with a dancing/karaoke mix soon. For now, you’ll just have to settle for the karaoke bit, but that should be enough to tide you over until the next craze in karaoke hits the video game market.

SingSnap -- Karoke Meets the Internet

So, your friends think that you are pretty great at karaoke. They encourage you to sing on karaoke night, they tell you that you have a fantastic voice, and they think that you should try to release your own album. Let’s face it, if you friends keep telling you these things, chances are that you think you are pretty good too – well, are you ready to prove it to the whole world?

A new website www.singsnap.com wants bar-type karaoke singers to prove they’ve got what it takes in front of the whole internet. You don’t have the money to spend on a site that will allow you to upload a video song, and send that song out to the whole world? Well, this site is free – now what’s your excuse? Simply head to www.singsnap.com, sign up, and start singing your heart out. SingSnap has over 15,000 songs for you to choose from, and you can also communicate with other karaoke fans on the site. If you are dying to sing a particular track, but the site doesn’t offer it, you can upload a new song for all to enjoy. Sounds great, huh? Oh, there’s just one thing that you should know. You can sing for free, but others can watch you for free – which means that they can comment, for free.

Those of you who simply like to watch others sing, can vote on each performer using a star rated system. Critics can also sign up for one of the site’s forums, and if they choose to they can start talking about you – whether or not the feedback is actually positive. Relax, if you are really good you will be placed in the Hall of Fame category, which will have many other people viewing your video. All in all, this site takes nerves of steel and the absolute confidence that you are the best karaoke singer out there – all you have to do is try ...