Mobile Beat - The DJ Magazine

Karaoke: Dead or In recovery?
by Greg Tutwiler

The Future of Karaoke: As vocal entertainment evolves, KJs have to adapt or become extinct

Karaoke has its roots in the Far East, emerging in the early '80s from a nightclub in Kobe City, Japan. The story (or perhaps legend) goes, that a guitarist could not arrive one night for his scheduled engagement. Not wanting to disappoint his dining guests, the club owner recorded some musical accompaniments on tape for the crowd to sing along to. It was
such a hit that bar after bar picked up the contagious pastime.
True or not, karaoke has become a cultural staple in Japan as well as the United States. And in the past ten years countries like Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe have accounted for the highest number of karaoke sales. This entertainment phenomenon has changed the way we look at recreation.

Is the song fading out?

But in the past eight to ten months the karaoke scene seems to have
changed. This is part of an e-mail I received recently: ...I've been
hosting karaoke shows for ten years with pretty good success. At one time I had six shows a week. Now I'm down to one show a week with two systems mothballed in the garage. Others I've talked to have similar stories. What's going on? Is karaoke dying out? Is the ride over??

I must admit this e-mail didn't
surprise me. I too have heard stories of KJs throwing in the towel for lack of work. I've asked myself the same questions. Is it really as bad as it seems? After some research, I've come up with information that supports anything but an end to karaoke.

I took a little trip around town recently, investigating rumors that you can find karaoke supplies in big departments stores. Retailers like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Toys 'R' Us and Target, all have several different styles of CDG players and a decent selection of karaoke CDs. Even the toy aisles offer sing-along aids. One manufacture, Singing Machine, projects sales of over one million karaoke machines this year alone. A
department store clerk told me that karaoke machines were one of their hottest items this past Christmas season. In general, sales of karaoke related merchandise have increased. And in some cases, manufactures have seen their lines expand.

Solid products survive and thrive

Another company that has been there almost from the beginning of karaoke in the U.S. sees a bright future ahead for the sing along sport. Sound Choice was founded by brothers Kurt and Derek Slep in 1985, in a small apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company evolved from a franchise of theme park recording booths. While they had a large library
of tunes to choose from, they were getting an increasing number of requests for songs that they didn't have. The Sleps saw an opportunity to branch out and fill a growing need. They sold the franchise, and birthed one of today's leading karaoke software companies.

Seventeen years later, Sound Choice operates from a 25,000-square-foot, $2 million facility just south of Charlotte. They have seventy employees that staff the studios, production, manufacturing, graphics and marketing departments, as well as employing in-house musicians and singers. They own the licenses to over 12,000 songs, and hold over 40%
of the market share of the karaoke industry with retail sales topping
$18 million last year.

In spite of the weakened economy, Sound Choice is seeing growth. They are set to launch a new line of products for the retail shelf in an exclusive venture with Radio Shack. They have developed a new line of CDGs, The Performers Choice, to fill the growing consumer niche of home
enthusiasts. It appears that instead of slowing down, karaoke has shifted from an almost exclusively night club outlet, to a very
accessible consumer commodity. Now, singers own their own discs,
machines, and in some cases, complete systems for their own personal satisfaction.

Changing key

So while some KJs are seeing their club crowds dwindle, the consumer market is swelling. One KJ saw it this way; "I had a very big following, but the crowd was pretty nerdy as far as bar patrons go. Most of them didn't drink (alcohol), didn't smoke, and really didn't like hanging around that kind of environment. As soon as they figured out that they could buy their own stuff, they started having private weekly parties in smoke and alcohol-free clubrooms. When I lost two club gigs for lack of participation, I decided I either needed to join them or give up. I set up camp in a local coffee house, and within weeks we were packed. The shop owner was happy because he was selling more coffee and donuts on a
Tuesday night than ever before. The crowd is well-behaved, and we're all having fun."

Now that it's relatively easy for consumers to do it themselves, we KJs have to begin to offer the singers something they can't do for themselves. It's pretty hard to create a live stage feel in your
basement. Add some lights, or stage props, or costumes for the singers to use while they sing. Videotape the performance or broadcast it on a wide-screen TV. I spoke with one KJ who actually purchased a one-watt broadcast license. He broadcasts every karaoke show he does live on the
radio. "Singers go out in the parking lot and listen to each other, or
record themselves on a boom box." It's the novelty of it that keeps them
excited about it, he says.

Diversity

The days of the "dry" karaoke show are over. A karaoke show today needs to be more than just assembly line singing. It needs excitement and added entertainment value. It's time to think out of the box and swim in
the same stream as the consumer. If they are not coming to where you are, it's time to go to them. Arenas like shopping malls, car
dealerships, lawn parties, county fairs, coffee shops, strip shopping
center parking lots, and retirement community centers are all golden
opportunities waiting for the first innovative KJ to come along. Think "Event" instead of just "karaoke show." Think "Stage Performance" instead of just "sing-along." Take your show to the next level. Become a promoter or producer as well as a KJ. It's going to be the flash, sizzle and creativity that maintain the karaoke fan base of the twenty-first century.

Greg Tutwiler is managing editor of Singer Magazine
http://www.singermagazine.com