Hatsune Miku and Karaoke

Karaoke refers to a type of entertainment where an amateur singer sings along with recorded music using a microphone. The song is usually an instrumental version originally sang with vocals and are often well-known songs. Karaoke can also refer to the pre-recording itself. The “karaoke machine” that plays the songs became referred to as karaoke after the 1970s.

The word karaoke derives from the words Japanese words for empty (空 kara) and orchestra (オーケストラ ookesutora). This term and practice first originated as a way to cut costs in the Japanese broadcasting industry.

Karaoke Culture in Japan

Karaoke machines were quick to take hold in cafes, restaurants, and bars in Japan. The singing bars with live bands were mostly gone by the 70s. Since karaoke machines were first popularized in bars, it had mostly older customers at the beginning of its popularity.

Karaoke box is an establishment/business where the main purpose is providing a place to sing karaoke. As the name implies, karaoke boxes have sealed off separate rooms with a karaoke machine. Before the popularization of these establishments, karaoke machines were only used for entertainment while drinking. Karaoke boxes created a safe environment that was dedicated for singers. It successfully reached the younger generation. Karaoke boxes were very successful and became ubiquitous throughout major cities in Japan.

In countries like England, karaoke boxes are not widespread and are still associated with bars and drinking. On the contrary, many people in Japan see karaoke as a place for all ages with a wide variety of ways to enjoy it. Some choose to go there alone, some go with family, and some with friends. Consuming alcohol is considered optional.

Karaoke and Vocaloid

Due to the inherent nature that Vocaloid is about song creation, it seemed only natural for there to be songs featured in karaoke. Vocaloid songs and artists are very popular there. There is a close following of Vocaloid fans that regularly go to karaoke to sing Vocaloid songs. Some Vocaloid songs such as Charles (sung by the Vocaloid flower) are so popular that people who do not necessarily follow the Vocaloid scene also know the lyrics and sing them. “Lemon” by Hachi (a former Vocaloid producer) topped the 2019 karaoke ranking of Joysound and Dam, two extremely popular karaoke chains, closely followed by Charles by Balloon which came in third. This is even though Charles was released in 2016. “Roki” by MikitoP was twentieth in the ranking.

In terms of popularity over a longer time span, Vocaloid songs sung by Hatsune Miku continue to dominate the charts. The top 7 songs which feature Hatsune Miku as the singer in the Joysound Heisei era (1989-2019) Vocaloid ranking were:

• Senbonzakura by WhiteFlame feat. Hatsune Miku,
• Melt by supercell,
• magnet by minato,
• Uraomote Lovers by wowaka,
• Matryoshka by Hachi,
• World is Mine by ryo (supercell), and
• Romeo and Cinderella by doriko.

Senbonzakura is an especially popular song to this day. It came in third on the monthly Joysound Vocaloid Ranking (December 2019) despite the song being released over eight years ago.

Karaoke for Consumers

With the advent of karaoke software for home consoles, many people are opting to practice studiously at home before wowing their friends the next time they all go to a karaoke box together. JOYSOUND for the Nintendo Switch, in particular, was launched on December 6, 2017. It is free to download but using the service incurs a nominal fee. 3 hours of singing time costs 300 yen or you can subscribe to a monthly service for approximately 1000-1500 yen. It currently has over 140,000 songs to choose from, of which over 2,000 feature Hatsune Miku, and updates monthly with over 1,000 songs. It is now even available for iPhone and Android users.
The service has proven especially popular over traditional karaoke boxes because it provides the singer with real-time feedback, including if they are hitting the note accurately and for the duration as the actual song is. Once the song is concluded, a results screen appears showing the user their overall rating out of 100%.

Links

Wikipedia - Karaoke
Joysound
Dam
Wikipedia - Heisei
Wikipedia - Senbonzakura