The term "karaoke," comes from the Japanese "kara" which mean empty, and "oke" which means orchestra. Simply put, to make a karaoke song the lyrics are stripped out of the soundtrack, leaving only the instrumentation. The lyrics are displayed on a monitor or television screen to assist the user.

The music and lyrics are stored on a type of compact disc called CD+G and a lot of them include various graphics in addition to the words. Karaoke had gotten very popular in bars all over Japan and many started advertising themselves as "karaoke bars". The Japanese consider karaoke one of the few ways that a person can publicly express themselves without being considered to be unrefined or self-important. That is why karaoke was good therapy for the Japanese people who Korean nightlife felt repressed by their culture.

It wasn't long before karaoke became popular all over Asia and then to the U.S. and Canada in the nineties, and many other countries around the world as well. As the accessible choices of music has expanded for karaoke machines, those within the industry determined that karaoke could be an extremely profitable type of lounge and nightspot entertainment. It's not unusual for some bars to feature karaoke every night, usually with a good deal more advanced sound equipment than those typically purchased for home use. People love to dance at karaoke bars too and enhancements like special lighting and TV monitors around the dance floor displaying the lyrics are common also.

When some people discover karaoke they suddenly gain a lot of self confidence. Those who typically lack the confidence to stand up and sing before a crowd of people might find it much more comfortable if other people are going to do it too. So, if you're not already doing karaoke consider giving it a try. You'll be amazed how much fun it is and you might even find it therapeutic too.

Where Karaoke was once a popular form of entertainment found in lounges and night clubs in the 1990s it has continued to grow and develop into different formats while still providing excellent party entertainment. When you consider the success of top-rating shows such as American Idol or America's Got Talent you can see that people have not moved on from enjoying watching people, good and bad, singing along to well-known music. Karaoke is great party fun because it gives everyone a chance to become a part of the evening entertainment, while enjoying music that most people know. It breaks down barriers at a group event as people are called out to take a risk, sing out no matter how good they are and everyone encourages them on while waiting to take their turn. Most people will find that once a few people sing and break the ice, that almost everyone at the party will be willing to participate.

In earlier days, having Karaoke at a private party meant hiring a Karaoke machine which most likely came with a jockey to run the machine and announce songs for you. This could quickly make it fairly expensive to host a karaoke party. However with technological developments, Karaoke has become readily available to anyone who wants to own it in their homes. Both XBox and PlayStation have released the Karaoke Revolution video game and there are other music video games that run on a similar sing-a-long theme that are available in XBox, PlayStation and Nintendo. The XBox live version even allows users to go online and download additional song titles of the Internet so the owner has more control over using songs that suit their music tastes. Software is also available to purchase that would allow you to use a personal computer as a karaoke machine. These forms of Karaoke have proven themselves to be very popular with smaller parties hosted in a home, with people taking turns to sing or singing together while others cheer them on.

For those who are more serious about having Karaoke at their party, purchasing a personal Karaoke machine is relatively inexpensive. These machines have excellent sound systems, wireless microphones, high end graphics and all the latest technological features that will make the party seem professionally organized. They are designed to be portable so you can set them up for a garage party or at a hired venue for larger groups. Karaoke can be an excellent choice for group entertainment, especially with the ability to tailor the songs available to the specific group that you have coming. You can have your group singing along to holiday music during the Christmas season or choose songs from an era that everyone will remember and enjoy reminiscing over. Karaoke is an excellent way to bond a group together, get everyone feeling involved and give them all a night to remember.