Karaoke Advisor Blog

An oil company in Vietnam, where karaoke is favorite pastime of youths and popular courtesy in doing business of officials and businessmen, has disciplined 21 staff because they declined to sing karaoke at its important event, a never seen incident in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Oil and Gas Finance Company, under the state-owned Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (Petrovietnam), on June 5 asked the corporate officials to make self-criticism reports for not having participated in collective activities after they refused to sing at a contract-signing ceremony held by the company and its partner two days earlier. Of them, eight department heads have been temporarily suspended from their posts, according to the local newspaper Pioneer.
The paper quoted a letter protesting the company's unlawful action by the officials who did not want to stay for karaoke in northern Phu Tho province as thinking of families in Hanoi capital where the kids and the wives were waiting. "We all thought we had completed our obligation and contributed to the success of the ceremony."
A director of the company said the discipline is necessary, as the officials have not complied with its labor regulations, creating bad images about the company to its partners.
Since its introduction in Vietnam in the late 1980s, karaoke has become more and more popular in Vietnam. For many people, especially businessmen and officials, karaoke singing, together with drinking, is indispensable part in their business etiquette.
"Karaoke is an effective means of strengthening relations among people. Through singing, they can more sympathize and understand each other better. Of course, I often invite my business partners to enjoy the recreational form," Nguyen Van Lam, director of a private garment company in Hanoi said, before following seething lyrics of a Vietnamese revolutionary classic named "Red Leaves" displayed on a big screen.
Like Lam, Nguyen Viet Khoa, a 35-year-old official from the Vietnam Industrial and Commercial Bank, thought that actively participating in art performances, including singing karaoke, is very good for promoting ties with boss and colleagues. "Through the activities, leaders can know you more and support you more. So, your promotion opportunities can be greater," he said, ordering frothing cappuccinos before singing in a bar in Ngoc Khanh street.
"I often go to karaoke lounges with my friends. There, everyone can become singers," smiled Khoa, who, along with his three friends, waited an hour to be served in the bar full of guests, after calling at nearly a dozen of crowded parlors vying for the business in the city on a Saturday night.
Together with other popular recreational forms such as drinking, tennis and live music, karaoke has mushroomed in Vietnam since the late 1990s, with 5,000 licensed karaoke lounges by early this year, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture and Information. Besides, many households have bought karaoke appliances to sing at home. From luxurious bars with flashing strobe lights, plasma TV sets and hi-fi stereo system to small lounges with simple sound appliances, all are crowded with customers, especially at weekends or on holidays. Many birthday parties of youths and cordial meetings of friends in big cities are often ended with karaoke singing.
"The first thing we think whenever gathering is karaoke. I and my friends often sing at a bar near my school. Its price is low, only 20,000 Vietnamese dong (nearly US$1.3) per hour," said 20-year-old student Nguyen Phuong Ha.
However, a number of Vietnamese people, especially youths, have come to karaoke bars not for such healthy entertainment. Some karaoke establishments in major cities have facilitated drug usage or offered striptease dance performances, acting as fronts for prostitution, according to the ministry.
In a move to prevent the social evils, the Vietnamese government has set stricter requirements for operation of karaoke lounges and discotheques. Under a recent government decree, karaoke service providers have been not allowed to sell alcohol to customers or let them to drink it in rooms. Every karaoke room must have acreage of at least 20 square meters, and use transparent glass windows, only one waiter or waitress aged 18 upwards, and no locks when being used.
In May 2005, the government placed a temporary halt to the licensing of any new discotheques, bar and karaoke lounges, tasking relevant ministries to review operation of existing discotheques, bars and karaoke lounges, and deal with such social evils as prostitution and heroin usage. The-Karaoke-Advisor.com

May 11, 2006 23:31 - More on the church karaoke

Churches use karaoke to draw new members
Hymnal Plus can help congregations jazz up stale services or just give the regular organist a day off
By Shelley Emling

LONDON - Karaoke bars have become trendy around the world, with countless wannabe singers mangling songs like Frank Sinatra's "My Way" while following along with lyrics displayed on a big screen.

So why not karaoke churches?

With attendance plummeting and youthful organists hard to find, churches across Britain are turning to a new karaoke-like machine called Hymnal Plus as a means of jazzing up stale services - and also giving church organists a break.

The new Hymnal Plus, or HT-300, from Hymn Technology Ltd. of London is designed and manufactured in Britain.

Priced at $3,500, the HT-300 can play more than 2,750 traditional hymns and modern worship songs and play imported MP3 audio files.

Besides traditional tunes, the machine can blast a disco version of "Amazing Grace" and a jazzy variant of "The Lord's My Shepherd."

The machine will play any song in a variety of styles, speeds, and keys, depending on the congregation's enthusiasm.

"This is not designed to replace real organists, but to help churches in those areas where there just aren't enough organists," said Alan Kempster, a Hymn Technology director.

"We want to keep hymn singing alive because it's always been a very important part of the church service.

Smaller than a laptop, the HT-300 is designed to be portable and self-contained so that it can stand in at funerals, weddings, choir rehearsals and graveside services.

One of Hymn Technology's newest customers is the 15th-century St. Mary the Virgin Church in Mudford, England, which used the HT-300 for the first time on May 7 to give its organist, Christine Whitby, who is in her 80s, a rare rest.

"Our organist is elderly, and so if she's feeling poorly it's nice to have this new box of tricks to do the music," said Bill Watkins, a church warden and now "hymn DJ."

"It will never replace an organist but it's certainly better than nothing," he said.

"The members liked the machine, and their only complaint was that the hymns were taken at a cracking pace," he said. "Most of our members are elderly people, so I am going to have to slow the tempo down by about 5 percent."

Although some might believe the Hymnal Plus to be the answer to every church's prayers, others worry that the machine might replace organists.

Kempster insists that the machines will supplement, not replace the humans.

Even so, clergy might want to be forewarned: The Hymnal Plus can lead a congregation in prayer and also deliver pre-recorded sermons via an electronic voice box.

May 1, 2006 20:43 - Traditional churches in UK turning to karaoke

Not every member of the church's congregation will approve, but at least it solves the problem of who will play the organ. The "Hymnal Plus," a karaoke-like machine with a repertoire of almost 3,000 hymns and psalms, is becoming your local church's latest must-have item.

As well as traditional songs of praise, the British-made machine can play a disco version of Amazing Grace and a jazzy adaptation of The Lord's My Shepherd. Churchgoers who struggle to remember the words can look up at a big screen for help, just like real karaoke.

Traditional churches will, no doubt, favor the "pipe organ and piano" settings or perhaps even try the "big strings and harpsichord," but the more adventurous will be able to experiment with driving drum beats and horn sections.

Built-in Midi and MP3 players mean that music directors can add their own songs to the standard repertoire.

And clergy beware, the Hymnal Plus can also lead parishioners in prayers and recite pre-recorded sermons.

Worried by the shortage and aging population of organists, churches are beginning to snap up the machine, which in the UK costs ?1,900 (US$3,386).

The 15th century St Mary the Virgin church in Mudford, near Yeovil in Somerset, in the west of England, was one of the first customers. The parish does have an organist, Christine Whitby, but she is in her 80s and sometimes wants a week off.

Bill Watkins, a church warden and now "hymn DJ," will have his fingers on the remote control when it makes its debut next month.

He said: "We don't want to replace Christine with this box of tricks but it will allow her to take a break or to stay away without her feeling guilty when she is feeling under the weather."

"There are no young organists on the horizon, which is a nationwide problem so one day it might be all we have," he said.

Watkins is impressed with the flexibility of the machine. If the congregation is struggling to hit a particular note, he can change the pitch at a touch of the button. If a rousing finale is required, he could alter the tone, volume or style.

But he said: "We are quite a traditional church so I don't think we'll be going for any disco beats or jazzy sounds just yet."

Alan Kempster, a director at the company that manufactures the machine, Hymn Technology Ltd (motto: No organist? No musicians? No problem!), said there had been growing interest in the product, not just from churches but also hospitals, prisons and military chaplaincies.

He said the response from organists had been positive.

"It's not about putting organists out of business. It's about giving churches an alternative. I spoke to one church organist recently who had been playing the organ for 50 years and was sick to death of it. This takes the pressure of people like that," he said.

April 6, 2006 22:20 - ITVN to Launch Broadband Karaoke Channel

IPTV provider Interactive Television Networks (ITVN) announced the launch of The Karaoke Channel, which will be available to broadband customers.

The Karaoke Channel is the product of a three-year agreement between ITVN and Sound Choice, the karaoke music producer. The 24/7 channel will feature thousands of individual song titles from Sound Choice, with titles spanning over 100 years of music. Additional titles will be added every month.

"The Karaoke Channel provides our subscribers the fun of karaoke in the comfort and privacy of their own home," said Charles Prast, CEO of ITVN. "We are pleased to add The Karaoke Channel to ITVN's growing lineup of music, film and entertainment channels, including PULSE music video network, ITVN Radio, LacrosseTV, MavTV, the Silver Screen Network and Indie Film Theater."

"The Karaoke Channel provides another vehicle for karaoke lovers to enjoy their favorite hobby," said Tom Turner, general manager of Sound Choice. "We are excited to be working with ITVN to launch the first IPTV karaoke channel."

The Karaoke Channel will be available in June 2006 for $4.95 per month. ITVN subscribers can also purchase The Karaoke Channel for a 48 hour period for $2.95.

April 2006 «