Karaoke in the Local Community

Bloomington, Indiana holds a variety of entertainment options for students attending Indiana University and the local community that have been living here their entire lives. If one narrows down a specific form of entertainment, they must still then pick and choose where they want to hangout and collaborate. That can be a challenge in the widely ranged selection of the beautiful city of Bloomington. A distinguishing form of amusement to choose from is karaoke, and Bloomington holds a diverse group of settings for it. The multiple numbers of karaoke bars and areas differ greatly in size, age groups, audience, and many other detailed factors. So, what are some details and components that entail in the characterization of different locations and venues of karaoke bars here in Bloomington, Indiana? The sounds, settings, and significances will bring some surprising information towards our understanding of demographics and the relationships they bring to particular locales. In a common dictionary it mentions that karaoke is a Japanese word literally meaning “empty orchestra.” It is the use of technological equipment that plays only the instrumental sounds with the artists vocal tracks removed. Karaoke first appeared in Japan, where it became popular among men in the business district in the late 1970s. It is usually performed at bars, where enthusiasts could perform on a stage and sing popular ballods by reading lyrics displayed on a monitor. It has gained widespread popularity in the U.S. in the late 1980s and continues to be successful everywhere (Shelemay 437-438). As mentioned previously, there are many karaoke bars spread throughout the large city of Bloomington. Most of them are in the heart of the student community on Walnut Street and nearby blocks. There is one specific bar that grabs many students’ attentions during the school year and summer for karaoke; The Bluebird Nightclub. The precise location of this well-known social stomping ground is on 216

Bibliography: Lum, Casey M.K. In Search of a Voice (Routledge, 2012), 1-98. Mitsui, Tora. Karaoke Around the World: Global Technology, Local Singing (Psychology Press, 1998), 17-20. Shelemay, Kay Kaufman. Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006), 421-467. Whitamaker, Sarah. Interview by Cody Slaven. Notes transcribed. Bloomington, IN., November 18, 2012.