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Answers: Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.It was invented in Japan by a Japanese who probably have the worst voice on the planet earth, now he`s laughing all the way to the bank.

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An early 1970's small-time Japanese drummer Daisuke Inoue in Kobe, Japan, was selling his recordings of live songs on the side, and he started to lease machines out to shopping areas so people could record their own songs from a selection he provided and played on. From there, one thing led to another.

Ironically, the inventor did not patent his machine or he would be one of the richest men in Japan. A Filipino inventor named Roberto del Rosario invented a similar sing-along machine called "Minus One", and this is the first prototype of today's karaoke machines.

Since 2003, Finland is home to the Karaoke World Championships. They have their own home page.

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