Daisuke Inoue
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese businessman best known as the inventor of the karaoke machine. Inoue, a musician in his youth employed in backing businesspeople who wanted to sing in bars, invented the machine as a means of allowing them to sing without live back-up. He did not patent the machine and so did not directly profit, but he continued to work in the industry it generated, including patenting a pesticide for karaoke machines. Named one of Time Magazines "Most Influential Asians of the Century" in 1999, he was awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize
in 2004 and in 2005 was the subject of the Japanese biopic Karaoke.
, Japan on May 10, 1940. He was raised in Nishinomiya, the son of a pancake vendor with a stall established behind a train station. He started playing drums
in high school, but was not particularly skillful, as a result of which he took on the business management of his band, which provided backing music in a club for businessmen who wanted to take the stage. He developed the basic idea of karaoke, which means "empty orchestra", when one client wanted Inoue to back him during a business trip that Inoue could not attend. He supplied the businessman with taped accompaniment instead. Thinking that the idea might have widespread appeal, he began in 1971 renting to bars in Kobe
eleven machines outfitted with tapes and amplifiers which he had assembled along with some friends. They proved popular, and a trend was born.
Inoue did not patent
his invention and so did not directly profit from the invention that started a booming industry. He did continue in the field, inventing a pesticide to repel cockroaches and rats that destroy the electronics within karaoke machines. In the 1980s, he ran a business engaged in securing licensing for music in eight-track karaoke machines. In the 1990s, with eight-track karaoke fallen out of use, Inoue turned his company towards working with Daiichikosho, then the top karaoke company, but though he was earning considerable money as chairman of the company left it when he suffered a period of depression
. Subsequently, Inoue launched the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association.
. In 1999, Time Magazine recognized Inoue's role in the newly international craze, describing him as among "The Most Influential Asians of the Century". "[A]s much as Mao Zedong or Mohandis Gandhi changed Asian days," Time author Pico Iyer
wrote, "Inoue transformed its nights." Following the exposure by Time, Inoue attracted the attention of international media.
In 2004, Inoue went to Harvard University
to accept an Ig Nobel Peace Prize for his invention; his rendition there of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
" earned a standing ovation
. Master of ceremonies
Marc Abrahams
indicated it was the longest standing ovation the Ig Nobels had ever seen; the audience of largely Nobel Prize
laureates responded by serenading Inoue with a chorus of "Can't Take My Eyes off You
".
In 2005, director Hiroyuki Tsuji released a fictionalized biographic film of Inoue called Karaoke.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese businessman best known as the inventor of the karaoke machine. Inoue, a musician in his youth employed in backing businesspeople who wanted to sing in bars, invented the machine as a means of allowing them to sing without live back-up. He did not patent the machine and so did not directly profit, but he continued to work in the industry it generated, including patenting a pesticide for karaoke machines. Named one of Time Magazines "Most Influential Asians of the Century" in 1999, he was awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize
Ig Nobel Prize
The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. The stated aim of the prizes is to "first make people laugh, and then make them think"...
in 2004 and in 2005 was the subject of the Japanese biopic Karaoke.
Life and career
Diasuke Inoue was born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan on May 10, 1940. He was raised in Nishinomiya, the son of a pancake vendor with a stall established behind a train station. He started playing drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
in high school, but was not particularly skillful, as a result of which he took on the business management of his band, which provided backing music in a club for businessmen who wanted to take the stage. He developed the basic idea of karaoke, which means "empty orchestra", when one client wanted Inoue to back him during a business trip that Inoue could not attend. He supplied the businessman with taped accompaniment instead. Thinking that the idea might have widespread appeal, he began in 1971 renting to bars in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
eleven machines outfitted with tapes and amplifiers which he had assembled along with some friends. They proved popular, and a trend was born.
Inoue did not patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
his invention and so did not directly profit from the invention that started a booming industry. He did continue in the field, inventing a pesticide to repel cockroaches and rats that destroy the electronics within karaoke machines. In the 1980s, he ran a business engaged in securing licensing for music in eight-track karaoke machines. In the 1990s, with eight-track karaoke fallen out of use, Inoue turned his company towards working with Daiichikosho, then the top karaoke company, but though he was earning considerable money as chairman of the company left it when he suffered a period of depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
. Subsequently, Inoue launched the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association.
Tributes and awards
In 1996, Inoue's connection to karaoke was first publicized by a TV channel in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In 1999, Time Magazine recognized Inoue's role in the newly international craze, describing him as among "The Most Influential Asians of the Century". "[A]s much as Mao Zedong or Mohandis Gandhi changed Asian days," Time author Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer
Pico Iyer is a British-born essayist and novelist. He is the author of numerous books on travel including Video Night in Kathmandu. His shorter pieces regularly appear in Time, Harper's, NYRB and many other publications.-Life and career:...
wrote, "Inoue transformed its nights." Following the exposure by Time, Inoue attracted the attention of international media.
In 2004, Inoue went to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
to accept an Ig Nobel Peace Prize for his invention; his rendition there of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing
"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing " is a popular song which originated as a jingle in the groundbreaking 1971 "Hilltop" television commercial for Coca-Cola. The song, produced by Billy Davis and performed by The New Seekers, portrayed a positive message of hope and love sung by a multicultural...
" earned a standing ovation
Standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim...
. Master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
Marc Abrahams
Marc Abrahams
Marc Abrahams is editor and co-founder of Annals of Improbable Research, and originator and emcee of the annual Ig Nobel Prize celebration. He was formerly editor of the Journal of Irreproducible Results....
indicated it was the longest standing ovation the Ig Nobels had ever seen; the audience of largely Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureates responded by serenading Inoue with a chorus of "Can't Take My Eyes off You
Can't Take My Eyes off You
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"...
".
In 2005, director Hiroyuki Tsuji released a fictionalized biographic film of Inoue called Karaoke.