News Negishi Shigeichi, the inventor of karaoke, dies at 100

Negishi Shigeichi (根岸 重一, 1924-2024), who left an indelible mark on the world with his invention of the karaoke machine, passed away at the age of 100 due to natural causes on 26 January 2024. Negishi's pioneering creation, the "Sparko Box," emerged in 1967, an innovative device that automated the sing-along experience, allowing people to enjoy music without live musicians. Interestingly, Negishi's inspiration struck one morning at his electronics company in Tokyo when an employee teased him about his singing. He realised his voice would sound even better with a proper backing track.

Leveraging the company's expertise in building 8-track car tape decks, he instructed his staff to connect a microphone, speaker, and tape deck. The first track played on the Sparko Box was an instrumental version of Yoshio Kodama's "Mujo no Yume". Negishi could have amassed more wealth from his invention despite being a trailblazer in the karaoke revolution. After a few years, he eventually stepped away from the business, continuing to run his own company successfully until retiring at 70. His legacy lives on, as the All-Japan Karaoke Industrialist Association recognises the Sparko Box as the earliest karaoke machine. Negishi's impact on music and entertainment endures, and his story is an intriguing precursor to the ongoing debate surrounding AI's influence on artists today.

Another man is often more widely credited for inventing the karaoke machine. Inoue Daisuke (井上大佑), a Japanese musician, released the 8 Juke karaoke machine to the market in 1971. But it was Negishi, the founder of a company that assembled consumer electronics such as transistor radios and who liked to sing along with television and radio shows, who in 1967 came up with the idea of wiring a microphone, speaker and tape deck together and playing an instrumental recording of a song, according to the WSJ. Seeing the device's commercial potential, Negishi eventually placed around 8,000 Sparko Boxes at various locations across Japan, including restaurants. However, the machine did not gain traction, and he exited the karaoke business in 1975, according to the WSJ.

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