KaraokeFest, the event that changed the face of Karaoke, is coming on Sunday, September 12^th at the fabulous L.A. County Fair in Pomona. This year’s event promises to be the best ever with all of the exciting events that have made KaraokeFest famous as well as some new wrinkles that are sure to please. All of the exciting details for KaraokeFest 2010 will be available at KaraokeScene.com and in our coming June/July issue.

As KaraokeFest 2010 approaches, we are nearing the time for the “Oscars” of Karaoke, the “KJ of the Year Awards.” These awards are so important because they provide a way to honor the KJs whose special contributions deserve to be recognized. These awards are actually rewards for those hardworking special people that rise above the norm and make a significant, positive difference to Southern California Karaoke. Whether it is great song selection, outstanding sound system, fairest rotation, entertaining personality or just overall a provider of a most special Karaoke experience, the “extras” provided by the nominees in their prospective areas make Karaoke better for all of us. So please be sure to vote for your favorite KJ…they deserve it.

We have received many call and emails regarding the SongBurst Singing Competition. Unfortunately, due to many loose ends left by the auction sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds, we are unable to obtain sure dates for the event. So, there will be no Songburst in the immediate future. However, we are exploring different avenues to continue this very popular event and some of the options are really exciting. There will be more in future issues regarding SongBurst so please be patient and know that we are working very hard on this.

This time of year, unfortunately, also brings the flu season. It is important for KJs to do their best to keep their microphones as germ free as possible. It is also important for singers to be considerate and not sing into microphones when they are sick. Please take good care not to spread flu germs to others especially this year when flu shots are so scarce. A little extra effort and some common sense will help to make this much less of a concern.

On the lighter side, Karaoke continues to spread into all segments of our musical culture. There are many new Karaoke related products and services springing up all over the place and Karaoke continues its firm hold on being the number one form of live entertainment in Southern California and many, if not most, of the major markets across the country.

2009 has certainly been quite a year! Just for starters, our “Male Karaoke Vocalist of the Year” winner from KaraokeFest 2009, Abraham McDonald, went on from there to win “Oprah’s Karaoke Challenge” and took home a check for $250,000 and a recording deal! Wow! Way to go Abraham!

Some of you may know that the Oprah Team came out from Chicago and spent almost the entire day at KaraokeFest 2009 taping and interviewing the contestants from our singing competitions for possible inclusion in their show. That’s where they found Abraham McDonald…and the rest is history, as they say.

Karaoke Scene would like to express our thanks to the “Oprah Winfrey Show” for their positive portrayal of Karaoke on national television. They have done a great deal for the Karaoke community as they showed Karaoke as it really is, not just a bunch of drunks with a microphone, but real people with real talent, reaching out with something wonderful to offer. We would also like to thank Oprah’s staff for their courtesy and professionalism. They are really a class organization.

The Karaoke industry continues to move in new directions with new hardware and software choices popping up all the time. And Karaoke, as an entertainment medium, continues to flourish. Karaoke remains the number one form of live entertainment in Southern California with hundreds of venues from Ventura County to the Mexican border. And Karaoke Scene Magazine is available in all of them to be enjoyed by everyone.

Our “Singer’s Showcase” at www.KaraokeScene.com continues to be a huge favorite with singers all around the world. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should because you have really been missing a great time. It’s like an online Karaoke party.

KaraokeFest 2009 has come to a close…but what a party it was! This was, by far, the biggest and best “Fest” ever with the finals for 3 major singing competitions and 5 Karaoke stages going all day and night. And did they go! Most of the stages had well over an hour rotation for most ...

BIG NEWS! Beginning with this issue, we are proud to announce the launching of the new “digital edition” of Karaoke Scene Magazine, “Karaoke Scene DE.” This is an electronic version of our publication that will be available to everyone, everywhere, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The “DE” will be filled with all ...

“LET THE COMPETITIONS BEGIN!” This is the season of KaraokeFest singing competitions, and there are 3 to choose from again this year. The hugely popular and prestigious Crème de la Crème singing competition will be held at 25 venues throughout Southern California beginning on July 5th and continuing through the month of August. This is ...