Asian-style karaoke bars on the rise in the US

Global Business

It’s long been popular in Asia – karaoke performed in a small or medium-sized private room, booked by small groups.

Americans have long opted to sing along with recorded music in public bars or larger venues. But now, Asian-style karaoke is becoming more popular in the U.S.

CGTN’s Hendrik Sybrandy reports. Follow Hendrik Sybrandy on Twitter @hsybrandy

It’s a Thursday night in downtown Denver, Colorado, and the city’s newest karaoke bar is heating up. Some here are passionate about karaoke.

But this isn’t your typical American karaoke bar. This is private-suite karaoke, called Voicebox.

It’s 10 sound-proof, disco ball and laser light-filled rooms where you can make a fool of yourself in front of your friends but not anyone else.

Laura Schwallie is Voicebox’s general manager. She said the concept is catching on.

Business has been good for Voicebox. They started in Portland, Oregon, they’ve been busy in Denver.

On weekends, karaoke suites are often booked three weeks in advance.

This style of karaoke, which has also popped up in other U.S. cities, has long been the norm in Asia, where karaoke box suites can fill entire hotels.

Voicebox has a database of almost 68,000 songs which can all be called up from a smartphone. You never know what you will hear in one of these suites.