New research from Birmingham Science Park Aston-based Enjoy! Karaoke, the UK’s leading social singing game, reveals that singing is the nation’s favourite party piece, cited by over three-quarters (79%) of 380 survey respondents.
Enjoy Karaoke select song
With self-confessed karaoke fans ranging from Barack Obama through to Victoria Beckham, Enjoy! Karaoke is part of a new trend where everyday entertainment such as drawing, Monopoly, pool, guess the song, photo sharing and more, are moving onto social networks to compete against friends in turn-based activities.
Launched earlier this year, Facebook-based Enjoy! Karaoke has already amassed 40,000 monthly users and over 125,000 people have registered for the App.
Taking inspiration from the numerous singing contests on prime time TV, once a player clicks onto the Enjoy! Karaoke application through Facebook and connects a microphone to their computer, they can start singing their first song. By singing along to chart topping classics, such as ‘Rolling in the Deep’ or ‘Baby One More Time’, a score is given, based on pitch detection technology, as well as the timing of the delivery. The score can be shared with the player’s Facebook friends. After the free trial expires, there are options to purchase additional credits to carry on playing.
Enjoy! Karaoke is the brain child of 2Fold20 Play Ltd, which joined Birmingham Science Park’s Entrepreneurs for the Future programme 12 months ago to work solely on the development of this new product. The company is one of 10 digital gaming studios based at the Park’s Faraday Wharf Innovation Centre.
Neill Watson, CEO of 2Fold20 Play Ltd comments: “Enjoy! Karaoke is all about tapping into the universal desire people have to perform and compete, evidenced by our national obsession with programmes such as The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice. It’s a fact, singing makes you feel great, it’s an ultimate icebreaker at a party and brings people together.
“While most karaoke games are one dimensional or require an expensive console, this can be fired up anytime and anywhere – all you need is a laptop and internet connection to ‘get the party started’, be it the office party, or at home with family and friends.”
Karaoke also emerged as the number one choice for entertainment at Christmas parties; 71% of the 380 survey respondents cited karaoke as their preferred option, followed by party games (16%) and dancing (10%).
In a separate survey, which polled 739 Enjoy! Karaoke fans, Carly Rae Jepsen’s catchy ‘Call Me Maybe’ hit has emerged as the song karaoke lovers are most requesting. 41% cited this as their favourite song to perform, followed very closely by the Bon Jovi 1980’s classic ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’. Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will survive’ came in third with 15% of votes. Surprisingly, One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ received just 3% of the votes.
2Fold20 Play Ltd is based at Birmingham Science Park’s Entrepreneurs for the Future Centre (e4f), which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. E4f is unique to Birmingham and is specifically designed to harness and support the city’s burgeoning tech community.
To apply for Entrepreneurs for the Future, visit www.e4f.co.uk