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Web-based distribution service is easy to use and won’t cost you a thing.

There are a lot of different ways to measure your success as a musician. You could go by album sales, or the number of concerts you’ve sold out in major venues. But in Japan, you haven’t really made it big until people across the country are singing your songs at karaoke.

Cracking the karaoke barrier wasn’t always easy to do, as only the most popular songs got picked up for distribution through the sing-it-yourself machines. But that’s no longer the case, thanks to a new service from Joysound, one of Japan’s largest karaoke companies that lets anyone add their song to be sung by anyone else using the nationwide network, and it’s all completely free!

To use the service, called Utasuki Music Post, you’ll first need to make an account on its website. It’s a quick and simple process, no more complicated than signing up for a Gmail account.

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The next step is to download the system’s music uploader, which is also free, by clicking on the “Download music uploader” (楽曲アップローダーダウンロード) button found here.

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Follow the installation wizard’s prompts, and at the end select “start program” (プログラムを起動). You’ll be given a prompt to enter the email address and password you registered when making your Utasuki Music Post account.

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And now, it’s time to upload your content. You’ll need the musical accompaniment data (in WAV format), a vocal track (to provide a vocal guide for the system’s auto correct and scoring functions), any background vocals you might have, and a thumbnail image.

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Since karaoke is a video experience as well as an audio one, you’ll also need to type in the song’s lyrics and specify the timing you want them to appear at during the song. This can be a bit tricky, but it’s a lot easier if you click on the button marked”全体,” which allows you to see the lyric subtitling and music visualization together.

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Last, but not least, you can upload the background visuals that will appear behind your lyrics. Once you’re satisfied, click the upload (アップロード) button, head back to the Utasuki Music Post website, and click on “Songs you’ve created” (あなたの制作した楽曲) on the top page (make sure you’re logged in to your account).

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You’ll see a list of the songs you’ve uploaded, and after you’ve selected one and hit the distribute (配信) button, congratulations, you’ve made you karaoke debut!

Songs are stored on the network for approximately six months, and after uploading RocketNews24’s self-produced anthem “RocketMan,” we headed to our local karaoke joint. Sure enough, it was in the system for anyone to select and sing!

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Since it’s a rare treat to hear the original artists sing his own creation at karaoke, please enjoy this clip of our Japanese-language reporter/songsmith Seiji rocking out.

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Utasuki Music Post songs are selectable on Joysound’s Jousound Max and Joysound f1 machines, which are installed in roughly 600 locations in Tokyo alone, with many more across Japan. As far as we can tell, the uploading system can be used by anyone with an Internet connection, so if any of you RocketNews24 readers are also budding musicians, let us know the titles of your tunes, and we’ll give them a whirl at our next karaoke session.

Casey never id become a rock star, but consoles himself with the love of his Twitter followers.

Related: Utasuki Music Post
Website images via Utasuki Music Post (edited by RocketNews24)
Photos ©RocketNews24
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