Your own private karaoke

What’s on Weibo reports on a Chinese company called M-Bar 友唱 (yǒu chàng), which provides private self-service karaoke booths in shopping malls. Customers use WeChat to access the service, which automatically stores recordings of their sing-alongs in the app, and also allows for social media sharing. The cost is 12 yuan ($1.70) per song. What’s on Weibo says that “one of the reasons why the mini KTV booth has become so popular is its game element,” which allows users to compete with friends as their singing skills are rated. The software awards points “for hitting the good points at the end of every song.”

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