According to viewer statistics, the single biggest thing on television, arguably drawing in more viewers than everything else combined, is the juggernaut known as reality TV. And nothing is bigger than the king of reality TV, the phenomenon known as American Idol. It’s one of the highest ranked shows in the entire history of television, and part of a franchise that has now gone around the world. Over 100,000 people from all over America audition for American Idol every year in a desperate attempt to simply get on the show. Some researchers have gone so far as to call it a national addiction, except that it is part of a worldwide franchise with comparable shows in dozens of other countries.
Over and above the economics of the franchise, and the power of reality TV, there is actually only one engine behind a show like American Idol, and that is the insatiable desire of people to perform. Whether or not a person is truly talented is of no relevance. Millions of people are either convinced that they can perform, or simply love to do it. The multi-billion karaoke industry attests to this, and the newest industry entry comes from Mobile Star Corp., a company based in Israel but targeting North America.
Mobile Star has come up with an excellent solution to address the tidal wave of demand for personal performance options. It has created a patent-pending technology that effectively brings the hardware and software of a professional recording studio to virtually anyone. Designed by recording studio professionals, the Mobile Star Studio is a fully automated, free-standing vending-booth style karaoke system, that allows any aspiring singer or performer to create a high-level CD of their performance for just a few dollars. The system features a proprietary digital-media software platform, with professional-grade hardware, to dramatically improve sound quality, actually imitating the acoustics of a hall. Performers can choose any category and song from a huge library, record their work, and walk away with a digital CD to use for personal review, for gifts, parties, friends, or even to send to a record producer.
The machines, due for installation at popular recreational areas including shopping malls, bars, and theme parks, are expected to generate more than $30,000 annually in gross revenue. Surprisingly successful results of the company’s recent introductory New York pilot program have already led to a significant upgrade in sales projections and anticipated return-on-investment calculations. In addition, they’ve now reached a preliminary distribution agreement with Apple Industries, one of the premier producers and distributors of coin-operated electronic entertainment systems in North America. Apple has expressed confidence that The Mobile Star will be a market winner.
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