The economy may be off-key in other areas but it seems karaoke is going great guns in Canberra. At least in a little corner of Dickson.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The owners of Soundbox Karaoke in Woolley Street, Dickson, want to more than double the size of its karaoke complex.
![Dickson Karaoke venue sounds out expansion plans Dickson Karaoke venue sounds out expansion plans](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/7ffc93c8-b6ec-4f57-ab0d-d036a8eb4b5c.jpg/r0_0_729_486_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
They have submitted an application to the ACT Planning and Land Authority for a lease variation to extend the gross floor area from 120 square metres to 290sqm.
One of the owners, Daniel Kuang, said the $200,000 redevelopment would create another private karaoke room, bringing the total to eight, but also open up a large area for communal karaoke singing, able to accommodate about 50 people.
The smaller rooms are usually booked by people who want to get on the microphone in front of family and friends but the open room would allow people to belt out a tune to the general public.
Mr Kuang, 24, said when the business opened in 2008 it catered mainly to an Asian market including sing-a-long lyrics in Chinese. But the aim now was to encourage a wider clientele, with the lyrics in English.
''It's a tradition. Asian people like to sing karaoke,'' he said.
''When I was in China every time we go out people wanted to go to karaoke.''
The owners believed there was enough demand for karaoke in Canberra to justify the expansion. Mr Kuang said while old favourites such as Hotel California and Delta Dawn were still on high rotation, anything by Lady Gaga was top of the pops in karaoke, no matter what language.