Online karaoke system with flying start performance

A karaoke system of an online type comprising:

• a karaoke station for sounding a karaoke performance according to data representative of a performance;
• and
• a host station for supplying the performance data to the karaoke station in response to a request, wherein
• the host station includes a transmitter for time-sequentially dividing the performance data of one song containing at least accompaniment data and lyric data into a plurality of sequential parts, each of the plurality of parts containing at least a section of accompaniment data and a section of lyric data corresponding in time with each other, and for successively transmitting each sequential part arranged according to progression of the karaoke performance in response to the request, wherein the host station is remotely located from the karaoke station, and wherein the host station transmits the performance data over a telecommunication network to the karaoke station, and
• the karaoke station includes a sequencer for commencing the karaoke performance upon receipt of a preceding one of the transmitted sequential parts based on the received preceding part prior to receipt of all of the plurality of parts at the karaoke station, the preceding part containing the corresponding sections of accompaniment data and lyric data which are required to begin the karaoke performance, the karaoke station receiving a succeeding one of the transmitted sequential parts in parallel to sounding of the karaoke performance to thereby maintain continuous progression of the sounding of the karaoke performance.