The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Each weekend, Mashable selects startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products.
This week we focused on three companies creating new ways to promote your interests.
SeeJoeRock is a network for musicians and music industry professionals to connect. StereoPill is a web app that creates music playlists, and Juxtapost is a free online posterboard that lets you share photos of your favorite things.
SeeJoeRock: A Musician's Free Community
Quick Pitch: SeeJoeRock is a free community for musicians.
Genius Idea: Bridges the gap between unsigned musicians and professionals in the music industry.
Mashable's Take: Described at the "eHarmony for musicians," SeeJoeRock is a network for unsigned musicians and music industry professionals to connect. Unlike most music sites, SeeJoeRock focuses on the "unknown" or "unsigned" musicians, providing a place for them to be seen, heard and discovered.
Whether you're an emerging artist looking for help to produce your first CD, or a professional searching for up-and-coming musicians to perform at a local venue, SeeJoeRock is the network that will help you find the resources you need.
Unsigned, independent musicians and bands can create their own profiles and include bios, genre, talents, levels of experience and instruments played. They can also upload MP3s of recorded songs, music videos, photos and links to their websites and social networks.
This information lets music professionals such as labels, talents, agents and promoters search for and find the musicians they need by genre, style or location.
Likewise, professionals in the music industry can create their own profiles and list their contact information, biography, shows, the services they offer and the type of musicians they target.
Each month, SeeJoeRock features a new artist/band and professional on its site. The header is replaced with photos and logos of the band or professional, and their profiles and a music video are displayed on the home page.
Launched in 2009, SeeJoeRock targets paid advertisers targeting musicians. The company also offers the option to produce CDs, in collaboration with a partner company, for new artists.
SeeJoeRock currently has nearly 5,000 registered users.
StereoPill: Web Application That Creates Music Playlists
Quick Pitch: StereoPill creates event playlists crowdsourced by your audience.
Genius Idea: Lets event attendees create a dynamic, detailed music playlist so DJs can host better events.
Mashable's Take: While DJing at hundreds of events including weddings, parties and corporate functions, Ari Rosenfield found a serious disconnect between the music his clients requested him to play and the music guests wanted to listen or dance to. So in 2011, Rosenfield developed the solution to this disconnect — StereoPill.
StereoPill is a web application that lets party guests create a playlist by voting for the songs they want to hear. The site then ranks the votes on a live voting page, which can be set to private, and allows guests to comment on and discuss the songs that will be played.
The built-in song previews let guests listen to and know specifically which songs they are voting for.
StereoPill is designed to give event planners and professional DJ's insight into their guests' musical preferences before hosting a live event. Personalized playlists will allow DJ's to host better events because they gain a better understanding of the genre and style of the music the guests prefer.
"As a professional DJ, I still rely on my years of experience and extensive knowledge of music," says Rosenfield. "But StereoPill has an invaluable tool in connecting with my clients and their guests and getting powerful insight."
Playlists cost $15 after your first event, which is free. Discounts are given to high-volume customers.
Juxtapost: All Your Favorite Things, Side by Side
Quick Pitch: Juxtapost is a free "social vision board" sharing site.
Genius Idea: Organizes photos of all your favorite things, side by side, onto your own postboard.
Mashable's Take: How many times have you searched the web, found something you love, and then lost it? If this happens more than occasionally, Juxtapost will make sure you don't lose any of your favorite things again.
Juxtapost creates a "social vision board" by providing tools for its members to bookmark photos they find while browsing the web. The simple-to-use application connects users with a robust community that is also sharing their discoveries.
Using Juxtapost is easy – just sign up instantly via your Facebook account and add the "Juxtapost It!" bookmark to your browser. Then, simply click the bookmark while on any website to save your favorite images to your postboard and share with your friends or on Facebook.
Users can organize their collection by color using the automatic color index or export their posted data to an Excel spreadsheet.
Although the idea behind Juxtapost is similar to online pinboard Pinterest, Juxtapost claims to be different for several reasons:
- While Pinterest is designed for public sharing, Juxtapost gives users the option to make their postboards private.
- Juxtapost automatically attempts to fill in a description of the photos users post to save them the hassle of writing their own descriptions.
- The site has an instant preview feature so a user won't lose his or her place on a postboard.
Juxtapost was launched in December and is self-funded. Based on the products its members are interested in, Juxtapost recommends a single service to a member for low-percentage referral fees.
Image courtesy of Flickr, JPott
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
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