I am that guy that start-ups hate. I am skeptical of pretty much every company at the ground level (notable exception: Clio).

Nevertheless, there are those who are much earlier adapters than I, so I feel compelled to bring you word of the latest music-related companies that have passed through OKSee’s inbox recently.

Taking advantage of social networks, both Musester and Munite want to create databases of talent, musical and otherwise. Then people can find it easier, right? Well, if we can get people to use it, sure thang, bro.

Munite’s niche is music, allowing people to sign up as everything from “vocalist” and “venue” to more arcane things like “beat boxer,” “roadie” and “agent.” Their website has a clean design and is incredibly easy to navigate.  They also make it easy to sign up, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

But there are only 1,380 people signed up at the time of this writing; seeing as those people are spread all over the world (and none are in Oklahoma), Munite seems a thing to keep your eye on more than anything. I like this idea, though, and would really like to see it grow.

Musester spreads its net farther than just music, encompassing all artistic talent: animal talent, architectural design and announcer/host/speaker are all available sign-up categories. If you’ve got any skill that you want to market, you can market it on Musester and see what happens.

Ignoring the fact that it has the kiss ‘o death “–ster” in the name (Friendster, Napster), it seems like a flexible and useful concept. So far in Oklahoma, the photography company Okie Studios and an actor/model named Nathaniel have signed up; both are from the OKC metro. This organization seems a bit further along than Munite, so check it out.
 
Also taking advantage of social networks, but in a much different way, is Zaarly. This service lets people who have signed up state to the Zaarlyverse (my word, not theirs) what service/thing they need, what they would be willing to pay, and when they need it. If someone is in the vicinity who meets all the reqs, money is exchanged through credit cards, and Zaarly takes a bit. They marketed it to me as a way to beat ticket scalpers, which I don’t really think would work (no incentive for scalpers to use the service, unless they get desperate and stuck with tix, I suppose).

I see it having a lot of other uses, however, and OKC has the honor of being one of the launch cities. I’m still uncertain as to how it all would work in actuality, as opposed to on paper, but it seems like a good concept that could save a lot of time and money for people. On the other hand, it could have too small a user base, or generally be considered too creepy by potential users.

While you’re here, grab these free MP3s:

1. “Welcome Me” — Foot Patrol. If you didn’t get enough of foot fetish funk at NMF4, grab this free track from the Austinite dance crew. (pictured)
2. “When I’m Alone (Live from Shepherd's Bush Empire)” — Lissie. Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar smile on this impressive performance. (scroll down page for d/l link)
3. “Sing the Same Song Twice” — Helios. Mesmerizing ambient track created mostly on acoustic instruments.