Tool for new artists: AmieStreet

I saw AimeStreet in a recent article. It makes it easy for new artists to distribute digital music. From the buyer's side, a track ranges from free to 98 cents. The price rises as it becomes more popular. They can buy individual tracks or whole albums at once.

From the artist's side, they make 70% of each sale (after it sells $5). I'm not sure but that seems like a decent payout rate considering that there are no up-front fees and it isn't an exclusive agreement so you can sell through other channels. You only get paid quarterly though.

There doesn't seem to be an affiliate program for the site but you'd think they'd consider one. You can embed a player in other sites to promote artists you like for free. I picked some random Christian artist to embed below. It's better than the current best-selling artist on the site.

Wosemi

Some friends of mine have beta launched Wosemi. The plan sounds a bit like Myspace but the users get a slice of the revenue (Adsense and affiliate links I suppose). I think the site is built on a DotNetNuke framework. It's definitely in beta, but hey, that's further than most of my ideas get. I particularly like the graphic design of the little Mii-like Wosemians, especially the Santa version. Heck, I just like the word Wosemian.

iYule

Rob Witte pointed out iYule.tv to me. It's an interesting little product apparently inspired by the 4 Hour Work Week book. A 30 minute video of a crackling fireplace, with or without background music, for $10 or under. Good for portable video players include iPods or fire it up on your computer at home or in the office for a little Christmas feel.

God Speed

I just saw a the Godspeed Flight Demonstration Team drop in on the American Chopper show. They coincidentally happened to be there as they were building a helicopter bike, or else they probably wouldn't have even made it on the air. The Orange County Choppers crew played around with their mini RC helicopters for a while while the Godspeed guys talked a bit about what they do.

These guys put on a R/C plane and helicopter flight show for schools and special events. Cool and educational. But they also use it as an opportunity to inspire and evangelize. Too bad they're only in Oklahoma. Maybe they need to build up a franchise business.

The New Outsourcing: Webkinz Dollar Farming Retirees

The other night my daughter came home from my in-laws with a weird piece of news. She gave her Webkinz ID and password to my mother-in-law. She's going to get on and play Webkinz games for my daughter and her cousin when they're at school or asleep because she likes playing the games but doesn't care about the Webkinz, stuffed or virtual.

Of course, I see a business opportunity here. Imagine an out-sourcing company that just grinds Webkinz games for Webkinz dollars. You wouldn't even have to go to China like the World of Warcraft gold farmers. You could just enlist retirees, stay-at-home moms, bored office workers, etc. The hard part (like I detailed earlier) is getting any parent to spend money on Webkinz unless it's rewarded with an actual physical stuffed animal.