We’ve all received greetings cards that, upon opening, play a stripped down rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. California-based GreetBeatz is here to personalize that concept and bring it into the 21st century by way of Facebook.

GreetBeatz allows users to commission songs for their online friends. Customers provide details of their friend via an online form, which then appear in a custom song produced by a member of GreetBeatz' network of performers. Around 5 days later, the end result appears on the recipient’s Facebook wall for all to enjoy. A two-minute song with a few words of customization can be commissioned at no cost, while fully-customized ditties are available for USD 9.95 for 60–90 seconds and USD 49.95 for longer songs. A wide range of sample tracks can be heard on GreetBeatz' website, and they're surprisingly catchy and funny.

We’ve spotted related endeavours before, including TailoredMusic.com’s love songs and Faux Show’s personalised radio shows, but this is the first time we’ve seen made-to-order audio tributes that are seamlessly integrated with Facebook, which should help the concept spread with minimal marketing investment. Interesting opportunity for singing sellsumers, too: GreetBeatz is currently seeking independent artists to handle the incoming flow of commissions.

Website: www.greetbeatz.com
Contact: support@greetbeatz.com

Spotted by: Stas Zlobinski

Remove the lead vocals from a hit song, and you've got the makings for karaoke. Erase a lead actor from a popular film, and you've got the idea behind Yoostar.

Yoostar is a new technology that includes all the tools consumers need to digitally insert themselves in the place of original lead actors in famous movies and television shows. Included in the USD 170 system—slated to become available in July—are a studio-grade web cam with built-in dual microphones and remote control, portable green screen, professional stand, and Yoostar software that is PC- and Mac-compatible. Yoostar’s patented Active Immersion Technology begins by digitally removing original actors from iconic Hollywood scenes, creating clips with roles that need to be filled. Among the films to be available, for example, are “The Godfather,” “The Terminator” and "Psycho," thanks to Yoostar's partnerships with Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., Lions Gate Films, the NBA and “Sesame Street.” The system will ship with an assortment of such clips featuring 38 different roles, and more will be available for purchase and download from Yoostar's continuously updated library of film, television and NBA moments.

Once they choose the role they'd like to play, consumers will simply step between the camera and the green screen, get in the character's position and start filming. They can deliver faithful, on-script performances or choose their own interpretations; the number of takes is unlimited, ensuring that the user gets exactly the performance they want before wrapping the scene. In addition to recording scenes to their Mac or PC for local viewing, users can also upload and share them on Yoostar's site, where content is available for viewing, rating and competition. In true social networking fashion, user profiles, communities of friends, and embeddable players and widgets will all be available.

If there's anything the prolific members of Generation C(ontent) love more than creating their own content, it's giving well-known content a spin of their own. Could this lead to the discovery of the silver screen's own Susan Boyle? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, following its July 1 release online, the Yoostar system will become available through retailers on Aug. 24; might be a good idea to be one of them. ;-) (Related: Tuning in to a personalized radio tribute — Online auditions for a crowdsourced movie.)

Website: www.yoostar.com
Contact: info@yoostar.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

It's an increasingly mobile world out there, and a new service aims to help music bands large and small get in on the action. Specifically, Mobile Roadie lets artists quickly create their own iPhone applications to connect with fans on the go.

Bands simply register their basic account information and choose a name for their application; they are then assigned a unique URL for their app's dashboard. Mobile Roadie then creates their application, causing it to appear in Apple's App Store and on the iPhone or iPod Touch of any fan who downloads it. From then on, artists can use the application's content management system to share news, photos, videos and song notes, for example, and to stream music for fans to sample and then buy through a direct link to the iTunes Store. The customisable platform also allows bands to integrate their social networking profiles within the application, while a fan wall allows listeners to interact, participate and have their say. Mobile Roadie was created by Los Angeles-based agency Fluidesign. Pricing is USD 399 to set up the app and then USD 29 per month for up to 1,000 fans; each additional fan costs 1 cent per month.

There's no doubt mobile applications are increasingly the way to reach young, hip consumers. Make it easy and inexpensive for organizations of all kinds to do that—preferably with some niche customisation—and you'll soon be listening to the sweet tunes of success! ;-) (Related: Adidas creates free iPhone guide to Berlin's street art — Photographer launches iPhone-only style mag.)

Website: www.mobileroadie.com
Contact: help@mobileroadie.com

Spotted by: Miriam Brafman

We've seen several companies already that allow consumers to help sell the music of their favourite bands—with rewards each time they do—and now a new contender out of Australia is giving them a way to promote upcoming concerts as well.

Music fans begin by registering for free with Posse and choosing from among the list of gigs with tickets for sale. They add the ones they like to their personal store and then put the ads or links to those concerts on their MySpace or Facebook pages, in their email signature, or on Twitter or any other website. Each time someone clicks through one of their ads or links and buys a ticket (Ticketmaster handles all sales), the consumer earns a commission of 5 percent, payable 14 days after the event has taken place. Once they've reached a level of AUD 5 or more, they can get paid into their PayPal account.

Currently, Posse is open only to Australian consumers 14 and older, but we're pretty sure members of Generation C(ash) in all parts of the world will relish the opportunity to get paid for promoting the bands they already love. Still in beta, Posse says it aims to expand globally "very soon"—one to partner with in your neck of the music-loving woods? (Related: An online music store of one's own — Viral music sales through widgets — Payout time for SellaBand fans.)

Website: www.posse.com
Contact: info@posse.com

Just as Helen of Troy's face launched a thousand ships, so one might say Google Maps is inspiring the launch of a thousand new applications. Case in point: Tokyo Jogging, a new mashup of Wii technology and Google Maps that allows users to take a virtual jog through the streets of Tokyo.

Created by software engineer Ryo Katsuma, Tokyo Jogging functions much like Wii Sports Jogging. Users begin by downloading free server software from the site. They then connect their Wiimote to Google Maps' Street View, and hold the Wiimote while jogging in place in front of their computer. Google's Street View guides them along the streets of Tokyo, giving the impression of a brisk jog through the city. A video demonstrates the application in action.

There once was a day where online was on, offline was off, and never the twain did meet. Those days are gone! Today OFF=ON and ON=OFF, as our sister site likes to say, and riches await those who can make the most of the intersection. Read up, be inspired, and start some mashing up of your own! (Related: Online game focuses on real-world kindness.)

Website: www.tokyo-jogging.com
Contact: katsuma@gmail.com

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau