As a long time fan of snarky eCard site someecards, I was pretty psyched about the beta launch of their “create your own” feature and the nonsense submissions I knew would ensue.

So here are a few of my own contributions to the nonsense pile — a series of cards about trying to score Phish tickets — followed by some more Phish related eCards created by other folks.

If you're still looking for a simple way to create or listen to a mix of free MP3s now that Muxtape is gone, 8track might be just what the doctor ordered.

Creating a mix on 8track is a simple drag and drop affair, and you can use songs from their library or upload your own. Give it a name, upload some cover art, and you're all set.

To listen to mixes, just type in a band or song in the search box and chances are you'll find something you like. You can comment on mixes, and even follow specific DJs Twitter style to get notified when they post a new mix.

I sleuthed around a bit and came up with these three mixes I think you'll enjoy…

As with most free streaming services, there are some small catches you'll want to know about. When you create a mix, it's gotta be at least 30 minutes (about 8 songs) to be saved and shared. When listening to a mix, you can't see the the songs in the playlist until you start to listen — though you can skip songs you don't like. The embedded player (as seen above) could also use a little love too — it's currently lacking social tools like embed, bookmark, and email that help lubricate the word-of-mouth process.

And in case you're curious, it's all legal. 8tracks operates as a small online radio station, meaning they have lower licensing fees than larger free music streaming sites like Pandora and on-demand music sites like Rhapsody.

What are you waiting for? Create a free mixtape on 8tracks today.

Find more free music sites on Jamtopia.

Grand Prize Winner

Mike McCready of Pearl Jam || July 12, 2008
Photo by Jeff Kravitz for Inside Celeb Pics

1st Runner-up

Gogol Bordelo || Aug 19, 2008
Photo by Alexandre Pinabel for Collectif ISO

2nd Runner-up

Eating Glass || June 8, 2008
Photo by Ben Hajdukiewicz

Congratulations Jeff Kravitz!

Jeff's stunning picture of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready going airborne at the 2008 VH1 Rock Honors is getting an honor of its own — 1st place in the 2008 Jamtopia Concert Photo Contest.

I could see him tensing his leg muscles, hear the music reaching a crescendo, and I just waited for the right moment. Hands down the best photo I have ever taken.
— Jeff Kravitz

It wasn't unanimous, but two of our three judges chose Jeff's picture as their favorite from the more than 330 great concert photos entered in the contest. Personally, I loved this one from the second I saw it. As Jeff said, he took this one at just the right moment!

Our 1st runner-up is Alexandre Pinabel who captured the incredible emotion of Eugene Hütz and Pamela Racine from the New York gypsy punk outfit Gogol Bordello.

And taking the 2nd runner-up slot is Ben Hajdukiewicz with his photo of Jose from the Canadian hardcore band Eating Glass. As judge Andy Gadiel said, “it literally looks like his face is melting.”

Congratulations Jeff, Alexandre, and Ben, and thanks again to nearly 200 professional and amateur concert photographers who entered. Hope we can do it again next year.

Want to see more great concert photos? See all 12 finalists.

Welcome to “Who's Got My Extra?”

Jamtopia's new series all about concert tickets.

Over time, we'll be taking a detailed look at the business and pleasure of concert tickets, from practical advice like spotting a counterfeit ticket to more esoteric topics like concert ticket derivatives.

This post — Introduction to Concert Ticket Brokers — kicks things off with some foundational knowledge about concert ticket brokers.

If you're like me, you've probably noticed that it's getting harder and harder to buy concert tickets for your favorite events at face value. And yet somehow, concert ticket brokers have plenty of tickets.

Concert ticket brokers have teams of people and automated software buying tickets for them. You do not.

The morning of a concert ticket onsale date, tickets brokers deploy teams of buyers like a shotgun blast to Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and even the venue box office. You, on the other hand, are a metaphorical sniper rifle, a one man team with a single shot at scoring the elusive cheap concert tickets.

This sort of swarm buying is common practice, and for the most part these concert ticket brokers are playing by the rules. But not always.