There has been a surprising influx of websites offering you ways to create mixtapes to share with friends (or just horde for yourself). From Muxtape to Mixaloo to Mixwit, each offers a different twist on the mixtape craze.

Mixaloo and Mixwit fall into their own category, as they scour the internet for MP3s (a la SeeqPod or Songza) rather than letting users upload their own songs. They also offer a much more graphical experience, and Mixaloo even offers a way for users to earn money by selling mixtapes.

Still, Muxtape is by far the most popular of the three, most likely for its very straightforward interface and ability for users to upload their own songs (unlike the other two which rely on MP3s already available online). Community love can further be seen in the creation of Muxtape Recommendation, a Yahoo! Pipes creation that takes your Last.fm username and returns featured mixes with at least one track by a favorite artist of yours.

It is no question that Muxtape is a fun little service, but where to go from here? The site’s legality is tenuous at best, and the owners seem pretty steadfast on not earning any income from the site. Of course, once the money angle is figured out, the legal angle will be thrust into the spotlight. The RIAA may be holding back for the moment, but any sign of profiting or really widespread popularity will be sure to bring Officer Buzz Killington around.

(Mixaloo and Mixwit are not safe either, but they can at least plead innocence on the basis of not actually hosting any files. Though even they need to be careful, because the music industry is not one to walk softly.)

Well, best of luck to all of these web frontiersman. And while the party’s still going:

http://isnotchicago.muxtape.com/
http://fallingofftheedgeofthearth.muxtape.com/
http://nakedsandbox.muxtape.com/

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