Dragontape is a new web app that lets you create ‘mixtapes’ of your favorite YouTube videos and easily show these with friends.
The site’s functionality isn’t unique – its numerous competitors include vodpod.com, worldtv.com, and yubby.com – but creating a mix tape couldn’t be much simpler as Dragontape utilizes a familiar (and fun) drag ‘n’ drop timeline-based User Interface similar to video editing apps like Apple’s iMovie, for example.
To find content on YouTube you enter search terms into Dragontape’s built-in search box, which pulls up a bunch of thumbnails representing any clips that have been found. You then drag and arrange those clips on the timeline of your ‘tape’, and repeat if necessary. Finally, when you’re happy with the result, hit save and you’re given a unique URL to begin sharing your mixtape. As I said, it couldn’t be any more simple.
In fact, so simple (and possibly generic), it’s hard to imagine where the business model comes in. On that note, Dragontape’s founders Tamas and Peter Szakál – a.k.a. the Szakál brothers – say that they plan to roll out a paid-for premium version that will offer functionality such as the ability to crossfade between videos, multiple videos on the same (split) screen, and an extracted audio channel. Whether or not that will be enticing enough to charge for, I’m not so sure.
Dragontape is based in Budapest, Hungary, and is funded via a small amount of seed money from individual investors.
Dragontape Demo Video from Dragontape on Vimeo.