Independent Labels Claimed 35% Market Share In The US Last Year… By Ownership

Last year, the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) issued a report suggesting that independent labels claimed a 37.6% market share in 2015.

The WINTEL write-up, co-authored by respected analyst Mark Mulligan, discovered that independent labels generated $5.6 billion in revenue in the year.

Unlike traditional market share metrics, which judge the industry on distribution power, the WIN report instead measured money generated by rights ownership.

Why that’s important: a big chunk of the major labels’ global market share is typically based on the revenue they accrue through their ability to distribute releases from independent label partners.
Much of this revenue, however, is subsequently paid through to the majors’ independent partners.
In the case of UMG, for instance, that includes Big Machine (Taylor Swift), Concord (Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney) and Glassnote (Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino – pictured).

WIN argues that it’s the rights ownership figure, rather than the distribution figure, which is most important.

YouTube Loses US Music Streaming Dominance As Subscription Plays Jump 124%

People paying for the likes of Spotify and Apple Music played more music streams in the US last year than users of YouTube – in a dramatic market reversal.

That’s according to the latest data from trusted market monitor BuzzAngle – whose stats show that digital video music streams grew by just 7.5% in the year.

By contrast, audio on-demand services saw streams on their platforms grow by a whopping 82.6% – from 137.29bn in 2015 to 250.73bn in 2016.

That was enough to comfortably overtake digital video, which attracted 181.31bn music streams in 2015, up 7.5% on 168.59bn in 2015.

(Obviously, two related players completely dominate this field. So for ‘digital video’ you can largely read ‘YouTube and Vevo’. And before you ask… BuzzAngle’s tally includes both premium content and identified tracks attached to YouTube user-generated-content.)

Update on Erik Buell Via Cyril Huze Blog

If ya haven't ridden a Buell, well ya haven't ridden a modern sport bike built right here in America. Forget about taking a sportster motor out of the older tube frame models and popping it into a chopper frame. You are basically robbing yourself of one of the best riding torque beasts in existence. Erik Buell has been an amazing innovator in the Harley realm and we can thank him for many innovations. Its great news to see that he is carrying on after the debacle with corporate Harley Davidson and hopefully many more racing championships and innvoation will be coming the way of Erik Buell Racing.

Link to original post on Cyril Huze Blog

175 HP 389-pound EBR 1190RS

On October 15, 2009 Harley-Davidson announced that production of Buell motorcycles were immediately discontinued. The economy started to tank in 2008 and in 2009 sales of new motorcycles crashed. At the time, Harley-Davidson CEO Keith Wandell statement to the media was “The fact is, we must focus both our effort and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to sustained, meaningful, long-term growth”. In a press conference a couple of hours later, a very emotional Erik Buell confirmed the sad news he received from Harley-Davidson. What was not disclosed at the time and that only Erik knew was that he had lost it all, even the rights to the Buell Motorcycle name. A musician, Erik turned to his guitar for therapy, then decided to start a new independent venture called Erik Buell Racing (EBR)

175 HP 389-pound EBR 11, aiming for championships in 2012

From the liquidation sale of Buell Motorcycles Company, Erik kept a small building in East Troy, a 40-minute drive from Milwaukee. Erik Buell Racing is financed by his own money and other small private investments. To help cash flow, some income comes from design consulting jobs for other companies. Erik is now looking for a $20 million investment to finance development and production The goal with Erik Buell Racing is to focus on being an American manufacturer of race bikes and parts to challenge foreign manufacturers with invention and intellectual property. To go beyond by doing radical things that the rest of the racing world has never done. Last summer at the Superbike series in Lexington, Ohio, Buell debuted a pro racing version of the 1190RS, the first offering from his new company. The rider finished a respectable 10th. Later, at the German Superbike Championship, an early customer entered with an EBR bike and won, beating out established competitors on Ducatis, BMWs and KTMs…




Buell’s innovation include: Zero Torsional Load (ZTL) brake, which lightens wheel weight by eliminating the need for hubs, the underslung mufflers placed under the engine to limit noise and maintain a lower center of gravity, a fuel tank integrated within the bike frame with optional carbon fiber version which reduces vibrations and shaves off even more weight from the frame. Tthe 175 HP 389-pound EBR 1190RS is a full 50 pounds lighter than some competing bikes. The bike has been a hit in motorcycle shows here and abroad with Erik Buell signing 1 and 3-year sponsorship agreements for two riders to race in the American Superbike Championship. EBR is currently building out an international dealer network, and at the end of year 2012 the company plans to reach a production level of about 850 bikes with 50% expected to be exported. The 1190RS will be racing in Daytona in 3 weeks (March 15-17) at the 2012 Superbike Championship. “We found an additional 10 mph in the post season, and the bike can reach 213 mph in race trim,” Buell says. It would make the 1190RS the fastest motorcycle manufactured in the U.S…

Yesterday evening Feb. 22, 2012, Erik Buell Racing announced that it has partnered with Hero MotoCorp. The deal sees Hero becoming the title sponsor for two teams in the AMA Pro Racing National Guard Superbikes Championship — Team Hero and AMSOIL Hero, while Erik Buell Racing will give Hero design and technology inputs for bikes destined for the Indian market.

The Story Of American Folk Music Part 1

What is Americana? What is truly being "American"? For those of you whose grandparents or parents are first generation American, or second generation, how about this, take a step back and think on why your family emigrated here. For those of us whose families have been here for hundreds or thousands of of years, we need to step back and analyze why and who we are in the midst of this new history, for which we are our own guides. Our brick and mortar familial foundations, have become the binder to build upon these great shores, but it is within all of us to become something bigger.

To become something bigger, I believe is the tenement of Americana Folk Music. The notion that the greater good or the vast amount of folks want to create a change that is for the benefit of society as a whole. Was Bob Dylan wrong in saying "There's no black and white, left and right to me anymore; there's only up and down and down is very close to the ground. And I'm trying to go up without thinking about anything trivial such as politics. They has got nothing to do with it. I'm thinking about the general people and when they get hurt." 

It is these notions which drive change. The type of change which is felt within music, within creativity and within politics. So ya wanna make change, dig within yourself to start.

This type of change defined what we know now as the American movement

Meet Jefe Of The Road Devils Car Club

For those of ya who don't know about the Road Devils Car Club and one of it's chapters called the Devil's Brigade which is made up of Veterans and active duty soldiers. Here is some footage of our good buddy Jefe on missions in Afghanistan and from our race across country earlier this year to Viva Las Vegas. Not only does he and the rest of the Devils Brigade put their lives on the line voluntarily for this country, he is a damn good friend of ours and we are always conjuring up some kind of shenanigans to get into. This is a rough draft clip he put together for the upcoming Road Devils DVD entitled the "Road To Recovery". The DVD will show the double life of Hot Rodders who transition back and forth from War to Home and use Hot Rods as an outlet.

Jefe's 1930 Ford Coupe on some back roads in North Carolina

Racing across the country in hot rods, Holbrook Arizona March 2011

Jefe doing whatever it takes to get the perfect photo

Honor Our Brethren For Memorial Day

The one thing that are we are doomed to repeat is history, if we fail to remember it. For all those that have served our country and paid the largest price, we thank you. Extra special thanks to all of our family that has served this nation since its birth through the good, the bad and the ugly. Take it away Johnny...