Electra Glide In Blue

To bad, the free music widget we had loaded on our site, thanks to the fine people at Sonific.com, is to be shut down on May 1st, so I pulled it off the site today. Here’s the run down from Sonific.com:

1) There are countless startups providing access to any and all music streams without any license whatsoever. However, when we approached the major record label decision makers in order to obtain licenses for some of the music in their catalogs we have routinely faced demands for very large cash advances and fixed per-stream minimum payments, pressure to give them ‘free’ company equity, and requirements of utterly bizarre usage restrictions.  It seems that the industry’s major stakeholders still prefer this turf to remain unlicensed rather than to allow real-life, workable and market-based solutions to emerge by working with new companies such as Sonific. This is not the way forward.

2) We therefore had to realize that a company that wants to provide interactive streaming music services must either a) risk the constant complaints of their users, due to the lack of hit content  b) proceed to use any and all music (this is routinely done by allowing users to upload their own MP3s) without the required licenses, and therefore be at the total mercy of the record labels at some point in time, and c) build a huge audience very quickly, based on having the content available – permission or not -, and then very quickly sell themselves to a large company that will take care of placating the labels while the money is plenty and the pockets are deep. 

Like I said, to bad, this free service streamed good music for free, with no BS, no spam, no ads, just clean free music. Sonific goes on to say:

The bottom line is that this industry is certifiably dysfunctional and that we do not see a plausible path to take at this time. We neither want to engage in so-called copyright infringement nor do we have millions of dollars available to buy our way in when it is abundantly clear that doing business under the existing rules of the major labels will simply amount to economic suicide. 

Source: Sonific.com

Emmy Award winning Tattoo Gypsy gives his take on why wearing a helmet isn’t the problem with keeping Bikers Safe. In this video he explains the DOT safety rating of helmets and why car drivers should pay more attention.

Sorry, I seem to be having some problems with a plugin for youtube? To see this video for the time being, I guess you will have to click on the hot video link above.

What to party, if nudity and vulgar language offend you, stay home. Circle of Pride M/C presents the 2008 Hog Wild Rodeo May 15,16, and 17 – Conesville, Iowa. Located just 3 miles north of Columbus Jct., Iowa on Hwy. 70. Three days of music, Harley outlaw drag racing, extreme fighting, vendors, bike show, camping on site. Check out their web site, Circle of Pride M/C for all the information on, tickets, events and race schedule, maps, pic’s from last year. This is one big party. Support the Circle of Pride M/C.

The Milwaukee maker of one of America’s most iconic rides said today that it will cut its work force by 8 percent and trim bike shipments by the thousands with domestic sales falling nearly 13 percent in the first quarter. Harley, which has been downshifting production for the past few years, with the yuppie customer base thinking twice about dropping thousands of dollars on a classic motorcycle.

Expectations for the rest of the year are not good. Harley Davidson is saying it expects earnings to decline by 15 percent to 20 percent. Previously it predicted growth of as much as 7 percent. U.S. retail sales of Harley Davidson motorcycles were down 12.8 percent in the first quarter.

Harley is talking temporary plant shutdowns and adjustments to daily production rates.  This will result in cutting about 370 unionized employees over the next several months and cutting about 360 non-production jobs.

Check out Harley Davidson’s 1st Quarter report at Harley-Davidson.com