Delta05

Hey's the guy that marched (marches?) at OCI, too, right?

I posted this in the "How to Improve the Fan Network" thread but I wanted to have a more in-depth discussion on it (but if it should've just kept it's happy butt in that thread please delete this one and I'll show myself out). I think the current model for tFN doesn't work all that well given the two distinct product offerings currently being lumped under the same pricing structure. I'm going to name them temporarily as "The Vault" and "DCI.TV". The Vault is the collection of "old" content that users can access, stream, and purchase/download at their leisure. DCI.TV is the live-streaming service offered during the competitive season. Currently both are paid for via the ~$70 fee that lasts until May of every year, regardless of when you sign up (AFAIK). I don't think this model works all that well from a person standpoint so I'd like to make a suggestion as to how to effectively split the two and not hurt tFN at all and, potentially, make it more enticing to DCI's audience and (hopefully) bring more money in for DCI to continue to improve tFN: The Vault – $5/mo or $50/yr (savings of $10) Access to streaming of HD (when available) video and audio of all prior year performances; this could be just from Finals or from other shows (such as regionals) if available. Discounted pricing for buying and downloading said HD video and audio content. Access to watch current season regional performances one week after the show. Access to buy/download current season regional performances two weeks after the show. Access to watch current season finals performances two weeks after the show. Access to buy/download current season finals performances one month after the show. The subscription plan for The Vault ends either one month from the sign-up date (monthly plan) or one year from the sign-up date (yearly plan) whenever that date may be. ​ DCI.TV – $50/season Able to live-stream select regular, regional, and finals week shows. Able to watch current season live-stream performances immediately following the show. Able to watch current season finals performances immediately following the show (if doable). Exclusive content like interviews, mid-season updates, etc. as well as early access to certain content pertaining to the current season. The subscription plan for DCI.TV begins around the beginning of the season (May, for example) and ends at the beginning of September. DVD and Bluray purchases will be totally separate and not tied to either subscription plan such that buying a plan with physical media is necessary to unlock digital content. Obviously it's a WIP idea and many things could be tweaked, but I think splitting up the offerings into these two separate ideas (basically Amazon Prime/Hulu Plus/etc. versus MLB.TV/NFL Sunday Ticket/etc.) makes the overall tFN product better and personally I'd be more enticed to have a rolling subscription to The Vault AND buy a season pass to DCI.TV every single year. I really want to subscribe to tFN right now to watch some things but I don't really want to pay $70 for a sub that will run out in May when I'll just have to re-up another $70. Thoughts?

Everyone better watch out for that battery section. No age-outs and, if they stick together, they're coming to kick ### and chew gum. And there's no gum left in Denver.

I think it all boils down to… why was the tree angry?

I think it's simply the "risk" (for lack of a better) taken when an activity works such as this one. I'll admit, I wasn't a huge fan of The Cadets' show, but I wasn't cheering because the Bluecoats beat them, I was cheering because I then knew the 'Coats would take second. I'd love to be able to say I could save my emotions for when the 2nd place announcement was actually made but I'm human and once I know something I know it; same with the way people cheered in '08 for Phantom when BD was announced in 2nd. I wish I had an answer for a better way to handle it because I also thought right afterwards it must've stung for the kids in The Cadets. But I don't have any good idea for how to fix that. It's an emotional activity and what we saw was pretty much the epitome of an emotional reaction.

Maybe it's just 'cause I'm weird sometimes and figured let's try a theme I don't think I've ever seen in drum corps, but I'd love to see Boston or someone similar well-versed in dark themes to do a post-apocalyptic show a la The Road (music TBD).

I'd be happy to just hear Music of the Night again on the field…

I'd actually like to have a discussion on this idea (I know audio quality is the hot-topic of the moment; pardon my interruption). I feel like the Fan Network currently serves two similar yet totally separate audiences yet both are tied to the same pricing model. I think there's a fundamental shift that can take place here that benefits all of us as well as DCI.

You know, the ending itself has stopped giving me goosebumps 'cause I've watched it so much, but I'm not sure I'll ever stop getting goosebumps watching people react to it. This is like '89 Music of the Night level goosebumps for me. #OrangeIsTheNewBloo

For example, The Fan Network could consist of two offerings: The Vault which is all previous content for free streaming and discounted downloads for, say, $5 a month or $50 a year and then DCI.TV that starts in, say, May and ends in August after Finals that gives you access to live streams for... Idunno, $50 for the season?

Then add a separate sub for live content a la MLB.TV or the NFL Network. But if I want to access videos and audio for free and download them at a discounted cost whenever I want (a la Amazon Prime) that sub shouldn't run out on a specific date not tied to when my sub was started. I think DCI can afford to step back and look at its product offerings again and realign it's subscription models more effectively.

On a semi-unrelated note, I think it's high time DCI updated their website and brought it up to more current design standards.

I wish the subscription didn't end on a specific date regardless of when you sign up (unless I'm mistaken it still does so, correct?). Implement a monthly fee and yearly fee (paid in full but averages out to less per month) that simply renews on the date the subscription is made. Also no digital content should be reserved for those only subscribing to tier two or three unless you want to offer a "premium" subscription level. I'd like some of the perks of the higher subs but I don't really care for having the physical copies; I'm an all-digital guy these days.

FIFY. Roll Tide.