How Does DCI draw in a new fan base?

[HLDmello28]

How much local advertisement does DCI/the corps putting on the show do? I've never seen a local advertisement in the paper or on tv about it, but that could just be where I'm from.

[MikeD]

How much local advertisement does DCI/the corps putting on the show do? I've never seen a local advertisement in the paper or on tv about it, but that could just be where I'm from.

I am guessing it is a variable as the organizations that sponsor the shows. I see newpaper adds and articles in the largest NJ paper, the Star Ledger, about shows The Cadets sponsor.

[garfield]

Some neat ideas here, but everyone seems to be forgetting that, at local shows, the drum corps themselves set the schedules, and all are driven off one of three things:

1. Practice time

2. Field time

3. "Down Time" for MM's

In every decision about utilizing the corps' presence in town to advertise the show, the corps directors make the final call and, if what you want to do impedes on their goals above, they'll more often than not, nix the great idea you have.

While it may be pretty straight forward to get a clinic done by a visiting corps, it's usually only done by corps that have a formal clinic process (Crown, BD, Cadets, and a few others). In other cases the clinic is thrown together as an after-thought and is usually looked upon as the "payment" the corps must make to attend the show and use the facilities.

Many schools now have full summer programs that make field, housing, and practice time very difficult to arrange, so giving up a 3 hour slot of field time to go do the opening ceremonies at a minor league ballpark is very "expensive" to the corps.

All that said, my personal experience with clinics from Crown, BD, Cadets, PR, and Cavies has been excellent - these are very high-quality clinic programs. To the lower-placing corps who may not have a formal clinic process (and, hence, might be a better group to go play at a ballpark) time is even more crucial because they are fighting the other factors of "small-corps-itis" in order to just stay alive or make it to the next performance location.

I'm taking notes of the good ideas here, but the simple answer of "Just have them go perform..." is not very practical and is a lot harder done than said.

Edited June 26, 2012 by garfield

[garfield]

I am guessing it is a variable as the organizations that sponsor the shows. I see newpaper adds and articles in the largest NJ paper, the Star Ledger, about shows The Cadets sponsor.

It's important to realize that there are just a handful of "corps sponsored" shows across the country and that the vast majority of shows are not sponsored by a corps or by DCI. At these events the show sponsor is in charge of marketing and there are scant-few resources available via DCI to help in that regard. There is a radio ad (now 3 years old), and some poster templates along with a few recent photos (last year) of each corps available through DCI. But that's about it. There's no formal cooperation between DCI and local event directos re: marketing.

[GUARDLING]

Some neat ideas here, but everyone seems to be forgetting that, at local shows, the drum corps themselves set the schedules, and all are driven off one of three things:

1. Practice time

2. Field time

3. "Down Time" for MM's

In every decision about utilizing the corps' presence in town to advertise the show, the corps directors make the final call and, if what you want to do impedes on their goals above, they'll more often than not, nix the great idea you have.

While it may be pretty straight forward to get a clinic done by a visiting corps, it's usually only done by corps that have a formal clinic process (Crown, BD, Cadets, and a few others). In other cases the clinic is thrown together as an after-thought and is usually looked upon as the "payment" the corps must make to attend the show and use the facilities.

Many schools now have full summer programs that make field, housing, and practice time very difficult to arrange, so giving up a 3 hour slot of field time to go do the opening ceremonies at a minor league ballpark is very "expensive" to the corps.

All that said, my personal experience with clinics from Crown, BD, Cadets, PR, and Cavies has been excellent - these are very high-quality clinic programs. To the lower-placing corps who may not have a formal clinic process (and, hence, might be a better group to go play at a ballpark) time is even more crucial because they are fighting the other factors of "small-corps-itis" in order to just stay alive or make it to the next performance location.

I'm taking notes of the good ideas here, but the simple answer of "Just have them go perform..." is not very practical and is a lot harder done than said.

youre right about it all. I know I wouldnt like giving up time that could make a huge difference in the show that night....Corps are usually getting to a location like 6 or 7am....sleep time maybe 2 hours ,out on the field, by evening packed up again , to the show then off to a new location....there are a few times in one place a day or two BUT rare UNTIL CHAMPIONSHIPS WEEK.

You are right also about some lower corps..there is a certain corps who have had very successful clinics and traning programs for several years and they have all but gone away now. Band kids just didnt sign up as much anymore and to much time was wasted. Its all great in theory but times have changed yet again just in the past few years.

Something creative still does need to be done though.

[Dave]

Woodwinds - it's a no-brainer. Any given band is made up of about 30-50% woodwind players. They are currently excluded for no good reason (at least not one that a 16 year old saxophonist will understand). Yes, some WW have learned another instrument and marched DC, but why put that significant roadblock in the way of 30 - 50% of your target demographic. Most WW players do not do this. It is the exception, not the norm.

Lots of good points, but I'll speak to this one: expense of woodwinds outside is a huge roadblock to including them.* Marching brass, for the most part, is typically built a little more in favor of "take a beating" over "sound perfect," but it's still possible to build a quality performing brass instrument that can be built to stand the abuse of summer. With woodwinds, this just is not possible. Way too many moving parts, and WAY too high of a maintenance bill, and this is before even getting into issues of things like reeds and mouthpieces. For woodwind durability, you will have to make a significant sacrifice in quality of the instruments and quality of sound; for sound quality, you will be spending a fortune on maintaining your stock. And no matter what kind of instruments you buy, you will be replacing pads daily, probably require at least one full repad a year (which can run anywhere from $150-$400 depending on the repair tech and what else might be wrong).

For marching bands, where the kids have their own instruments and people don't really care if the clarinet section is carrying their beater plastic models around and most of the biggest expenses therefore are absorbed directly by the students, it's not a huge deal, and of course they don't rehearse nearly as much as a drum corps. But for a corps you're talking both huge startup cost and very significant maintenance cost, speaking as someone who sells and works on maintaining these instruments for a living.

*Notwithstanding the fact that the day DCI approves woodwinds, myself and a lot of other people who have had mixed emotions about changes like electronics and amplification will basically call the whole activity a wash and walk away. If you don't care about that, it's fine, but I do, and I don't think the activity benefits by ejecting every single element of itself that makes it unique.

[kaseyW]

After reading a lot of this I'm starting to think to myself that maybe DCI doesn't need a newer fan base or an attraction of more people, but maybe DCI needs to attract a consistent fan base. Which is pretty much what they do. Drum corps will always be cool to high school marching band kids.

[MikeN]

After reading a lot of this I'm starting to think to myself that maybe DCI doesn't need a newer fan base or an attraction of more people, but maybe DCI needs to attract a consistent fan base. Which is pretty much what they do. Drum corps will always be cool to high school marching band kids.

Honestly, that's pretty much what DCI decided a few years back as well, so then the question becomes, how do you get *more* band kids?

Mike

[KGTech]

Simple answer: We need to look outward, not inward.

How do we appear to an average person who has no prior knowledge of our activity? Do the rules of our activity make sense? Does our performance draw them in and engage them? Can we excite them and make them want more? Do we as fans welcome new people to the fold and share our excitement with them?

Sadly I don't believe we do these things well. Show design is so "out there" that the meaning needs to be communicated in long pretentious explanations that most people never see. Our closed loop system rewards that which we find important and ignores the elements to which most casual observers would be drawn. Then many of us who are hooked on this activity tend to berate and belittle those who don't "get it" as we believe they should.

If we want new fans we need to open ourselves up to them and give them what they want, not what we want. If we continue to engage in our own form of masturbation where we only satisfy our needs we won't be an attractive option to most. The question is do we dare change? Do we give up some of our self importance and do things that draw more people in?

[kaseyW]

Simple answer: We need to look outward, not inward.

How do we appear to an average person who has no prior knowledge of our activity? Do the rules of our activity make sense? Does our performance draw them in and engage them? Can we excite them and make them want more? Do we as fans welcome new people to the fold and share our excitement with them?

Sadly I don't believe we do these things well. Show design is so "out there" that the meaning needs to be communicated in long pretentious explanations that most people never see. Our closed loop system rewards that which we find important and ignores the elements to which most casual observers would be drawn. Then many of us who are hooked on this activity tend to berate and belittle those who don't "get it" as we believe they should.

If we want new fans we need to open ourselves up to them and give them what they want, not what we want. If we continue to engage in our own form of masturbation where we only satisfy our needs we won't be an attractive option to most. The question is do we dare change? Do we give up some of our self importance and do things that draw more people in?

Here's a new idea. What if the corps asked fans to share their own ideas of what the show should be? Fans can suggest themes, repertoire, uniform ideas, etc.