What is the relationship between DCI and the individual corps?

[Fran Haring]

55 minutes ago, garfield said:

Hey, I never thought of this to add credibility!  Great idea!  OK if I use it, too?  

This from a poster who is currently, and has been for over a decade, directly involved with hosting a DCI WC show...

Potential show host:  "We'd like to run a WC show."

DCI:  "How much do you have to spend to get corps to your stadium?"

PSH: "We think we can cover a contract of $xxx."

DCI:  "Here's the list of 6 corps for your show and the total cost is below your contract limit."

PSH:  "But there's not a single top-12 corps in our show!  Our highest placement was 12th!  We can't sell tickets to that show."

DCI: (literally) "That's your lineup if you want it. Take it or leave it."

PSH:  "Can I trade these two for just one top-12 corps?"

DCI:  "Contracts are not negotiable, but you can change your date to earlier in the season to lower the cost."

PSH:  "But the football team is in the stadium..."

DCI:  "Umm......."

What corps are paid per performance is a function of their placement in the prior year and at what point in the tour your show is taking place.  There are, essentially, four tiers of prior year placement in the pricing, and early-season shows are less expensive than late-season shows.  As an example, we generally have 3 or 4 top-12 and 2 or 3 from 13 on down.  This year we are especially pleased to have Pacific Crest and Seattle Cascades in our show, along with Bluecoats, Crossmen, and several others.  Our show is July 31st, so we pay a premium to have a show.  It's been fairly common that a similar show has cost us $28,000 in the past.

Again, show hosts are not permitted to negotiate with corps on either schedule or cost.  And there's no "guarantee".  As DCI has said to us many times, "You're paying for a lineup" and, if the host doesn't pay the contract prior to the show, the show is cancelled and the corps don't perform but the host still owes the contract price.  The only way a show can be cancelled is if the DCI administrator at the show declares the weather so bad that not even a stand-up on the track by one corps cannot be performed.  If that standup is done in a drizzle to a nearly empty stadium, the full contract price is due.

 

 

 

Thank you!!! 

[garfield]

51 minutes ago, Fran Haring said:

Thank you!!! 

Sorry Fran, I edited to add a little brain dump...

 

[Fran Haring]

52 minutes ago, garfield said:

Sorry Fran, I edited to add a little brain dump...

 

No problem!!!! It's nice to know how this works, from someone who runs a show.

The DCA model is definitely different. Much more corps-to-sponsor negotiating, from what I understand. (Maybe that's changed recently, I don't know.)

Of course, the DCA weekends-only thing and the DCI two-month tour thing are different animals.

[RetiredMusTeach]

8 hours ago, garfield said:

I understand Brasso's point, but it's not exactly accurate. While DCI "is the corps", as he says, it is not true that the corps themselves run the competitions, except to the extent that some corps run their own shows.

The corps' representatives vote to approve or disapprove (or do so by proxy of those they elect to represent them) just about every issue related to the activity each year so, in that vein, they do "run" things.  To answer your specific questions, DCI, individual corps, and Tour Event Partners all produce a show.  As part of that responsibility, each host is responsible for providing housing and rehearsal space, showers, and quiet, segregated classrooms for drivers to sleep.

Corps directors meet early in the season, before auditions, to discuss, pound out, and sign up for shows on the tour.  Each ED chooses his own tour schedule and tour route, then agree to participate at shows along their route.  DCI creates the tour by coordinating its own shows with those of the corps and those that are TEP run.  Each show host is charged a fee for each corps in its lineup, making up a contracted amount that must be paid prior to the show date.

Each corps pays for its own expenses, although DCI does have a line-of-credit that it uses to "front" money to the corps prior to the season start, and is repaid as the season draws fans to the gates.  

Also, the major part of each corps' tour is decided long before their corps are filled out (WC/OC).  While some changes happen during the tour, it's a rarity.

 

Thanks for this excellent information.  You filled in a lot of holes for me.  Appreciate it.

[RetiredMusTeach]

6 hours ago, BRASSO said:

' Not entirely sure what your personal definition of a "weighted tier model " is, but if its what I think it is, then Yes, Corps are guaranteed up front payments in the contract with show sponsors for certain Corps... and as one would naturally expect, the upfront guarantee to have  ( for example ) the Blue Devils agree to appear in your show, is going to be higher than to secure the agreement from ( for example ) the Oregon Crusaders to appear in your show. Sometimes DCI would suggest a mix of Corps for show sponsor with a fee upfront of such a mix. This is why we oftentimes see Corps traveling together from show to show in a grouping mix, especially early in the season, as it makes financial sense for both DCI and the sponsors to coordinate it in this fashion logistically as well as financially.

More great info about stuff I wondered about.  Appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise.  Thanks.

[BRASSO]

58 minutes ago, RetiredMusTeach said:

More great info about stuff I wondered about.  Appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise.  Thanks.

 You are entirely welcome, RetiredMus Teach.

[jwillis35]

Whatever Garfield is saying here is right on.  DCI is an Association by definition, I believe.  They are not a company.  The member corps are part of that association, and those members appoint board members, committee chairs, and a head officer (CEO, President).  The President and/or CEO of the Association is given a budget for which to hire people for administrative duties, marketing the activity, and for negotiating on behalf of the member corps when it comes to things like tour schedule, appearance fees, music rights, media rights, souvie sales rights, etc.  

Below is the definition for incorporated association. I think this is DCI. They might be Unincorporated, but I am not sure. 

 

Incorporated Associations

Incorporation is a voluntary, simple and inexpensive means of establishing a legal entity. It is an alternative to forming, for example, a company limited by a guarantee, or co-operative. It is particularly suitable for small, community-based groups such as community broadcasting organisations.

The legal structure will dictate duties and responsibilities on the Boards and Committees of the organisation and the station’s employees. Some of these duties and responsibilities will come from general law, while others will be set out in the various pieces of legislation which allow for incorporation.

Legislation differs in each state or territory, so it is difficult to outline detailed requirements, but basically an Incorporated Association may need to:

• have a committee, responsible for managing the association
• have a public officer and notify any changes in that position
• have a registered office in its state of incorporation
• act in accordance with its objects and rules
• hold an annual general meeting once every calendar year
• lodge an annual statement every year
• keep proper accounting records and, in some states, prepare, have audited and lodge financial statements
• keep minutes of all committee and general meetings.
• keep registers of members and all committee members
• have a common seal.

[E3D]

18 hours ago, garfield said:

Hey, I never thought of this to add credibility!  Great idea!  OK if I use it, too?  

This from a poster who is currently, and has been for over a decade, directly involved with hosting a DCI WC show...

Potential show host:  "We'd like to run a WC show."

DCI:  "How much do you have to spend to get corps to your stadium?"

PSH: "We think we can cover a contract of $xxx."

DCI:  "Here's the list of 6 corps for your show and the total cost is below your contract limit."

PSH:  "But there's not a single top-12 corps in our show!  Our highest placement was 12th!  We can't sell tickets to that show."

DCI: (literally) "That's your lineup if you want it. Take it or leave it."

PSH:  "Can I trade these two for just one top-12 corps?"

DCI:  "Contracts are not negotiable, but you can change your date to earlier in the season to lower the cost."

PSH:  "But the football team is in the stadium..."

DCI:  "Umm......."

What corps are paid per performance is a function of their placement in the prior year and at what point in the tour your show is taking place.  There are, essentially, four tiers of prior year placement in the pricing, and early-season shows are less expensive than late-season shows.  As an example, we generally have 3 or 4 top-12 and 2 or 3 from 13 on down.  This year we are especially pleased to have Pacific Crest and Seattle Cascades in our show, along with Bluecoats, Crossmen, and several others.  Our show is July 31st, so we pay a premium to have a show.  It's been fairly common that a similar show has cost us $28,000 plus or minus, in the past.

Again, show hosts are not permitted to negotiate with corps on either schedule or cost.  And there's no "guarantee".  As DCI has said to us many times, "You're paying for a lineup" and, if the host doesn't pay the contract prior to the show, the show is cancelled and the corps don't perform but the host still owes the contract price.  The only way a show can be cancelled is if the DCI administrator at the show declares the weather so bad that not even a stand-up on the track by one corps cannot be performed.  If that standup is done in a drizzle to a nearly empty stadium, the full contract price is due.

EDIT:  As one might imagine, this incongruity of show host has been a point of contention in the past, specifically as part of the G7 plan which did away entirely with the local TEP hosting scheme.  Of the about 106 or 107 shows, 55 to 60 are run by either DCI or the corps.  The other 50 or so shows are run by shows whose profit does not, necessarily, help drum corps.  Those profits help the, typically, schools that take the risk and pay the contract, then get their music programs involved to sell the event all over their community.  The music program gets the profits from the show.  Besides the contract payments, if the show does better and makes more money, the corps don't get any of that extra, the music programs do.  Forty-five drum corps shows all across the country, and about that same number of drum corps mostly congested into general areas. 

Another very real issue is the incongruity of the message when DCI has 100 different "music games" going on each summer.  

But those are usually the actual, local touch that DCI has with the communities, 45 or so of them, that host drum corps shows as TEPs.  Five, eight, ten bands all pre-sold by the local host band...that hundreds, maybe thousands, of direct contacts that drum corps has with schools that they get nowhere else.  

IMO, the notion that the existing corps would be able to replace TEP hosts is not feasible.  And, while its true that George can sell them tickets to our show from Allentown, he loses the greatest proponent he has - the local band host looking to make a profit for his music program.  

I, frankly, have no idea where that spiel came from but, now that I've said it, I'll return to work.

 

 

 

The golden rule. 

 

He who has the gold rules. In this case or more like DCI's case that is boiled down to about 5 or 7 corps that benefit from the current set up. But if we live long enough (really not that far away) we will get to watch DCI become WGI outdoor. 

[ouooga]

Does anyone know where DCI's primary revenue comes from? I'm guessing it's an 80/20 rule, but does that big bulk come from ticket sales, year-round merchandise, or those contract fees? Or something else I'm not aware of?

[IllianaLancerContra]

22 hours ago, BRASSO said:

 Thats what I said.. lol!

 Show sponsors ( and potential show sponsors ) negotiate all the time with DCI, but DCI in the end has the final say. Thats why many former show sponsors have lost shows. They either were dropped by DCI, or the show sponsors found DCI's terms were no longer acceptable to them.

I suggest that the reason many former show sponsors have lost shows is that the tour is now a complete rut, with regionals at set locations on set weekends, and all roads lead to Indy.  Yes, a given location might get different corps performing one year to the next, or a location may shift by a few miles if a sponsor decides not to host in a given year, but the stops on the tour are pretty much the same every year.

To assist in proving my point, look at the wailing & gnashing of teeth w/r/t Atlanta this year & the NFL stadium not being ready.