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Marine drum corps tenor player Eric Carr (EMCproductions on YouTube) posted a great interview with Wesley Sullivan of FloMarching discussing fair use, copyright, and licensing of drum corps videos. This all came about after Eric’s reaction video to the Cavaliers Saturday night performance, which used the FloMarching video, was pulled from YouTube for copyright.

I have been a harsh critic of FloMarching during this event season. But here is one area where they deserve a pat on the back - they really are trying to make more video available on-demand. What started as six such 2021 corps is now up to twelve by my last count, and the interview suggests that six more are coming and other rights requests are still pending.

but no mention of #### quality audio and video

I hope they can improve their guard writing / talent for next year.

He's certainly a champion for the activity, and he provides a valuable service.

The other thing about Tim: he has an easy going, gentle demeanor and he is invariably positive about the activity. There are worse ways to be.

Opera background, you say. Could we be seeing a return to Puccini?

I polled my kids last week regarding this question - my oldest (recent FMM and DCI drum major) said that they'd have been thrilled to march without scores, as their entire corps developed a mental complex about them during the summer. They said the corps likely would have been able to exhale and perform looser, and probably better. My youngest (offered spot with WC DCI but turned down due to focusing on athletics) said they didn't care one whit about how the corps would score, that the chance to play with other elite musicians and put on electric shows was the draw. Anecdotal evidence, sure, but it's all I got... Mike

Flo Marching's national fan poll however had the Madison Scouts as the 2nd most favored Corps show this summer among the fans in this season of DCI Celebration. Troopers and Pacific Crest shows were also in the top 5 as most liked as the fans favorite shows this summer . Cavies, Boston, Bluecoats, Crown, BK, Blue Stars, et al were not " medalists " with the fans of the corps that performed on field exhibitions this summer according to their national fan poll " under this format ". So go figure.

We talk about all the great performances and energy of the DCI Celebration. With Chaz Waldrip, Hannah Waldrip, and Pete Vogler You can listen to us below, or if you want to take us with you, you can download us from iTunes and Amazon. Read the rest of the article here.View the full article

Call me a dinosaur but I just don't understand not wearing hats and schacos anymore. Are people sitting past row ten supposed to make out these oh so important facial expressions of the marching members? Just another gimmick taken from WGI that never should have been incorporated so broadly into drum corps

right. you only deal with it when you want to dish it. it's been that way for years, so own it like I do being an ########. there's no shame in it. that said sorry to hear about the cancer diagnosis. i am dealing with it in my family, i wouldn't wish that on anyone. Fight on, if anyone is obstinate enough to beat it, it's you

They were somewhat blocky. Two of these period charts, I've listened to fairly recently. Don't forget the Mahler from the Optimists, which I also listed to. For its day, very innovative and groundbreaking, especially on the visual side... I played a piston-rotor horn for 4 of my six seasons... I know the game in period. I listen to a lot of the period things and realize listening now that they were quite good for the period, but could have been so far more musical but were hedged and constricted because the style demanded cleanliness and clear cleanliness first, musicality second. By 1979, BD, Phantom, others, were trying hard to knock on the door. But they still had certain things held under restraint of the system. As for Channel One... Directly compare 1976 to 1986. One major difference is clear, the far, far better two valve Kings over whatever piston-rotors BD played on then. Then listen to the dynamics, timbre... the stylistic interpretation of the chart. All noticeably better within that 10 year span. Look at the visual package (though I do have some picky things there that because BD could blow white heat, they could get away with), the more musical and less military guard work. It's absolutely no coincidence things got that radically improved in that 10 year span being coincident with the change in how things were judged. It's no knock on the '76 corps. They were clearly what it took to win and be the champions at that time. Ground started to be broken. Things started inching towards a point where ticks weren't as accurate a reflection of the realities and where the arrangers and designers wanted to take things to. Two things allowed George Zingali to turn himself loose. He discussed this at length in a 1984 clinic I was lucky to attend. One: The Cadets gave him total artistic freedom to take things in the direction he wanted. That was not the case previously. If folks want to argue that... That's what I heard, that's what he said. Sorry if that steps on any toes. I'd deliver sworn testimony on it. Two: The changes in evaluation also gave him the opportunity to take things in the direction he really wanted to go. It began to become worth it to take certain risks because they could be recognized and credited. You could afford to be less conservative. I do like corps from all eras. There was a dynamite Baritone solo somewhere of Larry Scott playing the "Student Prince" online in the mid-50's. Considering he had to work around a G/D bugle, wow. Listened to old Rockets, Sun, Cabs stuff from the 60's, I can go on. Early 70's Argonne recently. The thing is, you have to look at it, respect it, and appreciate it for the era it was developed and created. It was that way for various reasons. The bugles weren't great to play on. They didn't have composite materials to construct percussion instruments from. The best were the best given all of those issues and how they dealt with them.

It wouldn’t be squat.

Yeah... the attitude of. "We have our tickets and seats, we can show up at the show a half hour late and won't miss anything. Maybe we watch (Crown/BD Coats) warm up some first." Sad is an understatement of how I feel about that attitude.

That’s my point….maybe the sheets need to be more reflective of what the crowd responds to. As for dirty??? Can’t use that as an excuse in a shortened season. There were performance glitches in every show but had each unit had a full season to clean then that argument holds water. Now, as for the nostalgia comment, maybe it’s nostalgia for recognizable music. I am curious to know the number of butts in the seats who were old enough to remember “the nostalgia” shows when they were au courant. Seems to me all ages enjoyed these “throwback shows”. Maybe because they were entertained by the music?

Agreed. But what I found most interesting was that without the scores the crowd was more willing to support the corps that were not their “own”. The standing O’s were amazing on Saturday. I guarantee you that if this was a true Finals night the mid show and on your feet with a minute to go ovations would’ve been minimal. It’s like corps supporters feel if they stand for another corps the judges might change the scores. That’s why I get enjoyment watching and listening to the shows after the season, the thought of scoring is not at the back of my mind. We do need the scores though, there’s nothing like walking into LOS on Finals night knowing corps are separated by tenths of points. It’s electric. Also on your point…some of the crowd favorites were dirty but also the show designs to the sheets would’ve had them slotted into positions it would’ve been hard to climb from. The biggest challenge for those corps designers in 2022 will be to develop a show that doesn’t rely on nostalgia. It’s problems with show design the three corps have had recently. You don’t want to play catch up all season.

That scoring gives people context and influences crowd reaction in Indy - some of these crowd favorites were just filthy dirty and would not have had quite the crowd reaction with a 75 ish score attached to them

You mean like a political analyst telling people what they had just watched and listened to..

No disrespect meant here but did you hear the audience reception of certain shows? I think this is why those posts were made. Not all drum corps fans are wild about what is being judged on the sheets these days. Some would like to think musicality in motion takes more effort than staging in motion.

I'm sorry but a couple posts here make it real clear why we need scoring

Jeff Ream replied cd's and dvd's tho the dvd's have some licensing related edits My Response: I have repeatedly admonished DCI & Dan Acheson about the issue of licensing content for DCI DVD/BluRay distribution. See this Article: Music, Money, Success & the Movies: Part One https://www.ascap.com/help/music-business-101/music-money-success-movies I know of no current performer or group who has ever produced a CD/DVD for distrobution who have released the disc with editied sound, and we are talking about the top 25-50 performers and bands worldwide. It appears to be a case of the 'rights' worth and what the performimg performer is willing to pay. Agiain, I call for Dan Acheson's dismissal as he as again failed as CEO of DCI for failing to promote the activity of DCI, including the creation/issue of DvD's of recorded contest's without restricted edits (because it was financially better deal for DCI. When DCI releases a DVD, they do a sort run, sell out, and no-reprints are availible. It would seem to me, that if DCI truly wanted to develop the activity and a fan base, they would make every effort available to provide past recordings of shows as video/audio availible such as content produced by Fleetwood Records. Forget the Dog & Pony show to introduce IE, Drum Battle, Small Corps, etc.. Lets' experience each season of the available corp's for the top of the season and present them in the most favorable way possible cd/dvd/video clips on social media.

It's ok to politely tell people around you to shut up.

That would be Jeff Ream.

I would settle for them at least turning down the mikes and the synths in the pit, so that the impacts sound like brass and not "thunder goo", and the marimba is not louder than the brass soloist..........I also agree that with mikes/electronics, there is no need for 15 people up there.............in this case, "more" is not necessarily "better".....rant off..........lol............

It wouldn't be perfect. However, I think that do to economics, there will be fewer people flying to be in a corps next year. The difference in my proposal is instead of the full corps moving into a place and going crazy learning a drill for 4 weeks, rehearsals would still be weekend camps only. Perhaps some kids who fly in stay at other kids homes and ride with them to rehearsals, and live at those members homes starting sometime in May/June......this used to happen frequently back in the day,. One huge difference is that with this, members can now possibly work during the week.....before, with all day rehearsals starting sometime between mid and late May, that made it impossible for a member to work during that time (and thus earn any money, either). It also made it extremely difficult for high school kids to march......the exceptions being some administrators would allow a kid to take exams early and leave school early, and some also missed graduations. I am not quite sure about your last statement.....my proposal reduces the costs for everyone..............if corps try to stick with 2 million+ dollar budgets and $4k+ membership fees, I think a significant number of corps might not make it to the field next year.

Can I add one? #9. If you can't carry it does it need to be heard? I know I'm way old-school but the size of pits is out of control. How many marimbas, vibes, xylos are really necessary!? They are WAY too prominent in the overall sound. Who let this happen? Great post, Bob984. I hope they listen.

I have and will continue to support the corps. However, I do have some suggestions to both the corps and also to DCI to increase donations. In reality, as you have already stated, corps were operating on razor thin margins (and were more often in the red than not) even before this pandemic. Many, including myself, saw the current model as being "unsustainable". With most WC budgets exceeding 2 million dollars per year, and members paying $4000+ in fees to march, it has become an incredibly expensive venture. Many kids are already "priced out" of the activity, and that will increase with a struggling economy. What we haven't seen from most is an effort to curb expenditures. Example....you don't beg for money and say that the situation is "dire", and then go spend $60,000 on props for the show....this actually happened last year. if the corps and DCI announced pro-active plans to really cut things back, I think that they would receive more empathy from their supporters. On the other hand, if they use the "everything will be fine" mode, and put the blinders on and try to move forward as usual, I think several corps will go bankrupt and become defunct, and DCI as the governing body may not survive. Talk is cheap, though. Here are my suggestions.... (1) target budgets for 2021 should be in the range of $600,000 to $1,000,000.......ie cut in half or more (2) go with a shorter season.....July 1 to August 7. If the corps did 6 shows in 7 days (if they wish), they could still see 33 contests (3) the first half of the season would be regional, and the corps would not all be in the same weekend until Allentown. Even then, there may be corps who do not go head to head until championships......this would actually ADD to the competitive suspense..... (4) Instead of the lengthy "move in" camps that all of the corps are doing, camps would be weekends only through June. More local/regional membership would be encouraged, and out of region kids could be paired up with those who are in driving distance. All kids who wished to could work summer weekday jobs right up until tour. Talented high school kids would not have to try to get permission to leave school early, and thus more of them would have the possibility of participation. (5) Major cuts in instructional staff. My suggestion...... one brass arranger, one percussion arranger, one visual designer, 3 brass instructors, 2 percussion instructors, 2 visual instructors, one guard instructor........11 total The days of 20-40 staff people can not be sustained DCI staff will also need cut backs. (6) If fuel prices remain down, that would be a good thing, and perhaps corps can negotiate a "fuel deal" or consortium if they guarantee purchase and/or pre-pay (7) Decrease fees to $3000 Decrease the price for non-premium seats (30-40 yard line) and discount seats (0-30 yard line) (8) no new horns, no new percussion/electronics equipment, return to uniforms that can be worn multiple years instead of yearly "theme costumes", no new guard equipment, maintain everything that you DO have and repair as needed..... no props (as they do not improve marching/playing/guard work)..... I know that some of the above suggestions might not sit well with some, but I do know that costs could be cut, there would still be great shows, and some fiscal burden would be lifted off of the shoulders of the corps, their members, and fans. The earlier pro-active measures are taken and advertised, the greater the chance of increased empathy and support.

I'll probably have some mad people here BUT.......I have always (most of the time) sided with DCI corps but I am going to say something that may not be happy to most. If DCI wants the support of fans and alumni who can donate money, they (corps) need to listen to what the fans want! They need to NOT go against all those fans from the decades past. I don't think we/they want the tic system in judging and a Color Pre, but music that they can hum as they leave the stadiums. Just throwing it out there!