cixelsyd

How stupid is it in 2019 that we still have people wading into a discussion group to tell others not to discuss something.

More likely, 95% of the population are totally unaware that the drum corps activity exists. How could they have an opinion on the issue?

You already said otherwise, in this very sentence. Is drum corps marching band? Or is it different instrumentation from marching band, and therefore NOT marching band? I understand your confusion. No one has ever really defined what "drum corps" is. It has been left to common understanding, much like how that Supreme Court justice dodged the task of defining pornography with the infamous assertion, "I know it when I see it". Nonetheless, the people who created drum corps (the military) had marching bands too, yet established drum corps and marching bands as two separate, distinct things. The people who created the competitive drum corps activity (the veterans organizations) created both drum corps and marching band divisions from inception, because they were two separate, distinct things. To claim, infer or pretend they never were two separate, distinct things would be in total denial and ignorance of history.

Or to "evolve" itself out of existence, by merging into another pre-existing art form.

At what point did anyone suggest stopping ALL change? Whenever anyone dares to voice criticism of a single aspect of the modern activity, you can count on someone painting them with the broad brush of "anti-change". Rolling the changes all the way back to the year 1500 is a new twist on that script, though - credit for that. (Never mind whether the electrocution of the activity is really the "forward" change you characterize it as.)

Well, since you brought it up... Fan lifespan down to 3.5 years. Shows that alienate fans in early season. What if the latter is the cause, and the former the effect?

The Ogden show is two and a half weeks into the season. Most of the corps in that show spent four additional weeks prior to the season in all-day rehearsals. The sound systems are said to be state of the art, and the sound designers experts in their profession. If it is still such a "hot mess" midway through week 3 that it drives fans to leave the activity, that is a big problem. Unless you think alienating fans 3 out of 8 weeks of the season is a brilliant stroke of marketing genius...

But as has often been pointed out, drum corps has not been run like a business. I wish your statement was true. But when I look at the latest evidence of the DCI mindset (the strategic plan posted on DCI.org), I find a curious thing about "keeping clients". When it is "partners" or "sponsors", there is talk about keeping them engaged, even limiting attrition to less than 1%. But there is no evidence DCI thinks about retaining fans, or even believes they can limit their attrition. It is as if DCI has accepted that misleading/misguiding stat about the 3.5 year fan lifespan as irrefutable science, and have been planning ever since for the post-audience dystopia.

No... the electronics add dirt to performances throughout the season. So do trips - I mean tarps.

Well, it is a discussion board. And like you say, you found his post interesting... so there you go. The kids! You must support DCI for the kids! If you stop going to shows, you are anti-kid! Please. By your reasoning, I should support the kids in all their activities, be it drum corps, marching band, winter guard, dance teams, cheerleading, football, basketball, hockey, baseball, softball, T-ball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, gymnastics, figure skating, volleyball, wrestling, track and field, chess team, debating, 4-H, video game tournaments... you name it. But there is not enough time/money to support every kid and every activity. We each have to pick and choose where to put our personal support. If we become disenchanted with one activity over time, why should we continue to support it when there are so many other options?

So far, so good. But it is going to go downhill quick. You know, looking at recent developments, it seems to me that the activity is far more about the designers (or the instrument/equipment suppliers) than either the fans or the kids. But I will put that aside, and address what you are saying... Thanks for speaking on behalf of all kids everywhere. But you missed the ones who are there because they like to perform in front of appreciative audiences. You also missed the fact that if you are going to paint all discontented fans as anti-change, then their position is by definition not a "whim", but the exact opposite - a staunch, long-held stance. Of course, that misses the reality that many fans are not like that at all, and gladly accept many changes (when they are positive ones). And by the way, if the activity was truly not here for the audience in any way, then they would stage shows in empty fields and operate without any fan revenue. But instead, they squeeze every last dollar they can out of the fan base, then hold their hands out for additional donations without which the whole house of cards would come crashing down. They had better appeal to enough audience "whims" to keep that money coming in. I know how cool it is to compliment current marchers by deprecating (even self-deprecating) those of the past. I view it entirely differently. Every era has had talented performers and designers. Also, importantly, every era has had participants who could make the fruits of their hard work and determination come alive on the field. There are different flavors of innate vs. developed talent, different levels of achievement, and different manners of refinement as the activity standards and tastes have changed over time. One can marvel at what a corps composed entirely of the graduates of scholastic music education can achieve today. One can also marvel at what a corps composed of a cross-section of local 12-21 year olds could accomplish 40 years ago. And one can marvel at what veterans with no musical background could do with relatively primitive and limited equipment 80 years ago.

I do not recall even suggesting lower ticket prices. I definitely never said that the relation between price and quantity sold was linear all the way to price = 0. First of all, I dispute the notion that the average lifespan of fandom is 3 years. I suspect that the original survey finding of 3.5 years that you are most likely referring to was a side-effect of the time when that data point was measured, immediately after a raft of dramatic changes to the activity. And if one were to put that in context, the idea of cultivating longer-lasting fan loyalty is something worth considering in this kind of analysis (but I doubt they are anymore). You know as well as anyone what the value of a long-term fan can be, in real dollars. You are one of those valuable fans.

... and a danger of thinking too short-term. Maybe data suggests that a higher ticket price in 2020, even with less tickets sold, will increase profitability in 2020. Meanwhile, that change caused the fan base to shrink. There is a business case to be made for growing long-term revenue by growing the activity - larger fan base, larger participant base, larger donor/sponsor base, more corps in more places, more shows.

1. I think (hope) you meant to say "profit". If we just want more revenue, we could run 10,000 shows all over the globe and tour 12 months a year, expenses be ######. 2. And if #1 holds, then I think restructuring that lowers expenses ought to be considered.

None. I was referring to all DQs throughout DCI history. Crossmen 1976 were the only one to be disqualified prior to championship week.