dcifanforlife

You should audition with the Blue Stars. They hold all of their winter camps in Indianapolis and is easy to get too. It costs almost as much to march in an Open Class Corps as it does a World Class corps. World class is the only way to go.

No corps in the history of DCI has every placed in the top 12 with a shortened season. As much as every wants to see Spirit do well history is not on their side.

There are several ways to slotting can take place.. My contention is the DCI has financial slotting. In the past ten years how much turnover has there been in the top twelve?

I personally don't spend a lot of time looking at recaps during the season but as a former marching member and a major donor to drum corps I do want to know what is contributing to the success or lack of success of my favorite corps. Without detailed recaps I can't make an informed judgment. Last fall many corps spent a ton of money addressing perceived weaknesses in their programs. Several corps switched .equipment suppliers. Several corps cleaned house and hired the latest and brightest staff hoping that will help them move up. DCI is all about placement. If you are top twelve great if you are not top twelve you want to be because that is were the money is. It is easier to raise funds from alumni and other donors. You get preferential performance time at all shows, Uniform suppliers and equipment suppliers cut better deals with you. Grants while difficult to secure seem to gravitate to the top organizations. IMO this change protects the status quo. It will harder than every for a corps to move up in placement. Without the buzz created around a corps through recaps it will be difficult for a corps to gain the momentum needed to move up. With only twenty two world class corps the difference from 13th to 22nd is not that great. The tops corps need to do more to help the lower rated corps.

The big news out of the DCI Winter Meetings was the proposal that passed eliminating detailed recaps for DCI tour events until after the season has ended. This going to be a game changer for many fans. You will no longer be able to see in which areas a particular corps is strong or weak in. For those that spend hours every day going over recaps DCI has given you a life which you may not enjoy. You will no longer be able to see what corps is improving or who has peaked early. Logic behind the change? I don't know. maybe the corps directors want to hide everything. except from their staffs and members. More suspense when scores are announced? Doubt it. Interesting Change.

This is a terrible idea. Corps get no feedback from the judges either night and an extra nights revenue is not worth it. For most corps going into Allentown they have had eight or nine shows in ten days so the open night is what everyone is looking for. Most corps want to use the free day to make last minute changes and get through the regionals with little . damage to their egos and show concepts. No corps wants to arrive in Indianapolis IN with their placement already determined. If people want to see me more shows then get on a plane and go see them earlier in the season. That is what I do. If the corps wanted to change the format of Allentown they would have to get the approval of YEA (George Hopkins) and that is not going to happen.

It is all about money. The World Class corps don't want to share any more than they have to. Open Class corps have to pay their dues by getting close to nothing for years before getting invited to the big boys club.

After seeing the Bluecoats live last night in Jackson I am not convinced that this is a trend setting show. The show is good but not great. Everyone says that they need only one judge to give them the spread that they need to breakout of the pack. Name the judge that is going to do that. No one is willing to predict which one of the top four will drop a place or two. My money says none. This is going to be the best season ever for fans. So lets just enjoy all the corps.

If a corps performs an incomplete show the contest director should withhold their score and call it an un judged exhibition and the corps should forfeit their appearance fee for that show. It is disrespectful to the fans that paid on average over $ 20.00 per ticket to attend. Sorry Wes your explanation as to why the Blue Knights didn't have their show done is garbage. At the Legends show in Plainwell MI tonight the Legends have advertised for weeks that they would be performing only a standstill exhibition. People attend shows with the expectations that the corps will be ready.

Not worth your time. OC 990's read like a bad movie script and with no 990's for Colt Cadets, Santa Clara Cadets and Blue Devils B & C nothing would be relevant.

It is not about the fans but having money coming in on a regular schedule to a corps so they can pay the daily expenses of being on tour. The members and staff have to be feed whether it is a show day or not. The real fans are the people that attend shows and buy the tickets. Most of the people on DCP just watch via the Fan Network a few shows and complain about the process. Go out and support the corps.

The reduced panels where agreed to by a vote of the Executive Directors of the member corps. What people forget is that most shows are now sponsored by indiviudal corps with many in a partnership with a local band booster group or other local civic group. The majority of the Tour Events Partners have stoped running shows because of the risks involved with running a local show. DCI charges the show sponsor a fee that includes cost of judges, costs of corps and a show coordinator. So with a corps sponsred show DCI has an implied guarantee that they will get paid since they require the majority of the show expenses be paid in advance and DCI has leverage with the corps because have open accounts with the corps. If it where not for many DCI corps running multiple shows there would be no DCI Tour. So as much as many dislike the present arrangements it is better than having fewer opporunities for the corps to perform.

An event that last eight hours is not marketable to TV. I didn't log into the Fan Network until after 7:00PM EDT and while I did find the performances very entertaining after about three hours I just wanted it to end. DCI, BOA and WGI need to put on more compact events but this would destroy the live audience participation effect.

Everyone is assuming that the Glassmen will be able to restructure their debts and field a corps in 2014. I don't see it happening. Where will the money come from? A non touring drum corps has no revenue coming in. What fund raisers are available? People are now saying that there are two non profits requesting funds to support the Glassmen. As a fan which one should I donate to and how is the money going to be used? Will the equipment manufactuers (Brass and Percusion) let the Glassmen keep their instruments sit idle for a year? The Glassmen Board of Directors need to announce a restructuring plan soon otherwise everything falls apart.

The Blue Stars, Madison Scouts and Boston Crusaders are three corps that clearly show that you can operate without Bingo. One just has to match income with expenses which can be dificult at times. While these corps may be close to the fiscal cliff with few fixed assets they are offering tremendous value to their members, alumni,volunteers and fans.

In 2013 the fans will get to vote with their pocketbooks if they will support the G7 or not. The G7 has 100% of the expenses for the Music in Motion shows and they get to keep 100% of the revenues. None of the Music in Motion show dates interest me so I will not be buying any tickets. Why spend $50 to $75 for a ticket when you can watch the same corps on the Fan Network. Some people will say that you are hurting the members by not supporting the G7 corps but those same members joined a G7 corps fully aware of what is going on.

Take your own horn. At auditions there is little time to try different horns. Play the best you can.

As much as everyone dislikes the current touring model that is exactly what we are going to get in less than a month when DCI announces the 2013 schedule. Every Executive Director when their turn came stepped up to the table and selected what shows they wanted to be in and the amount of touring it would require. In the end it is going to be the market place that determines if DCI stays a viable activity. Right now with a couple of exceptions the majority of corps are sweating audition numbers. If each corp can't convince enough members to spend an outrageous sum of money to march then the corps will fold. Today it costs more to march a season with a world class corps than what I spent to attend two years of college in the late 60's. The corps have become the modern day snake oil salesmen. Come march with us and we will make you a better person, give you world class instruction, teach you skills that you can use throughout your career and create life long friendships. Today a person can get every thing that a corps has to offer by spending several hours a day on their IPhone , IPad or PC. There is an app for that. Marching in a corps has been an outstanding experience for many of us for decades. In just a few short years we will find out if others will continue to have the same experience.

It is incumbent of every parent that is paying thousands of dollars to have their son or daughter march in a corps to check out that corps in advance. How many Teal parents went to rehearsal camps or board meetings and met with the corps director, board members,staff, other parents and volunteers? One can gain a ton of information by just doing that. Letting members march without paying dues etec. For those Teal parents that did that I feel for you. For those that didn;t sending your son or daughter to Teal was not a good business decision.

Your criticism is rather harsh. Few Board of Directors/Corps Director would even think of sending out the letter in the first place. Everyone wanted an explanation and got one. Take from it what you want. The real question is why did Dan A, Hop, Arnold, Gibbs, Orwoll etc allow this to happen in the first place?

The old format was not fan friendly. Except for a few die hards no one attended the afternoon show. The excitement for the fan is just surviving the day. Minneapolis regional is a perfect example of why DCI has moved the majority regionals and finals inside. It was brutal for the fans. It ranked as one of the worst fan experiences in thirty years. Do you really want to spend $50 to be burned to extra crispy? Final insult was those of us who left before scores were announced couldn't log on to DCI.org because everyone that stayed home and watched on Fan Network caused the system to overload. I found the scores on a corps website and not on Drum Corps Planet or DCI. org

Everyone talks about a regional model. In 2012 three corps, Boston, Phantom Regiment and Spirit have raised their profiles because of the national touring model. End of topic.

Instead of all this negativity regarding DCI people should be talking about how DCI is going to have four great regionals over the next month leading into Indianapolis. Great shows with big crowds is what will help all corps.

There is no way any due will be reimbursed.