Lead

Yes, but the problem with Texas and Indiana (#2 and #1 marching band states nationally) are that corps tend to struggle there. They are hotbeds of talent because their marching bands are so #### good... and therefore a lot of kids don't - and sometimes aren't allowed - to march DCI corps and have their directors' blessings to come back to the fall show.

For a long time it was supposed to be Glassmen... :(

Keep in mind this was a policy submitted and voted by the BOD (emphasis on the D... for Directors). Was not a DCI change, they just implement it. My guess is it cause tremendous headache in a lot of ways for a lot of people and I wouldnt bet against it being reverted for next season...

Crowd is insane. The side 1 end zone is mostly full. Side 2 is spreading.

Spartacus though...

And let's say you used that same scenario as golf - a 10-point relationship to the leader... 2015 - would have had 9 Finalists 2014 - 8 Finalists 2013 - 9 Finalists 2012 - 8 Finalists 2011 - 9 Finalists 2010 - 10 Finalists 2009 - 9 Finalists 2008 - 9 Finalists 2007 - 9 Finalists Etc. You can see where that's going. Just wanted to look up and see what that relationship would be like.

Crown member unis look very Avon-HS-ish.

Yeah... who uses Mapex drums anyways...

So, Dave Gibbs, George Hopkins, Kevin Smith, et al are lousy leaders and managers. Ooookkkkkkkk....

VERY pleasantly surprised with the look of the full corps LIVE in the 500 Parade! Awesome!

With regard to your point of "most of the total cost... comes from high travel expenses," I sincerely beg to differ. Some of the cost is as such, but as I mentioned earlier, my band's copyright/licensing fees swelled from 2% of the marching band budget to 10% since Tresona gained its prominence. Secondly, as you correctly point out, YES, no one is forcing those kids to participate in highly competitive bands... unless you look at it from a different perspective, which is that kids want to be in marching band, and schools (typically) only have one marching band, and there is not an option for multiple levels of participation (obviously and for obvious reasons). So, if kids want to be in marching band, they are forced to participate at whatever level their school participates. I hope you're not advocating for kids to quit their band programs. There's not many solutions other than finding ways to cut costs, and when a copyright 'provider' comes in, corners the market, and oversees a 300% price increase, it's clear why this thread has come to such prominence. Hint: prices for everything are higher. Kids on the cheerleading squad at my school pay nearly $2000 per school year. Finally, the 'story' of some guy in the midwest making 200k just writing a season's worth of marching band and indoor shows... that's 100% certainly true. I know some of them, and they're not shy about it.

But guess who is paying $300... $500... $800... $1200... to march in their high school marching bands, winterguards, indoor lines, etc for a single season... And quadruple that to march in a drum corps. The kids, the Band Directors, etc... not profiting from this, in fact, basically are getting screwed by higher and higher rising costs of "doing band." Those Booster groups are all fundraising for their organizations to cut those costs as much as possible.

Ownership of an original composition, arrangement, or transcription as published also constitutes any future rights to perform, just FYI. However, it does NOT constitute rights to record, make a video, sell the video to mummies and daddies, post it on YouTube, and give a copy to the Seniors. :D

But the publishers won't even talk to you anymore. They have hired/retained/(whatever) Tresona to handle this business for them. When you call and ask for a licensing person, they refer you to Tresona. If you click on the Licensing/Copyright bars on their webpages, they refer you to Tresona.

I'm a Band Director in Indiana. Our Copyright Licensing 'yearly average' for securing rights to our shows averaged $400-$600 pre-Tresona, and $1500-$2200 now that Tresona has come into their extortative ways existence. I ALWAYS played by the book copyright-wise. They have, however, cornered the effective market, and either they themselves have decided to double or triple what the individual music publishers were charging, or they convinced the publishers to do so (my guess is it is some of both). As an example, Hal Leonard's 'standard' fee to use a piece of HL-owned music was $300. Now it has ballooned to $590. Some publishers used to charge $100-$150 to arrange their music for marching band. That has ballooned to $400-$590, depending on the publisher. This company, and the (shady) practices behind it are obscene, and are 100% hurting the smaller bands like mine (my band competes pretty decently within the ISSMA fall circuit). It is out of control.

Which is why you've seen SUCH FEWER 'Tour Videos' and individual corps CDs/DVDs (think "Through the Years") on sale from souvie trucks.

Because if this happened, we wouldn't get the performances PERIOD. The 'Permission to Arrange' license (which is also permission to perform) is a totally different license than the 'Synchronization License' - which grants the right to synchronize an audio recording with a video recording, and is the crux of the issue. Long story short, the corps do not need a Sync License to perform their show... but DCI DOES need a Sync License to produce a DVD... which is why it is DCI's issue to secure the Sync Licenses and not the individual corps. If music is 'original,' then generally only a quick letter is required from the composer/arranger granting permission. Unfortunately, as was stated earlier, once most compositions are written - from current or recent concert band lit to 'popular' music, it is almost immediately turned over to a licensing house who, especially as of recent years, are making a KILLING on licensing. And now they have all united in one company (tresonamusic.com) to make sure that their fees are all handled by one overarching licensing proprietor, who goes to the extent of making SURE that they are unifying licensing fees as much as possible and marking them up to previously unheard-of levels in the process. **above post made by myself, a high school band director who also deals with the same issues each fall.

This is a lunatic statement. Why would the directors create a deliberate affront to fans? You answer, I'm grabbing my popcorn.

It's not so much this, because Phantom and Blue Knights have both sounded fantastic... but imagine if they don't have to spend so much time and energy fighting the horns?

The King Brass will make a huge difference in their sound. Jupiter's sound is so dead it's not funny. I think the high brass has a little more character, but the low brass (especially the contras) play with the resonance of an old Rubbermaid tub. By contast, the King Ultimate Brass Mellophones are my absolute favorite mellos...

It's not just that. The acoustical/backdrop curtains can't be used with the roof open. Setting the stadium up with those curtains is a many-person, many-hour project.

Blue Devils - 1998 (West Side Story) Bluecoats - 2008 Carolina Crown - 2011 Phantom Regiment - 2008 or 2003 Cavaliers - 1995 :) Santa Clara Vanguard - 1999 Cadets - 2003

Would they stay true to the original and do it in 4'33"? If not, they would have to have it arranged and then copyright would be involved. I'd hate for their volume to be muted on the DVDs.

More like it is so ridiculous that it is ridiculous. 35,000 in Montreal, eyewitnesses and DCI reports estimate that 28,000-30,000 were in for Finals this year. This is fabulous, and shows that attendance is surely rising back up. /closethread

So would State Board of Accounts, and I'm sure Lucas Oil Stadium keeps exact track of that as well for many purposes of their own. The books aren't cooked, kids. Two observations: 1 - From field level, I would put the eyeball test of total attendance at about 28,000 on Finals night. 22k+ paid, and then the endzones. It was quite the sight. 2 - The thing that is DCP never ceases to amaze me... "Hey, do we know anything about this?" "Nah." "So should we just trust what was reported, or speculate and stir the pot?" "Trust the source? Nah, this is DCP. Let's come up with the most BS we can to #### each other off!"