Michael Boo

I live three miles from the Indiana Dunes State Park. If you make it, send me a note and I'll recommend places in the area. It's really beautiful at the lake, but the best visual spots aren't always known. Also, consider checking out the DCI Open Class Championships next door in Michigan City.

I'd be waiting to see what happens when the first one decides to go rogue.

Clarinet, every Monday with his 7-piece traditional New Orleans-style jazz ensemble at Cafe Carlyle in Manhattan.

The form after the "Free Bird" yell was the REO Speedwagon logo. Please keep this thread in mind come April 25.

That I don't know. I believe they held off on the DVDs as long as they possibly could have done so, if not even longer than they originally were willing to do so.

It wasn't a misprint, as at the time, DCI was hoping some of the required releases from license holders would come through...and some did..,in the nick of time. All recordings (whether purchased in advance or purchased now) are the same. One needs not be concerned about having a product less complete than what anyone else has.

It certainly would be nice, but a deadline has to be drawn somewhere and DCI has shown great restraint in waiting this long...at the risk of annoying those who didn't want to wait, but doing so in an attempt to give them the very best product possible.

Floor, door, window, ceiling. There; you've got the basics of conducting down, at least in 4/4. If you try to emulate a particular style, you'll set yourself up for failure. Corps staffs will teach you what you would need to know if they see promise in you. However, the fact that you've stated an interest in practicing some particular style in preparation to audition as a drum major may lead folks to believe you didn't take to heart the most important elements of some comments. Good luck convincing your fellow marchers in Music City that you already don't have one foot out the door more than three months before the season starts.

They look for someone who wants to be in their corps because that person loves and respects that corps. They do NOT look for someone who wants to be in their corps more because they want to be the conductor. That's a great responsibility bestowed with much trust. Someone who is a good corps conductor would be just as happy and honored to be out of the field in the brass, percussion, or guard, doing their best to contribute to the success of the corps in any way they can. If asked to be the conductor, they would accept the position with great humility, knowing they have been entrusted with something very valuable and recognizing that they are there to serve all the others on the field...not the other way around. If your experience in any corps would be diminished in any way by you not being the conductor, you shouldn't burden yourself with being in an organization that you wouldn't gladly serve as a musician or guard member. And I certainly wouldn't tell anyone in Music City that you're just putting in your time in hopes of marching somewhere else. (Seeing that you didn't make any comment that you would be honored to one day be Music City's drum major, I would expect your view would be somewhat demoralizing to other members.) Drum corps is so much more than being in a position of added responsibility. EVERY position within a drum corps is one of great responsibility, and every position can help make you into a better person...if you're there for the right reasons.

You'll notice in the store that the show is no longer listed as having a cut.

FaustianMachine was correct. It was Macrotus. (That's the only one I asked about.)

I'm speculating based on how things have been done in the past. Usually, the music goes silent and the visual is seen. The exception was when synch rights couldn't be secured for Madison Scouts' "Empire State of Mind," which I discussed above in Post #11. It was decided more people wanted to hear the music, so the visual went black.

Please refer to my response above to FaustianMachine.

Please refer to my response above to FaustianMachine.

Please know that there is NO updated CD. It turns out there was an error in the product description for the 2015 CD. If you've got the CD already, you've got what everyone else will be getting. That error has now been corrected on the DCI website.

Here is a rerun of something I wrote specifically for DCP a few years back. It explains the who synch rights issue. (This was not run on DCI.org.) The challenges of music licensing (And what really happened with “Empire State of Mind”) By Michael Boo Music licensing seems like an increasingly annoying problem for corps. Just this past season, Madison Scouts’ popular closer, “Empire State of Mind” had to be blacked out on the DCI DVDs because the corps couldn’t secure mechanical licensing rights. (More about what really happened later.) DCI corps aren’t the only entities running into music licensing difficulties. Last month, Burger King had to pull a commercial with singer Mary J. Blige over rights and earlier in the year, former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was sued by the owner of the “Rocky III” theme song, “Eye of the Tiger,” for using the work without permission at campaign rallies. A brief history of how we got to where we are The way music is produced has changed dramatically since digital media has taken over. Madison Scouts’ arranger Robert W. Smith states, “The record companies lost the keys to the kingdom as soon as the first CD was pressed. It wasn’t all that long ago that Napster and other file sharing services were under attack for causing record companies to lose a lot of money.” But now, according to Smith, the music companies are “almost giving away the music,” making their money through concerts and merchandising…even receiving a share of the beverages sold at concerts. Much more so than before, licensing is a cash cow for the holders of music copyrights. In DCI’s earlier years, corps didn’t have to worry about licensing and didn’t pay the statutory rate for mechanical licenses. Corps have gone from barely being a blip on these companies’ radars to becoming very much a part of their income stream. (Popular speculation that the move from G bugles to B-flat horns was responsible for increased licensing issues is an unfounded myth.) While corps must receive permission to arrange a piece of music, mechanical licenses are not required for live or audio broadcasts. However, they kick in once a performance is recorded for sale to the public. (Why is it called a “mechanical” license? The name originated from the use of mechanical machines that used to copy the recordings.) Additional problems arise with synchronization licenses, which are required when pre-recorded audio is fixed to a moving visual image…something that occurs in television shows and commercials…and DCI DVDs. Such a license is not required for live performances, which is why those who attended DCI’s “Big, Loud & Live 7” Quarterfinals broadcast were able to enjoy watching Scouts’ “Empire State of Mind” in its entirety. That is where things become more difficult for those requesting a synch license. A publisher has the right to say “no” for whatever reason. Which leads us to… What really happened with “Empire State of Mind” Until now, drum corps fans blamed a variety of sources as the problem for why Madison Scouts couldn’t obtain the synch rights to “Empire State of Mind,” which resulted in the blackout on the DVDs. Rap artist Jay-Z was often blamed for this, as he is the original recording artist. “In our case,” according to Smith, “State Farm Insurance knew well in advance that on 9/11/11, they were going to put out a nationwide television commercial using ‘Empire State of Mind’ as the central statement, with school kids singing the song at a New York City firehouse. It was in the best interest of the insurance company to obtain exclusivity and they paid a lot of money to get it. If someone else in the popular media had come out using the piece, it would have lessened the impact. “I tried assisting Scouts by using my channels in the publishing industry to get the synch rights, but I kept getting the same answer. When someone turns down a request for a synch license, they just say ‘no’ and that’s it. The reason for our problems became abundantly clear the moment I saw the commercial on September 11, 2011, understanding why utmost confidentiality had to be maintained. Generally, such exclusivity lasts a year and is so expensive because the publisher can’t make money from anyone else during that time.” Madison Scouts Executive Director Chris Komnick recounts, “By the time the publisher gave us the definitive ‘no,’ we were already into May. We made the decision that the music in the live show was more important than the DVD and so we decided not to change the last third of the show. We thought they were telling us ‘no’ because it was such a hot piece of property at the time. It typically isn’t that hard to get such licensing. “We are continuing to pursue the licensing of “Empire State of Mind” with the expectation that the synch rights will eventually be granted. We’re hoping that sometime in the future, we can make available a full recording of our ‘New York Morning’ show in conjunction with DCI.”

Synch rights, which only apply when audio is synched to video.

Waking up from punctuation is always traumatic. That said, drum corps is not teaching members that America stinks. Drum corps is comprised of the best youth America has to offer. Personally, as much as I loved the medley, I don't think playing a piece of music or listening to it is going to help anyone love their country more or less than they already do or don't love it. Referring to members in the 90s not seeing the performance of the medley as a "burden to honor America" is a slap to the face to current members, suggesting those today think it's a burden to honor America. There is nothing unpatriotic about doing something different with that time. We didn't have the medley for most of DCI's early decades and we were no less patriotic than those who came after us. You're more than welcomed to start a petition. That's how fans got the DCI BOD to eliminate amplification and electronics once the rules legalizing each were implemented, and that's why drum corps today is totally acoustic. (Or did I miss something while I was too busy blogging?)

I have, and I think you give hurricanes too much credit.

Well, anything I can do.

What part of "you will be assimilated" don't you understand? (Audio is played even in the elevators and bathrooms. Just go with the flow and no one gets hurt.)

I live to be useful.

Love 'ya, Garfield, but I think you're taking this harder than necessary. Poo occurs. It usually just takes a little checking to get to the bottom of something. DCI isn't in the business of withholding information, but sometimes information takes a left turn. Being that there were still lots and lots of great shows, and knowing from the notice that additional events are expected to be added, I hope no one was about to jump off the top of Pikes Peak because DATR wasn't listed. It was a glaring omission and had been covered for years, and as such, should have arose questions (and hope) that something was amiss. People, computers, and software sometimes overlook things, but the list is published months in advance so that corrections can be made when necessary. I'm willing to save the pitchforks and torches for the eventuality of more pressing matters that might not be so easy to remedy, like when the FBI eventually goes to Apple asking them to unlock my iPhone to learn what Dennis DeLucia, Brandt Crocker, and I are plotting. (Hint: Think mass hypnosis at Lucas Oil Stadium. You will be assimilated.) To that end, (and this is true), I have been informed that the two arrangements I wrote on commission from the Indiana Bandmasters Association in celebration of Indiana's Bicentennial this year will both be performed at the DCI World Championships by the INpact Band, comprised of band students from across the state. One is the official state song of Indiana, and the other the unofficial state song that most think is the official state song...one to be performed during the Saturday SoundSport event and the other during the pre-show at Finals. Let the assimilation begin!

You're welcome. For the fans of drum corps...anything.

But outrage is the new discourse. Haven't you been paying attention to the current state of American politics? :)