ContraFart
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Posts posted by ContraFart
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12 hours ago, Keith Hall said:
A LOT I could say but it would just do no good. Continue to rant BUT the end is nigh! My guess would be that some corps will go the way of blast. It won't be competitive any more because MONEY talks! The people who are making much dinero will find a way to make more and it won't be through the corps fees of members but by corporations who will sponsor them.
Now spew your hate for me!
I would never spew hate. People are allowed to be wrong 😛
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2 minutes ago, RiverCityAndTroopersFan said:
I feel like regionalization would save money. keep the 6 week tour, just make it more regional to save gas and housing site money.
Does a regional tour, say in the southeast actually save gas? The distance between Genesis and Crown is longer than Heat Wave to Boston
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6 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:
the 30k adds to other areas though, which are the true cost drivers. adding a vehicle just for props adds the cost of the vehicle and fuel. oh and people to drive it and maintain the props.....gotta pay em something right? oh and feed them. and insure all of it.
i'm not saying ban props. not at all. but if one looks at how finance actually works, a small line item one place on the balance sheet can truly add costs to other areas as well. and when selling those props, there's no guarantee you get that full $30k back.....and not enough to cover the other places they added up to costs on the balance sheet.
so i write a million dollar mortgage. ok, i get paid and nicely. but so does the processor, the underwriter the closer, the back end fulfillment people doing other tasks along the way. so while people love to blame mortgage originators as over paid ( and really they aren't....that gravy train went away a long time ago...) all of the other parts of the mortgage origination process has costs too.
My brother is a mortgage originator and I have worked as a processor in the past so I get your analogy
My point is that you do not go from a 5th place corps to inactive because you have props and an extra truck. In these situations there is always something bigger and no cost cutting is going to prevent these situations in the future.
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1 hour ago, TenHut said:
For all of you youngsters out there, there were 1500+ D&B corps in the 1970s. There were about 50 in Illinois alone.
We are now down to 37 drum corps. That, ladies and gentlemen is what leadership failure looks like. Thanks for nothing DCI...you have been asleep at the wheel for 40 years.
Or maybe the paradigm of extra curricular activities has changed and there are far more choices that are far cheaper to set up.
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Just now, Old Guy said:
The day when tuition is 15% of their revenus, we will be able to say « they are responsable » Until then, keep working and plan for 2044. 2024 is too short sight.
When in the history of the activity has tuition been 15% of the revenue? At least be realistic
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12 minutes ago, Old Guy said:
YES! They are not touring because if their props. Cut the props.
They are not touring because of their spring training. Cut a week.
They are not touring because of their staff. Cut 10%.
They choose not to tour in 2024 because they didn’t want to cut a bit here and there.
They are in a particular situation where they can’t rely on their past economy because of 2018 and subsequent event. but there are corps out there doing it for 1,5M. Or 1,3m. And 1M.
Whatever the reason of their decision, they could have pull it off.
To me, this is not a revenus problem. While you always work to grow your revenus, the success you get is the line you draw in the sand. Expenses can’t go further than that line.
I will bet you every penny I have and will ever earn that props, 10% of the staff and a week of spring training is not the reason why they are not touring this year. When you go from 5th place corps to not touring, the problems are larger and small cuts do not prevent circumstances like these from happening in the future
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12 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:
There is a disconnect between what is needed to score well, and what makes good fiscal sense. Perhaps the two should somehow be more aligned. But that would mean a change in the scoring sheets, which is another third-rail that cannot be touched.
Are they a 3rd rail because people think they in infallible, or are they a 3rd rail because all of the arguments have already been heard?
Where in the scoring sheets does it say you need props and electronics to score better?
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1 minute ago, keystone3ply said:
Off Topic Good News:
Taylor Swift spends the night at Travis Kelce's mansion & they have been seen holding hands in public!
(This tread has really gotten intense.)
On Topic Reference:
Taylor Swift might be interested in a large financial sponsorship of The Cadets or DCI? But, she might require that the Bari Sax be added to instrumentation & all corps add the number '13' to their drill.
Why not?
OMG SWIFITES ARE THE ANSWER!!!!! You are a genius
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1 minute ago, cixelsyd said:
And only the ones that thrive can vote... and only while they are thriving.
Can Spartans Vote? They seem to be doing pretty well along with a few other open class corps.
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Just now, cixelsyd said:
The DCI system was broken from inception.
That tells me everything I need to know about your intentions
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2 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:
No. Actually, I was not asking anything from you until you started categorically rejecting every single idea of mine. Then, I asked you for better suggestions.
That explains a lot.
It is the sum total that causes it. The "small stuff" is part of that. Pile on enough "small stuff", and it can be a big part of the whole.
I will ask this question again. Are Cadets not touring this year because of the 5% of the budget they could have saved, or because of bigger reasons?
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5 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:
And since we apparently need a reminder, "the product" is a competitive league of 39 corps. Or that is what it was last week... now, it is a competitive league of 37 corps. Soon to be 36, if rumor proves out.
I contend that "the product" has already been bastardized. It used to be "marching music's major league", a sampling from among hundreds of corps in local/regional/national circuits. Now, there are too few corps (by your admission) to even modify any portion of the season to be more region-centric. That was the real "thousand cuts".
All I am asking about is cost control. Can we have a dozen little cuts? Or maybe start with one?
I honestly believe that those asking for cuts believe that corps do not have agency to know what is going to put them under.
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7 minutes ago, Vuitton said:
They use them because they need to in order to score well - that's why they are necessary. If BD didn't have props this year they would not have won. Pure and simple. It's necessary to have props and electronis.
We're not acting as if corps don't know their own costs, we are recongizing how the powers-that-be at said corps are acting in a highly irresponsible capacity with regards to their costs. I mean if I have credit card debt, I would know it, and I would have it from being irresponsible.
If they were that irresponsible, there would not be corps that operate in the black, and not just the ones in the top 5.
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1 minute ago, Vuitton said:
Dude, you marched in 1999, you're a dino too.
I am a more of a Cro-Magnon, younger than the dinos.
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1 minute ago, NewToPosting said:
There are neighboring activities (winterguard, marching band) with circuits, so It's not like it's impossible. More groups would have to start up - smaller ones. How can that happen? Working with existing circuits (some drum corps already do this) and either integrating with them or not.
WGI works in the spring and a majority of groups can operate within a 3 or 4 hour car trip before going to Dayton.
You cant just magically create a few dozen drum corps out of thin air to make the regional model work.
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Just now, Vuitton said:
I don't think anyone is saying it's a single issue, because it's not. It's a multitude of issues and props and electronics are just two unnecessary expenses. Most of the time props are not even utilized well. I can think of few examples of where props were more than just backdrops.
If they were that unnecessary and added that much of a financial hardship, they wouldn't use them. People are acting as if the corps do not know their own costs.
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Just now, Vuitton said:
I like props. I like electronics. You're missing the point that it's just an added expense. I'm sure it's more than 2.6% as well when you add it fuel and transportation costs. Trucks aren't exactly fuel efficient.
Are the Cadets not touring this year because of their props and electronics? Or is the overall issue bigger?
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1 minute ago, HockeyDad said:
You don’t know that. You assert that. Not sure why I bother trying to engage, all you do is say no.
What is the distance between San Antonio and Ft Mill, SC? What is the distance between San Antonio and Atlanta (the closest geographic WC corps to Crossmen and Genesis.) What cities will these "regional shows" be in? Who will organize them? What will the payouts be? Will every corps have a home show? If so how many miles in travel will that save? Is there a housing and rehearsal infrastructure in each region? What happens to Open Class? Wouldn't the regional model actually increase the travel for groups like LA Stars and Heat Wave?
There are a ton of things I do not know, but you do not know them either. But just doing 5 seconds of critical thought shows the flaws in the idea. I am not just dismissing an idea out of hand. I am saying the flaws in that idea are too great to be feasible.
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1 minute ago, HockeyDad said:
Dinos!!!!!!!!!!
Yes it’s just too complex and nuanced. I could never understand. Here’s the thing - neither you, nor anyone else, knows if changes would solve the problem. Would you rather sit frozen in indecision because it’s complex?
Do you think every WC drum corps is frozen in indecision? There are organizations that struggle in this system and others that thrive. The system is challenging, but it is not broken.
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19 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:
My point is you bring nothing to the table but downing others comments. Beginning to appreciate my one boss who said “if you come to me with a complaint also bring something you might think will help”.
And wasn’t asking you to “solve” anything, just wanted to know if you had anything positive to contribute
Well if you read my other comments, I suggested prioritizing staff that can do longer stretches on tour to save on air fare and payroll. But I am also not complaining. I am saying that corps are smart enough to know what is going to break them and the suggestions I am hearing, while mostly with good intentions are half measures that really do not solve the problem and only devolves the activity.
But if you actually engage with my premise, you would know that my point is that no corps is going to fold because of props and an extra truck. The problems Cadets and SCV face are much larger. If the one truck was the difference, they wouldn't have brought it on tour.
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Just now, JimF-LowBari said:
You get asked a question and deflect by asking about Cadets and the usual “if a corps problem is $xxx in a million dollar budget they shouldn’t be touring” remark. Smdh
You are asking me to solve the finances of DCI and give solutions to things that DCI cannot legislate.
My entire argument is not about how to solve the issue, but its about why half measures are not the answer and when a corps folds its usually not the small stuff that causes it.
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4 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:
Yes, they have the opportunity to move to other Corps. Might be an opportunity to increase competitive parity as well.
Through everything Marching Members are the customer, forcing them out of the corps of their choice is not a good move.
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5 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:
So your suggestions are? Asking as what I’ve seen from you is downing what others have brought up?
If I had those answers, I would be DCI CEO.
Let me ask you guys a question.... Would Cadets be marching this year if they did not bring out props and an extra truck, or are their problems larger?
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36 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:
Number of marching members in DCI is same. They are spread out over all Corps. Many of Open class have same number of members as World class.
I am still not understanding. By limiting to 2 busses, you limit the membership of any corps to about 110-115. That is 50 fewer than the current number. Are you saying that the 50 people who cannot be in the corps they want will spread to other corps?
Cadets Suspend for 2024
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
What cohorts?
Look at the southeast. It's about 1250 miles between Crossmens location and Crowns location. What distance are you really saving?
Mountain West region, it's 1100 miles between Cascades and Troopers.
Bottom line even before we ask the question of who is going to host the shows, the corps are simply not concentrated enough to create any meaningful savings with a regional model.