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garfield

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Everything posted by garfield

  1. Both of these things can easily be seen as the last actions of a dying dynasty trying to exclude others from the last morsels of sustenance. Rationally, are these the things that are done by a healthy, vibrant, and growing activity? "A Reserve Fund". I tell ya', I've gone back through every DCI 990 I have printed for decades and I can't tell you the last year DCI had a "reserve" fund. But I can illustrate very quickly how much the corps have pulled out for themselves!
  2. None of which at all will provide a single spark of anything other than more banter around the problem. There are lots of great ideas, TONS of great ideas, that are meaningless until they are put into practice with real commitment and money. I've got BOOKS of great ideas. Lots of people around the activity have lots of good ideas. The problem is that DCI has no money with which to turn a good one into reality even if they had one. Varsity might be a willing player with deep pockets to listen to great ideas and fund them, but they will do so only with the intention of making a long-term profit. It's up to the drum corps to show them that great ideas can be profitable to spur, and pay for, other great ideas. Finally, in my view.
  3. Drum corps has been profitable for each and every year that it has returned a payout to the corps from the tour it organizes and the fans it gets to come see its shows. Several million dollars each year is paid back to the drum corps (the size of those payouts is different each year and their impact is for another discussion). Nobody has suggested that DCI or any of the corps suddenly turn into for-profit enterprises. Nobody. So there's zero chance that you have to worry about it suddenly morphing into something profit-focused (and by your implication) necessarily then kid-negative and ruining your enjoyment, such that it is. But to suggest that DCI can't learn a bunch from a billion-dollar performance organization is complete folly.
  4. I can't disagree, it'll probably end up nothing beyond Varsity trying to start SS/DLB in school environs. Doesn't that take band director/music director approval? I'm sure they've thought that through. That said, people, businesses, and practices change with time and maturing markets. Maybe, in time and with some demonstration of what can be made substantial with SS/DlB, Varsity will show good practice and good faith. If there's any part of DCI that I think is worth risking for that gamble, it'd be SS and DLB.
  5. Short-term answer to a long-term problem. Think beyond and before Covid. Really, I hope this was you being witty.
  6. There’s no evidence that Varsity is interested in drum corps, so there’s no indication of what agreements would be required for the two to consummate anything beyond SS/DLB.
  7. Neither is what they have now, is it? You’re referring to beggars, not choosers. The DCI brand is valuable.
  8. Mods, question please: Is it appropriate to discuss commentary from the DrumcorpsAF podcast? Not cut and paste, just discuss the commentary of the presenter.
  9. Again, you need to dial back your vitriol. I'm not joking and I'm not your enemy nor your punching bag. I don't have to explain to you the format of this platform. I've read and re-read all of those articles, and I've scanned research sources on the company and its executives not-normally available to the non-paying public. (For instance, despite being private for much of its life, MANY hedge funds have or have had a finger in Varsity's success and each of them correctly crow about their due-diligence in investing in Varsity's ideas. They discuss items of importance without revealing insider information and are extremely helpful in understanding the company and its operations.) I'm willing to spend a few minutes seeing if this podcast comes off as serious discussion. I'll give the message a chance. I'm simply not going to out of hand disqualify this deep-pocketed fabulously successful business team simply because some here may have a vested podcast research interest or even a strong opinion. DCI has been FOR DECADES losing relevance and eating its own to now barely call itself a $50million activity. Many people both in and out of the activity have been gnashing teeth and speaking in hushed tones about the coming financial demise of the activity and its descent into irrelevance as other competitive performance activities are stealing its spotlight, all while refusing to see their business-nirvana doesn't come with unfettered freedom to continue the profligate spending ways of drum corps' "leading voices" without, somehow, maintaining enough relevance among fans to pay for it. The activity has always, from day one, been about maximizing the gate to spread the gospel, get kids actively paying for the experience, and draw in adoring (and paying) crowds. That goal demands as much business acumen as it does creative brilliance and, so far, I've seen only one of those demands being met. Drum corps, the activity, can learn a TON from the Varsity management team and the proposition that doing so somehow sells out the soul of drum corps is silliness. And, for so long as they are willing to allow, DCI should ride their coat-tails into scholastic venues with SS/DLB and without sacrificing itself, its mission, or its goals. It's not an either/or business proposition and anyone who's serious about the discussion will see that enough to allow this discussion to evolve like that relationship could if given the chance.
  10. It's a difference. Sure. Is it a disqualifier? No. Lots of differences: Varsity is clearly "For-Profit", for example.
  11. Please, stop attacking personally. If it continues, I will simply report the post. Your opinion does not trump all others. I've seen this movie. Seriously, THIS is what you accuse me of for having a different opinion? The term is trendy and popular among some projectionists but is mostly misused, as your usage examples. ""Gaslighting" is used to describe abusive behavior, specifically when an abuser manipulates information in such a way as to make a victim question his or her sanity. Gaslighting intentionally makes someone doubt their memories or perception of reality." Who's commentary above fits that definition and who's does not? I don't presume your mind is that weak and you shouldn't presume that I'm so nefarious. I know you know better.
  12. They'd buy the brand, and they'd pay some multiple of the present value of X years' of expected income, then work like crazy to increase the income for the differential. Sure, the corps would have to agree. But put, say, half-to-a-million $ in the pocket of each drum corps and see how quickly they come to a decision to sell the brand for someone else to control and grow. Eh, but what do I know. I'm Schultz.
  13. Every year DCI tells the corps that they will score better if they buy A&E, march 150 and not 140, sign bus and tractor leases, and compete on a national tour. In terms of expectations, I'm not seeing much of a difference. Your mileage obviously varies, and probably because the revenue in one goes to a single tour manager and into the hands of corporate sponsors in the other.
  14. This might help round out the impressions of the evil genius at the top of Varsity. IBD, Bloomberg, and the WSJ write very favorably of the leadership, and the financial success they enjoy is clear proof that his model works better, financially, than drum corps’. I’ll put that up against a single opinion-writer masquerading as a business writer. The more I read, the more I’m beginning to believe Varsity to be the kind of interest that drum corps should be clamoring for out of survival! ”Yes! Come in and take Soundsport and DLB to where it needs to be,” — that one elusive place it never found a home - schools. Welcome, Varsity! https://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/varsity-brands-jeff-webb-rebranded-cheerleading-with-focus-on-athleticism-entertainment/
  15. And drum corps score better when they adhere to the competitive rules they themselves create. I’m not seeing much difference. They both need kids and fans to pay up.
  16. So Varsity goes from elementary to college. sounds like a match made in heaven for DCI. I’d say the real challenge is in getting Varsity to care enough!
  17. Drum corps doesn't bill itself as the "varsity" team. It's the "Major League". Is that a branding hiccup or a serious disconnect in the missions of the two. Who knows: Is Varsity in college programs as well? Because of the average age of SS/DLB kids compared to the DCI "Major League", it's easier to see why SS/DLB would attract Varsity and drum corps would not. But heck, what do I know?
  18. What if they dictate what you wear because they sponsored The Top Corps with sweet (read: free) deals?
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