would spike tv or g4 be a good fit

[CozyChopsCom]

Great ideas. Does take $$. The donation angle to autism or some deserving charity might help.

I like PBS, VH1, Spike, G4, in that order. It would be great to have dc back on PBS. ESPN2 would be fantastic.

[contraphanatic]

I know some of the basic stuff regarding Public Relations, is it feasible to do a petition signing online? I would think this might eat up alot of space from the DCP server.

Then again this is the decade of technology, fax petitions to and from one "all-age" corps to another to get the petition signed and then deliver it to Drum Corps Associates headquarters. The rest would be taken care of by the general membership to act on this quickly and without hesitation.

[contraphanatic]

I'm wondering if some people can talk the talk and walk the walk. I would like to challenge all "all-age" corps to sign a petition by November 1st amongst all dca corps, mail them to DCA that "we" as drum corps performers and fans to get PBS online with televising finals next year.

I am going to take the first step and write up a petition to have all members in Minnesota sign and get the ball rolling at Oktoberfest in LaCrosse, Wisconsin for all members the last weekend of September. To get DCA's attention if they already haven't got it by now.

Any other takers?

Sincerely

Bruce Jaskulke

DCPer and fan of the art of Drum Corps

[spcbrass]

I personally think that we have to really look beyond television if we really want to get our product noticed. Sure it would be great to get drum corps on more tv stations or even get drum corps on to a major network station, but this kind of thing costs money and takes a lot of time (and a lot more paperwork and legal hoops to jump through) then it is worth.

Right now you are online reading this and wondering what other avenue there is to market drum corps out to the masses. I am here to tell you that you are looking at it. The internet and video on demand are the future of how people will be getting their programming. Instead of trying to rely on traditional methods of reaching a mass audience, why not be more cutting edge and get in on the beginning of this "internet tv" wave? It takes far less time and far less money to make this all possible and lets face it the dvd and cd companies aren't going to lose their money because the market for drum corps truly is a niche market and people like you and me are still going to buy our dvd's and cd's at the end of the year.

Even if people see drum corps on tv they have the opportunity to turn it off or to watch something else. People who really want to watch drum corps are restricted to some networks tv schedule and might miss the broadcast entirely. Bring the video to the internet and you solve this problem. You could even have an RSS feed in iTunes and charge per view or for the complete download itself. The companies that produce the cd's and dvd's don't lose money and we can watch the shows that we want to see when we want to see them. Don't think for a minute that this is something that is difficult to do. All it takes is a little bit of time and the proper resources. I myself have a show available on iTunes and guess what? I pay $0 to put anything online.

This is really cutting edge stuff here and it's something that we should really take advantage of. Bring drum corps to it's market instead of waiting for the market to find drum corps. The popularity will spread faster that way then showing drum corps on PBS, Spike TV, ESPN, or any other major network. Remember what I said, people can always change the television station. This is a solution that offers the drum corps fan can embrace and enjoy.

Another thing I would propose is the free sharing of information and video. Make the video available to be embedded and downloaded into other websites. Make it a lower quality of course so that way people will want to buy the high quality version. Believe me, the internet is the real future of television. I have been working with it for six months now and the possibilities are limitless. Think outside the box with em on this one and see the possibilities.

[kosovobill]

I personally think that we have to really look beyond television if we really want to get our product noticed. Sure it would be great to get drum corps on more tv stations or even get drum corps on to a major network station, but this kind of thing costs money and takes a lot of time (and a lot more paperwork and legal hoops to jump through) then it is worth.

Right now you are online reading this and wondering what other avenue there is to market drum corps out to the masses. I am here to tell you that you are looking at it. The internet and video on demand are the future of how people will be getting their programming. Instead of trying to rely on traditional methods of reaching a mass audience, why not be more cutting edge and get in on the beginning of this "internet tv" wave? It takes far less time and far less money to make this all possible and lets face it the dvd and cd companies aren't going to lose their money because the market for drum corps truly is a niche market and people like you and me are still going to buy our dvd's and cd's at the end of the year.

Even if people see drum corps on tv they have the opportunity to turn it off or to watch something else. People who really want to watch drum corps are restricted to some networks tv schedule and might miss the broadcast entirely. Bring the video to the internet and you solve this problem. You could even have an RSS feed in iTunes and charge per view or for the complete download itself. The companies that produce the cd's and dvd's don't lose money and we can watch the shows that we want to see when we want to see them. Don't think for a minute that this is something that is difficult to do. All it takes is a little bit of time and the proper resources. I myself have a show available on iTunes and guess what? I pay $0 to put anything online.

This is really cutting edge stuff here and it's something that we should really take advantage of. Bring drum corps to it's market instead of waiting for the market to find drum corps. The popularity will spread faster that way then showing drum corps on PBS, Spike TV, ESPN, or any other major network. Remember what I said, people can always change the television station. This is a solution that offers the drum corps fan can embrace and enjoy.

Another thing I would propose is the free sharing of information and video. Make the video available to be embedded and downloaded into other websites. Make it a lower quality of course so that way people will want to buy the high quality version. Believe me, the internet is the real future of television. I have been working with it for six months now and the possibilities are limitless. Think outside the box with em on this one and see the possibilities.

I think Shawn is onto something here...Ive noticed there are a number of "internet only" TV dramas that are actually starting to make money. Certainly the idea of getting rid of an expensive "middle man" aka the networks is something worth looking into for our activity.

Bill

[Dave]

Several posts in this thread and those related to them have been removed in accordance with the following guideline:

Postings should neither reference nor link to illegal activity or contain graphic or overtly-sexual material. Keep in mind that community members are as young as 13 years of age.

Any questions or concerns may be directed to me in a PM.

[skewerz]

another cable channel idea would be on the discover channel, or one of there offshoots...(learning channel, etc.)

after all, we want DCA to be discovered by a broader audience...

[Diceman]

...

Right now you are online reading this and wondering what other avenue there is to market drum corps out to the masses. I am here to tell you that you are looking at it. The internet and video on demand are the future of how people will be getting their programming. Instead of trying to rely on traditional methods of reaching a mass audience, why not be more cutting edge and get in on the beginning of this "internet tv" wave? It takes far less time and far less money to make this all possible and lets face it the dvd and cd companies aren't going to lose their money because the market for drum corps truly is a niche market and people like you and me are still going to buy our dvd's and cd's at the end of the year.

Even if people see drum corps on tv they have the opportunity to turn it off or to watch something else. People who really want to watch drum corps are restricted to some networks tv schedule and might miss the broadcast entirely. Bring the video to the internet and you solve this problem. You could even have an RSS feed in iTunes and charge per view or for the complete download itself. The companies that produce the cd's and dvd's don't lose money and we can watch the shows that we want to see when we want to see them. Don't think for a minute that this is something that is difficult to do. All it takes is a little bit of time and the proper resources. I myself have a show available on iTunes and guess what? I pay $0 to put anything online.

'''

Good idea!

Baker Video et al would be in a perfect position do this.

It should certainly help their bottom line as well as "spread the word" at little cost...

[I.R. Baritone]

I think this idea has some merit, but I think it should be pursued in addition to a television deal. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think TV is completely dead. My kids still watch A LOT of TV and I don't think they're alone in this. For the time being, I believe IPTV(the widely accepted name for internet TV) will coexsist with traditional TV for some time to come. Just look at how traditional TV networks like NBC are using the internet to help distribute content. My kids will grow up and watch TV the same way I did and it will continue to survive in some form. Traditional TV should still be considered a viable avenue for us to get the word out about DCA.

As to the network choices, I don't think either of the choices given in the original topic would be viable. Spike tv is for guys who like big guns, bigger explosions, and huge breasteses. These people aren't thinkers and our activity requires more thought and introspection. It would be too artsy for these people and they'd change the channel as soon as it came on. As for G4, they cater to the instant gradtification gamer crowd. If the big payoff isn't there in 2 seconds or less, they're off to the next thing. Our activity requires a bit more patience than that(and flame me all you want about this, I know these people. I hang out with them. My son is even one of them). If anything, the best network to go with would be PBS, or better still, A&E. The more artistic in these audiences would understand what we're trying to accomplish and have the patience to stick with it. The ratings would be much better and the posibility of gaining more veiwers increases.

In summary, the idea of using the internet to distribute DCA content is still a very valid option that demands exploring, but shouldn't we use ALL the options available to us to spread the gospel of DCA? :D

[spcbrass]

I think this idea has some merit, but I think it should be pursued in addition to a television deal. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think TV is completely dead. My kids still watch A LOT of TV and I don't think they're alone in this. For the time being, I believe IPTV(the widely accepted name for internet TV) will coexsist with traditional TV for some time to come. Just look at how traditional TV networks like NBC are using the internet to help distribute content. My kids will grow up and watch TV the same way I did and it will continue to survive in some form. Traditional TV should still be considered a viable avenue for us to get the word out about DCA.

As to the network choices, I don't think either of the choices given in the original topic would be viable. Spike tv is for guys who like big guns, bigger explosions, and huge breasteses. These people aren't thinkers and our activity requires more thought and introspection. It would be too artsy for these people and they'd change the channel as soon as it came on. As for G4, they cater to the instant gradtification gamer crowd. If the big payoff isn't there in 2 seconds or less, they're off to the next thing. Our activity requires a bit more patience than that(and flame me all you want about this, I know these people. I hang out with them. My son is even one of them). If anything, the best network to go with would be PBS, or better still, A&E. The more artistic in these audiences would understand what we're trying to accomplish and have the patience to stick with it. The ratings would be much better and the posibility of gaining more veiwers increases.

In summary, the idea of using the internet to distribute DCA content is still a very valid option that demands exploring, but shouldn't we use ALL the options available to us to spread the gospel of DCA? :D

Another interesting item of note is that some online video aggregators also send certain videos to cable set top boxes. Some of my work goes there now which means that DCA finals could easily end up there as well. Sure it's not going to the set top boxes of the big boys like Comcast or Adelphi, but eventually even those big boys will catch on and pick up "programming" of this nature. All it takes is the right promotion and right search engine optimization and we could get a much larger audience.