Blueemrld8 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Sorry if this has been discussed before, I did try a few searches before I posted. I want to know what everyone thinks. I am HOPING that it helps with increasing fan base and financial stability. What are your views? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsb2007 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Sorry if this has been discussed before, I did try a few searches before I posted. I want to know what everyone thinks. I am HOPING that it helps with increasing fan base and financial stability. What are your views? Yeah, there are already several threads on this. click to page 2 or 3 and you will see several. But yes, I'm with you. I hope it helps with all those things you just mentioned...and I believe it will! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Hopefully corps like Spirit of New JersEy get more fans with the combined ticket package. I think eliminating the artificial barrier to becoming "full" is the biggest benefit. Now there's no incentive to be 85 members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsb2007 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Hopefully corps like Spirit of New JersEy get more fans with the combined ticket package. I think eliminating the artificial barrier to becoming "full" is the biggest benefit. Now there's no incentive to be 85 members. Mmm...now THAT I'm not sure about. I think there will actually be more pressure to become "full" just to keep up with the top corps...and I kind of think that will be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i heard from someone Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 it's all about marketing...it's hard to market yourself as "Marching Music's Major League" when some corps are not pushing to better themselves...now this is across the board, not a shot at any group. However what this is doing is combining the "minor league" if you will, into one group and they are hoping to weed out the ones that skirt by and never make any attempts at improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YR-Rudi Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 it's all about marketing...it's hard to market yourself as "Marching Music's Major League" when some corps are not pushing to better themselves...now this is across the board, not a shot at any group.However what this is doing is combining the "minor league" if you will, into one group and they are hoping to weed out the ones that skirt by and never make any attempts at improvement. Just what we need to help the activity... Weed out some corps... <**> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsb2007 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 (edited) Just what we need to help the activity... Weed out some corps... <**> Actually, he's right. DCI is supposed to be about the elite. It can't be that if there are corps that are no more than an average high school or even in some cases Jr. High school band. That doesn't mean those corps can't exist. I think what it's time for is for some local community circuits to start up for small "little league" (so to speak) type of drum corps to compete on a fair (for them) playing field separate from DCI and let DCI be for the very best. Then, if some of those corps build their corps AND their business to an appropriate level, they can be approved for DCI. Edited October 17, 2007 by dsb2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldBones Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Actually, he's right. DCI is supposed to be about the elite. It can't be that if there are corps that are no more than an average high school or even in some cases Jr. High school band. That doesn't mean those corps can't exist. I think what it's time for is for some local community circuits to start up for small "little league" (so to speak) type of drum corps to compete on a fair (for them) playing field separate from DCI and let DCI be for the very best. Then, if some of those corps build their corps AND their business to an appropriate level, they can be approved for DCI. Maybe that is one of the things that is wrong with DCI. Yes it is suppose to be about being the elite of the Marching Music programs. But in doing so, it created an elitist activity. Drum corps use to be for all. Now, if you have the thousands of dollars needed to participate you can belong. With tour fee, per camp fee, some corps have instrumental and uniform rentals, spending money for tour, it all adds up to a substancial sum. Not everyone can afford it. Some Open Class corps tour as much as the World Class corps. That raises the cost of tour fee even more. There use to be a lot of local circuits throughout the country. One of them was the Garden State Circuit which served many corps from New Jersey, Pa, New England, Va. They even had a division for real small corps that did standstill. New England had their own circuit that did a great job for more corps than what exsists now in all of DCI. The Midwest also had several large circuits as well. All were tremendous and helped corps of all sizes and helped grow the activity. Those who are not at the top are in a "Catch 22" situation. They are trying to improve. Some are. In the last several years, corps like Citation, 7th Regiment, Spirit of New Jersey (though not this year), and Racine Scouts have improved. Some band directors and some kids want nothing to do with these corps because they aren't as successful therefore the kids will not improve. (I've actually had this type of conversation with a couple of band directors) I know that kids who come from these corps improve their skills by the time the season is over. I am positive no corps out there wants to take away the "DCI experience" from their kids because the kids they serve either can not afford or are not ready for the elite corps. Not everyone has the money to join say Surf or Raiders, not to mention the upper echelon of World Class. Do you also think that the lower end of World Class also give up on competing in DCI? I think not. All the non elite corps around the country provides a place for those who cannot march in the elite corps to participate and tour. And since DCI is the only game in town . . . . . . Will DCI create such circuits again? I truly doubt it. At best, they may help if some people take up the challenge. Can you do it? and if you could, would you? Running a drum corps is daunting enough. Imagine running a circuit for several corps. And a curcuit that is run by the participating corps wouldn't work. (EGOS get in the way - Just look at GSC and DCI East for that matter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueemrld8 Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 Maybe that is one of the things that is wrong with DCI. Yes it is suppose to be about being the elite of the Marching Music programs. But in doing so, it created an elitist activity. Drum corps use to be for all. Now, if you have the thousands of dollars needed to participate you can belong. With tour fee, per camp fee, some corps have instrumental and uniform rentals, spending money for tour, it all adds up to a substancial sum. Not everyone can afford it. Some Open Class corps tour as much as the World Class corps. That raises the cost of tour fee even more.There use to be a lot of local circuits throughout the country. One of them was the Garden State Circuit which served many corps from New Jersey, Pa, New England, Va. They even had a division for real small corps that did standstill. New England had their own circuit that did a great job for more corps than what exsists now in all of DCI. The Midwest also had several large circuits as well. All were tremendous and helped corps of all sizes and helped grow the activity. Those who are not at the top are in a "Catch 22" situation. They are trying to improve. Some are. In the last several years, corps like Citation, 7th Regiment, Spirit of New Jersey (though not this year), and Racine Scouts have improved. Some band directors and some kids want nothing to do with these corps because they aren't as successful therefore the kids will not improve. (I've actually had this type of conversation with a couple of band directors) I know that kids who come from these corps improve their skills by the time the season is over. I am positive no corps out there wants to take away the "DCI experience" from their kids because the kids they serve either can not afford or are not ready for the elite corps. Not everyone has the money to join say Surf or Raiders, not to mention the upper echelon of World Class. Do you also think that the lower end of World Class also give up on competing in DCI? I think not. All the non elite corps around the country provides a place for those who cannot march in the elite corps to participate and tour. And since DCI is the only game in town . . . . . . Will DCI create such circuits again? I truly doubt it. At best, they may help if some people take up the challenge. Can you do it? and if you could, would you? Running a drum corps is daunting enough. Imagine running a circuit for several corps. And a curcuit that is run by the participating corps wouldn't work. (EGOS get in the way - Just look at GSC and DCI East for that matter) Pardon the questions but i'm learning here.... Why did the regional decline? Would this be a problem again if they were reinstated? What would it take to reinstate them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Pardon the questions but i'm learning here.... Why did the regional decline? Would this be a problem again if they were reinstated? What would it take to reinstate them? Please someone be quick to correct me if I am wrong about this -- I tend to have muddled memory on these things sometimes :) but, IIRC .... I believe that part of the demise of the regional circuits -- let's take DCM as an example -- was that DCI would no longer allow (or at the very least actively discouraged) member corps from participating to the extent they had in the past. So DCM slowly withered without top notch competition and there weren't enough new corps starting up at that time to compensate. I AM NOT CRITICIZING DCI FOR THIS as at that time DCI was also struggling to grow and maintain/solidify their control over their OWN environment, so they did what they felt they mut to survive/thrive. But a consequence of this time was that DCM and the other regional circuits could no longer draw the types of corps and crowds that they needed to survive and a lot of these smaller corps went away and weren't replaced. So what can be done now? DCI is much healthier and is solidly entrenched as the leader in drum corps activity. Would they be willing to allow (unaffiliated) regional circuits to showcase DCI corps? Would other local corps start-up if the promise of a healthy regional with national DCI corps competing would help the draw? How long would it take to coordinate all this concurrent growth that must take place in order to make a regional circuit viable? Who has the $$ and energy to float a circuit for a few years until that growth materializes and makes the circuit self-sufficient again? Sorry that I have more questions than answers ... and, please, someone correct me (gently :) ) if my memory of history is less than completely accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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