GMichael1230 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 me: facts facts facts facts factsyou: uh... based on my anecdotal experience, DCI is lying. nice. You: Pro amps, pro electronics, all for change and an antagonist of those that disagree with you Me: Old fogie, dinosaur, against woodwinds, voice, and electronics. you do the math.... ~G~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I disagree. I think drum corps is as strong as ever. The reason we don't have 50+ corps in world class is because the price of a tour is more expensive. The quality of programs is still the same as those in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Just because we have less corps does not necessarily mean drum corps is dying. I guess only time will tell (I'm sure more corps will fold while others get created), but I honestly think we can look forward to quality shows for years to come. If you were a new CEO taking over a company with over 100 branch offices, and retired when your company had shrunk to 20 branches, would you consider your tenure a success or failure? Actually, no need to think about it because your ### would have been fired long ago. In the wally world of DCI, though, this track record is hailed as success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicpal24 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Ignoring and alienating an entire fan base doesnt seem the smartest way to try and save or expand an activity. The alumni, the purists, fogies, whatever you want to call them/us are the ones that have been the most loyal, that didnt abandon the activity after age-out, that spend the money on tickets, merchandise...etc.....Adding woodwinds to make the activity just like band only saturates the marching arts, if I was 17 and just spent my school year in band and going to band competitions, I will surely find something else to do with my summer, considering there are many more choices out there now...supposed I wanted something different, more challenging in the marching arts arena for the summer, umm...where is it ?? It was killed and turned into the smae thing I mastered in school. Hardly sounds like a great marketing scheme to me. ~G~ Are they alienating an entire fan base? I tend to believe that audiences evolve with art forms. It is more likely that DCI is/would be alienating it's oldest fans. When you talk about alumni, purists, fogies, etc...think of the alumni who began marching when Bb was the norm. Soon these people will be the fogies, and they will expect different things than we did when we marched. As long as DCI continues on the path of implementing change over time, they will survive. As for you comments about saturation and interest. That is not for one person to decide. I for one enjoy competing at the highest level possible regardless of saturation. High School Bands will never achieve at the level of DCI... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumcorpsfan471 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 If you were a new CEO taking over a company with over 100 branch offices, and retired when your company had shrunk to 20 branches, would you consider your tenure a success or failure? Actually, no need to think about it because your ### would have been fired long ago. In the wally world of DCI, though, this track record is hailed as success. This is hard to compare to business. I see your point for sure (more corps=more successful activity) and I can appreciate what you are saying. All I am saying is that as long as corps are producing quality shows, and there is enough to still cause a great competition (I think we can all agree '07 was one of the most exciting competitive seasons in history), drum corps is still very much alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 This is hard to compare to business. I see your point for sure (more corps=more successful activity) and I can appreciate what you are saying. All I am saying is that as long as corps are producing quality shows, and there is enough to still cause a great competition (I think we can all agree '07 was one of the most exciting competitive seasons in history), drum corps is still very much alive. DCI and each of its constituent corps depend on revenue flow. They are very much a business and need to be run as such. You can have great quality, but if you're shrinking, you're dying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumcorpsfan471 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 DCI and each of its constituent corps depend on revenue flow. They are very much a business and need to be run as such. You can have great quality, but if you're shrinking, you're dying. Would you agree then that most of the contribution of the declining corps is not the progression of the activity, but because it just costs more money to tour in general (isn't it something like $1,000,000 per year?)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 (edited) Would you agree then that most of the contribution of the declining corps is not the progression of the activity, but because it just costs more money to tour in general (isn't it something like $1,000,000 per year?)? Absolutely, which is a result of the DCI touring model. You create a model like that, you are setting up 80% of your corps to fail. In short - a flawed business model. It's the very reason I advocate a DCA junior, weekend only division. Edited January 29, 2008 by kusankusho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumcorpsfan471 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Absolutely, which is a result of the DCI touring model. You create a model like that, you are setting up 80% of your corps to fail. In short - a flawed business model. It's the very reason I advocate a DCA junior, weekend only division. I agree with you. The only thing though, is as of this summer, DCI is trying to fix this problem. The tour has been shortened by 2 weeks (starts 2 weeks later in June). Hopefully this change will help strengthen the corps we have, and offer a chance for more corps to break out. Along with the topic though, woodwinds would not be the answer. The answer is figuring out a better tour to allow more people the opportunity to get to the seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 (edited) There will always be a difference between Marching Band and Drum Corps no matter what instruments are played on the field. Drum Corps Winter Spring Summer Travel Number of Shows 15,000 miles 80 days Auditions Cost to join Operational costs Non-profit Military Marching style Choice Talented youth from around the world can join any corps Age-range Teaching Style Attitude Dedication Discipline 13 hour practice days Blisters Injuries De-hydration Sun Burn Working toward PERFECTION Eating off food truck 4-5 times a day Sleeping on gym floors Sleeping in buses Changing clothes in public Cold Showers Lack of sleep No showers No housing Washing clothes twice in a four-week period ...and the list goes on and on. The same reasons why we marched drum corps is why they're marching it today. But none of these things have really changed that much accept for the operational costs and the cost to join. This is what makes drum corps different from a Marching Band. There will always be young talented people that want to do this. But from some of the things on my list above, it's hard to see why. I guess the differences are still attractive to our youth like they were to us back in the day. I will always be a fan of DCI because of what it's done for me as a person and what it will continue to do for young people everywhere! Good luck to all drum corps of the future. God bless and stay safe. Edited January 29, 2008 by xbones7480 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kusankusho Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I agree with you. The only thing though, is as of this summer, DCI is trying to fix this problem. The tour has been shortened by 2 weeks (starts 2 weeks later in June). Hopefully this change will help strengthen the corps we have, and offer a chance for more corps to break out. Along with the topic though, woodwinds would not be the answer. The answer is figuring out a better tour to allow more people the opportunity to get to the seats. I hope it helps, especially the Open class corps. I've seen first hand the good they do for the kids that participate. I'd still like to see a weekend only division somewhere. It takes a good concentration of member corps in the competetive area to make if fly, but every (formerly) div 3 corps can tell you about losing kids to jobs or summer school as the season approaches. Weekends only would give them both the job/school and the corps experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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