trionbd Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 and you have zero to base this on. zero.24K paid last year at finals....plus regionals. It appears the stands are finding seatwarmers. This year is going to be somewhere beteen 18.5K and 20K based on preliminary information. Not bad for a finals that had to move its site and potentially move it again. I did not see many open seats on the crowd pics I've seen from Bloomingville. And...after listening to the audio from some cellphones, smuggled cameras and other video from the site we do not mention...I did not hear any displeasure. So, please....attempt to justify your opinions with some relative facts. And you wouldn't have heard displeasure from the people that spent the $$$ on a seat at finals. Fact ---> many people don't go to shows anymore because of the direction many corps show programming has taken over the years...you can chose not to believe it, but that is absolute fact. Obviously I wouldn't be speaking of the people who actually do attend shows, because they are at the show and therefore wouldn't qualify. I can see how someone who currently has close ties to drum corps and/or follow the activity with a microscope throughout the year would have a hard time imagining that people don't like what some corps are doing now. Me? I like some of it and don't like some of it. I still spend money on tickets, souvies, cd's, dvd's. I'm a nut for the activity. I don't like many of the corps programming as much as I once did, but I'm personally not on the radical side of the fence. But the topic was about attendance at DCI shows. The conversation flowed into the fact that attendance is down...and it really is. Maybe not on Finals night, maybe not at the regionals, but overall, not as many people see DCI over the course of a season. I simply took the opportunity to say that there are way more fans that don't come to as many shows, or to a show at all than most people that are closest to the activity realize. How many? I haven't done a door to door survey, but I know several that fit the description. These aren't people that are in their 50's and 60's. These are people that are in their 30's. That's a lot drum corp dollar to miss out on for the rest of their lives, don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trionbd Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Good call. Yes...the attendance can be argued is roughly the same....a 6K for Open Class total, a 10K, 15K, 20, week for World this year is roughly the same numbers in attendance.Participation IS key. So, what are YOU doing about it? How many corps do YOU support? How much money are EACH of us giving to support this activity we are obviously so passionate about? What a self righteous thing to say. We all give money...a lifetime of it. I gave money to march...bought 20 years worth of DCI tickets...Given no telling how many dollars to corps through souvie purchases. So what if someone doesn't give as a booster. That's their perogative. DCI tickets do not come cheap. Does that count in your book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 What a self righteous thing to say. We all give money...a lifetime of it. I gave money to march...bought 20 years worth of DCI tickets...Given no telling how many dollars to corps through souvie purchases. So what if someone doesn't give as a booster. That's their perogative. DCI tickets do not come cheap. Does that count in your book? It's not self righteous at all. Good...you give to drum corps....you are doing your part to make sure there are places for young people to march. Thank you. Now...the next step...how do we convince more young people to march. I've had people say that the answer is going back to the 70s model of drum corps....that will get more potential members to march. I don't believe it and never have. I think we are seeing corps have a tougher and tougher time because of the paradox of the paradigm. More local is less expensive and therefore more kids can afford to be involved. But, drum corps is also about competing with other corps so we need to go where the shows are...so we need to travel...so we have to add to the member costs. I've heard...although never seen it to be true...that if marching membership was less expensive more members would join. Well, I'm willing to stake some money on it. There is no magic formula here....if youu want this traveling circus to become more affordable for potential members....you have to subsidize it to a greater degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notelvis Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I am proud to say that I was one of those 35,000 in Montreal in 1981. It was the first DCI finals I ever attended. Couldn't hear much of anything besides snare drums (I was on like the 25 yard line and low) and my ticket cost a whopping $12.00. But I was there - part of the DCI record crowd. Took the train from North Carolina to Montreal, had my camera stolen while I was there, and had the memories for a lifetime. Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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