Has DCI lost the blue collar fan?

[JOHNNY_A]

Blue Devils , Bluecoats and Blue Stars. I think the are all Bloo collars.

[Jeff Ream]

unfortunately, many things in life have experienced cost growth, and sadly, salaries havent matched unless you're a CEO.

DCI is not alone in this issue

[MoKeefus]

I took a break from DCI this year. It was easier than I thought. I can afford the tickets but I just don't relate to it anymore.

I believe DCI started shifting their product away from the blue collar fan a while ago. (I define the Blue Collar Fan as someone who is not a music or performance major and may have participated in the the activity as a hobby, or a little more than a hobby.)

I enjoy listening to the CDs but with the shift to a greater visual performance I have not enjoyed the last few years as much as I have in the past.

MoKeefus

[pearlsnaredrummer77]

DCI used to be much more about community. Kids from one community competing and performin against kids from elsewhere. These days much of that is lost since corps are now national and even international in membership. This is not saying that back in the old days there were no kids in a given corps from elsewhere, the roots of the membership were from that community. Further, the old local corps actually needed community support and involvement to do well. These days DCI is kind of cult activity where insiders go to see shows by other insiders. There is little or no connection to local communities.

Also, many shows were really big deals and sold themselves via publicity and public celebration. When I was marching in the 80s, it was not uncommon to have a parade in the community where the show was going to occur. I think this further tied the corps to the community and may have drawn in people from the community-not only to watch the shows, but to perhaps join their local corps.

DCA does a better job in establishing roots in the community. But on the downside, I notice that a majority of the crowd seem to be seniors and when that generation passes, I wonder who will replace them.

[Tupac]

I just don't relate to it anymore.

I believe DCI started shifting their product away from the blue collar fan a while ago. (I define the Blue Collar Fan as someone who is not a music or performance major and may have participated in the the activity as a hobby, or a little more than a hobby.)

MoKeefus

This is what I was getting at with this thread. I know that ticket prices are higher, but I think that the fan base has changed over the years.

[prodigal bari]

Some (not all) of this shift has occured by the competitive band activity replacing the community-based corps as the marching outlet for the average high-school aged particitpant. Although there are many similarities in both corps and band activities there is a LOT less time demand and travel pressure for the band participant; and the so-called blue collar crowd (which are in actuality parents and casual community fans and alumni) has followed with the bands. This also partially explains the demise of the local corps...they have just turned into the competitive band activity.

DC has evolved/is evolving into a collegiate activity with some top high school participation (and the programs reflect this); and I do not see it reverting anywhere near what it once was. With that the fan base has changed; and in many ways, shrunk in both size and scope. The base more resembles one that merges the artistic/athletic /younger alumni demographic interests rather than the community/parental/ legacy alumni demographic of the 70's. IMHO....

Edited August 26, 2008 by prodigal bari

[MikeD]

I was just thinking about the people I knew in the 70's involved in corps compared to today's.

Any thoughts?

Yes, the audience and membership demographics have changed over time.

When I marching and competing most of our shows were held at local high school fields on weekends, and there was often some sort of tie-in to a community event (county fair, July 4 celebration, Fireman's parade, etc...) where local "just folks" would wander in to the show as part of the weekend's festivities. We used to joke about winning the "Lodi Nationals" (Lodi being a little town next to Garfield).

Today corps shows in general (and there are exceptions) are scheduled as independent events, often in larger and more costly venues...not tied into a local community event. You have to want to go to a drum corps show, not just participate in a community celebration. The smaller number of corps makes this sort of approach unavoidable, IMO.

This IMO helps explain the marketing direction DCI has been focussing on in how it spends is dollars...looking to attract scholastic trained people from HS, college...as new audience and potential corps members (music and guard).

There are still lots of "legacy" fans at shows going back to the 60's, but these are not the "just folks" I think is being mentioned. They already ARE fans as former members.

[JimF-LowBari]

Ain't just DCI and Drum Corps in general losing support over the last few decades.

Local based groups for youth like Scouting and Little League Baseball have also lost members, volunteers and supporters. Some areas are still going good but nationwide it's a big downhill slope.

Also trying to get volunteers for local adult organizations (Meals on Wheels, Adopt A Highway, etc) is like pulling teeth some places.

As for corps, the fan base has changed from what I saw in the mid 70s. Used to get more people at local shows who never played music or were with a corps. And lot of these folks came year after year looking forward to the next time (based on conversations with them). Now... well less non-DC people as fans and less local shows, so vicious cycle there.

A recent local show was at Chambersburg, PA after a few decades of nothing. We ended up sitting with older people who remembered the old shows so came to see this years edition. Most were never in a corps so it was like a 70s style crowd where we sat. Bad news is a whole generation of local fans were lost because of no show over the years. And I doubt if many of the people we sat with will be able to attned shows in 10 years or so.

Edited August 26, 2008 by JimF-3rdBari

[Tom Brace]

Blue collar fans?

You mean they have drum corps in India? China? Pakistan? Mexico?

Sorry, folks. That's where a ton of blue collar workers are now because that's where a vast majority of the blue collar jobs are now.

Many blue collar workers are now working non collar jobs (sometimes more than one) just to try to hold things together for their families. Drum corps is simply a luxury that doesn't appear even close to their radar screen regardless of price, content, etc.

Drum corps has always been a niche activity related to the niche activity occurring when most football fans take a leak and get a hot dog....unless your kid happens to be in the band.

[JimF-LowBari]

Many blue collar workers are now working non collar jobs (sometimes more than one) just to try to hold things together for their families. Drum corps is simply a luxury that doesn't appear even close to their radar screen regardless of price, content, etc.

Yep that's how my old church, located just outside the city, lost it's Boy Scout Troop after 50+ years. It started as a Troop for kids who went to the church but opened up to locals as the members got older and older with very few Scout aged kids. Then the original leaders got too old and help from the kids fathers were needed. Troop disbanded for lack of volunteers because dad was either too busy working a second job nights and weekends or dad wasn't in the kids life at all. (Neighbor went pretty much to crap over the last 40 years too.)