Open Class corps should have a shot at SemiFinals

[Tom Brace]

Oh wow, man I should of thought of that at first. Those poor Open class corps might even steal some of the rich corps money if they show up to the party. For Gods sakes ....Don't invite them, don't let em in!!!!

I guess I have pointed out how this could work...in a realistic way. First, Open Class Finals would be out on Saturday. Cancelled in Indy. Open Class would have to have their finals before Thursday QFs. Then only a few corps....people mentioned 3, could compete in QFs. So the rest of Open Class Top 12 would not get a chance to perform at Indy.

See, you or I, or the corps directors of Open Class can make this work. Because, QFs works well enough now. People still don't show up for the first six corps.

[bmroth1]

corps who couldn't put butt one in the seats as a paying customer were getting a share of the pie. That's welfare.

Are you sure all of those corps didn't put any butts in the seats? I get it segregate and they'll die!!!! Lets pull away and show them! Good thing drumcorps got away from welfare those food stamps were getting to be mighty costly! And the housing, oh yeah we made the little guy pay for his own.

hehehe

[oldschooldbc]

Lot's of chicken dinners for people! Another winner. Fans show their support first. That's how it's always been. That's why the stands are usually fuller after the first intermission. Some fans choose to "skip" those corps. Because....THEY AREN'T ENTERTAINING ENOUGH. So, prove me wrong. Go support all of drum corps. Show up in bigger numbers than 3000 for Open Class Finals. Go ahead. I dare you.

Don't count on that changing anytime soon. Let's run the numbers. There will be 12 corps on the field for OC finals, averaging about 80-90 performers apiece. That is a maximum of 1000 performers. Most people in the stands for OC finals are parents and/or relatives of the performers. Let's say there will be 2 relatives per performer. That comes to 2,000 people in the stands.

So if you add another 1,000 spectators in the stands, you get to 3,000 people. (That other 1,000 people will like be HS band directors, looking for ideas to steal for next year's halftime show..... )

I bet that Lucas Oil is going to look pretty empty on Friday and Saturday morning. 3,000 people in a stadium that holds over 60,000? That's 1/20th capacity! It will probably look like a sound check, 4 hours before a rock concert......

So unless there is some massive surge of attendance, from WC fans, to come to the OC events on Friday or Saturday - it just isn't going to happen. DCI would practically gave to give these tickets out for free, to get more than 5,000 people to attend - which is sad commentary.

=======================================================================

Hold the phone ....... That's it! Eureka, California! Give out the tickets to the OC events for free! Then people might want to attend! In marketing, this is referred to as a "loss leader" approach. You give out "free samples", with the idea of drawing interest in your product. DCI could try this for a year or two. Eventually, if the customer likes the product, they will pay for it.

(Yes, eventually, DCI would have to start charging for OC finals again, after a year or two. No product can be given away for free, forever.)

Once the public see the OC finals, they might support the OC medalist in the WC quarter-finals. Then the OC corps might be allowed "to the grown-up table for dinner".

That might work.... But this would require both marketing savvy and prudent planning, on the part of DCI.

(p.s., as you can tell, I attended MBA school instead of music conservatory. If I start using complex MBA-speak, please feel free to report me to the moderator.)

Edited July 29, 2009 by oldschooldbc

[bmroth1]

Hold the phone ....... That's it! Eureka, California! Give out the tickets to the OC events for free! Then people might want to attend! In marketing, this is referred to as a "loss leader" approach. You give out "free samples", with the idea of drawing interest in your product. Eventually, if the customer likes the product, they will pay for it.

(Yes, eventually, DCI would have to start charging for OC finals again, after a year or two. No product can be given away for free, forever.)

Once the public see the OC finals, they might support the OC medalist in the WC finals. Then the OC corps might be allowed "to the grown-up table for dinner".

That might work.... But this would require both marketing savvy and prudent planning, on the part of DCI.

Nice thoughts I like em! Here's the problem. As Tom has so eloquently mentioned. To DCI that is welfare! and DCI has been in the business of eliminating their welfare cases for quite a few years now, and I'm not kidding about this one either. They would rather let the corps die.

Edited July 29, 2009 by bmroth1

[Lance]

Hold the phone ....... That's it! Eureka, California! Give out the tickets to the OC events for free! Then people might want to attend!

As long as it's not in Crescent City.

[Bighud]

Not that what I think matters but I liked the way we use to do it. Remember when the top 12 from the previous year did not have to perform in prelims or quarter finals. This would be my ideal situation.

1. OC finals would be on Wednesday

2. The top 12 oc corps go against the 10 non finalist corps from last year for quarter finals

3. Those top 13 go on against the top 12 from the previous year for semi finals and you now have a top 25 again

I am sure you would lose some of the crowd on Thursday that wants to see the big boys but you will have friends and families from 12 more corps. No matter what your placing is, you don't get a vote unless you are a world class corps. But if the oc and wc corps are happy with what they have, enjoy. It just seems like a much bigger arena for these kids to perform.

[Rifuarian]

Lot's of chicken dinners for people! Another winner. Fans show their support first. That's how it's always been. That's why the stands are usually fuller after the first intermission. Some fans choose to "skip" those corps. Because....THEY AREN'T ENTERTAINING ENOUGH. So, prove me wrong. Go support all of drum corps. Show up in bigger numbers than 3000 for Open Class Finals. Go ahead. I dare you.

It (the lack of fan support) is the stark fact that few are willing to face up to when this topic comes up. I hear a lot of sanctimonious posturing on DCP, in the stands at world class shows, and elsewhere about the state of open class and DCI's "responsibility", but the fact is that beyond family, friends, staff, and alumni very few drum corps fans bother to show up for open class shows. And the legacy fans who bemoan the death local corps are just as guilty as the band kids and the recent vets of world class shows. DCI has no responsibility to the little corps. It was created by the big dogs for the big dogs. Even so, they've done a lot more than most people are willing to believe, and have probably kept small, junior drum corps alive much longer than it would have lasted on its own. But as long as there's no fan interest they're not going to do anything more.

As for myself, I find open class corps fantastically entertaining. Of course, I spent two summers in a small corps, and I also find myself entertained by small marching bands in my native state (Kentucky) that can't even qualify for the state competition. Clearly, the standards of entertainment for most fans are much higher than my own. Maybe if more open class corps abandoned the overwrought designs that so many world class corps it would make a difference. But probably not.

About giving tickets away for free . . . they're practically free already. Most of the fans who buy the five show ticket package just throw away the open class tickets. I don't really think it would be any different if DCI shipped free open class finals tickets with world class finals tickets. The majority of them would go in the trash. It's sad, but that's the way it is.

[Drumcorpsfan471]

I am somewhat torn on this topic. I think I lean more to keeping them separate. Maybe if they were judged on the same sheets night to night, and not split up, then you could consider it. To me this is the equivalent of letting a letting a Div. 2 college football team play in a BCS bowl if they went beat some of the big name Div. 1 football teams. I dunno, it would be nice to see more corps on Thursday, but really, as much as I hate it, don't the majority of people show up a few corps into the show anyways?

[bmroth1]

DCI has no responsibility to the little corps. It was created by the big dogs for the big dogs.

Herein lies a truth that many people today don't realize, and it is very factual. However, DCI has existed upon the backs of the smaller corps that they have a so called no responsibility to.

Edited July 29, 2009 by bmroth1

[oldschooldbc]

Nice thoughts I like em! Here's the problem. As Tom has so eloquently mentioned. To DCI that is welfare! and DCI has been in the business of eliminating their welfare cases for quite a few years now, and I'm not kidding about this one either. They would rather let the corps die.

Then DCI had better be prepared to pay the price for their lack of vision.

OC, and the smaller WC corps, create the funnel of talent to the Top 12 Corps. For BD/SVC/Colts, they actually sponsor OC corps, to help feed them talent.

What if this funnel complete collapses? Where is the talent going to come from?

Again, going back to sports analogies: what if there were no minor leagues in baseball, to feed talent into the major leagues? Wouldn't the product on the field suffer terribly, due to lack of experience? Would people really pay $300 for loge seats at Yankee Stadium, to watch some 18-year-old kid who played HS baseball last week?

I really hope that the management for DCI has a plan for a future, and a design for this activity, over the next 10 years. If they don't know where the youth talent is coming from, they could be in some serious trouble. They need to have a plan, and a business model, that can support 45-60 touring corps, each and every year, at all levels. Otherwise, this activity could eventually stagnate and deteriorate.