The index of leading drum corps indicators

[Tom Brace]

this is a cute thread.

yes, a very cute off season thread.

reminds me of the RAMD Symposium.

So, let's come up with a premise where DCI is the villian and then create enough math to prove it.

Ready? Go.

[Tom Brace]

True. Those organizations simply could not survive in the environment that DCI created. They could not survive in the economic and financial model that became drum corps. If you could not tour 10,000 miles, and do 35 shows a year, you were winnowed out. And at some level, that's really, really sad.

I haven't found a way to calculate the numbers for criteria 2 - the number of performers participating in drum corps. But I can provide some rough estimates.

There were 46 active junior corps this year, and let's assume an average number of performers per corps is 110. That's 5,000 performers, approximately.

In 1972, there were 442 active junior corps. Let's assume 40 performers per unit - a very conservative number. That's 17,600 performers, approximately.

So in in 1972, there were 3 1/2 times more performers than there were today. Now that's really depressing. That's 12,000 kids who will never get to know the joy of drum corps, in any shape or form.

Sorry, as I continue to tick of the criteria in the ILDCI, none of them are looking very good.

Nice how you turned Mike's words around. Let me help you...sure....the corps who did not tour when DCI first came about could have still done what they did before. They chose not to. They could have still done local concerts, marched local parades and other local appearances. Again, they didn't and many shut their doors for reasons other than DCI creating some kind of environment.

Fact is, check the 1970s and you'll find economic hardship being the chief cause...as it is today. Economics seldom support a local performing arts initiative. And again, I believe you could start a local corps today with drums, bugles, flags and rifles, uniforms and a place to practice. Trouble is...soccer only needs a ball and a couple of nets.

Soccer is what drum corps used to be. Same could be said of many summer non-scholastic sports activities and most are much less expensive as a startup.

Fact is...not much has changed in starting a drum corps as far as start up costs.

You need...

Drums.

Brass instruments.

Flags, rifles.

Uniforms.

Now for soccer...

a ball

some nets

some uniforms.

[oldschooldbc]

this is a cute thread.

yes, a very cute off season thread.

reminds me of the RAMD Symposium.

So, let's come up with a premise where DCI is the villian and then create enough math to prove it.

Ready? Go.

Actually, I am trying to be as fair and objective as possible. And when possible, I am including calculations for senior corps as well.

And when there are statistics that show DCI is doing a good job, I will point them out. As I stated previously, the number of shows has performed over the DCI era - and yes, DCI probably deserves some credit for this.

[IntheMood]

The reality is actually this: sponsors aren't making donations to DCI... they're making advertising investments.

Advertising investments are generally based on "cost per thousand impressions."

Simply stated, DCI's combined audience doesn't generate enough impressions to excite the "major consumer goods" companies with their "colossal advertising budgets." That is where a little creative thinking comes into play.

There is no lack of direction and vision, nor is there a lack of expertise... just a lack of resources. At the end of the day, DCI is still an association of non-profit groups, and is charged with making things happen with more brainpower than spending power.

If Mr. France would like to stop by and lend a hand, we'd love to have a chance to put him to work on our behalf.

I may be the only one who thinks this way. But I want the Open Class Div. to be successful and grow. Yet I feel that some OC Corps Dir. could care less if the Open Class Div. is successful and grows. Their only concern is if their Corps passes the WC evaluation. After that happens they could care less if the OC Div. folds or not. This is the perception that I have gleaned from watching the Corps move from OC to WC over the years. And because of this I feel that there is no direction and vision in the OC Div. Sometimes perception becomes reality.

Creative thinking is one thing actions is another. Here is just one idea that will costs the Corps no money and yet have great pr value. Why not contact the Food Network and ask them to do a story on our rolling kitchens and how well the kids are fed. The worst that could happen is they say no.

Dean

[Tom Brace]

I may be the only one who thinks this way. But I want the Open Class Div. to be successful and grow. Yet I feel that some OC Corps Dir. could care less if the Open Class Div. is successful and grows. Their only concern is if their Corps passes the WC evaluation. After that happens they could care less if the OC Div. folds or not. This is the perception that I have gleaned from watching the Corps move from OC to WC over the years. And because of this I feel that there is no direction and vision in the OC Div. Sometimes perception becomes reality.

Creative thinking is one thing actions is another. Here is just one idea that will costs the Corps no money and yet have great pr value. Why not contact the Food Network and ask them to do a story on our rolling kitchens and how well the kids are fed. The worst that could happen is they say no.

Dean

I believe the Food Network thing has been tried and no success so far. But, that shouldn't stop anyone from emailing them and continually suggesting this idea.

[oldschooldbc]

I may be the only one who thinks this way. But I want the Open Class Div. to be successful and grow. Yet I feel that some OC Corps Dir. could care less if the Open Class Div. is successful and grows. Their only concern is if their Corps passes the WC evaluation. After that happens they could care less if the OC Div. folds or not. This is the perception that I have gleaned from watching the Corps move from OC to WC over the years. And because of this I feel that there is no direction and vision in the OC Div. Sometimes perception becomes reality.

Dean

That is certainly true for some OC directors, but not all.

Some OC directors would prefer to offer a low-cost experience for their students. That can only happen in OC. It cannot happen in WC.

In WC, there are minimum tour fees that must be charged for each performer. This rule ensures that WC corps charge enough funds for the units to complete the tour. But these rates are actually higher than what some OC directors want to charge their kids - or can charge them.

So OC directors recruit from less-than-wealthy areas of the country, and cannot charge the high rates that WC requires. One WC core this year quoted a rate of $3200 per head - which is double what some OC units were charging.

So until that rule changes, there will be at least some OC units that can't (or won't) make the jump. So if the BoD decides some day to pull the rug out from under the OC tour, those units will be facing difficult choices.

Edited August 24, 2009 by oldschooldbc

[truenorthdc]

Well, I will give you my calculations for another stat:

•The number of drum corps shows in a given year

I will use our good friends at corpsreps for this calculation - and give them full credit.

They list 118 shows for 1972, at all levels, junior and senior. Again, I am trying to use the start of the DCI era, for consistency sake. I will include other timeframes, if necessary.

I looked at 2008, since that is the last year for which corpsreps had full data. I counted 144 total shows, junior and senior.

So at least on this front, I see some improvement. At least one of my ILDCI indicators is in the green. Hooray!

I am not sure where this 118 show total came for '72. Ontario (ODCA) still had a lot of corps back then and with none corps sponsored shows added, I'm fairly sure there were at least 50 shows in Ontario alone.

[oldschooldbc]

I believe the Food Network thing has been tried and no success so far. But, that shouldn't stop anyone from emailing them and continually suggesting this idea.

Maybe we could get Emeril Legasse to host a show from LOS next year - and he can give us creative new ways to use peanut butter! "Ya put the peanut butter on the bread - Bam! Then you put the jelly on the bread - Bam! Then you peel of the crusts - Bam! Bam! Bam!"

Hey, any publicity is better than no publicity, when you have row after row of empty seats at your activity's championship.

Really, the marketing geniuses in Indianapolis should be contacting every media outlet possible, to get free publicity. The worst thing that can happen is that they say no.

[oldschooldbc]

I am not sure where this 118 show total came for '72. Ontario (ODCA) still had a lot of corps back then and with none corps sponsored shows added, I'm fairly sure there were at least 50 shows in Ontario alone.

This came directly from the corpsreps database. If you have information on shows that are not in corpsreps, then feel free to send it to them. I am sure they would like to add it to their database.

[IntheMood]

That is certainly true for some OC directors, but not all.

Some OC directors would prefer to offer a low-cost experience for their students. That can only happen in OC. It cannot happen in WC.

In WC, there are minimum tour fees that must be charged for each performer. This rule ensures that WC corps charge enough funds for the units to complete the tour. But these rates are actually higher than what some OC directors want to charge their kids - or can charge them.

So OC directors recruit from less-than-wealthy areas of the country, and cannot charge the high rates that WC requires. One WC core this year quoted a rate of $3200 per head - which is double what some OC units were charging.

So until that rule changes, there will be at least some OC units that can't (or won't) make the jump. So if the BoD decides some day to pull the rug out from under the OC tour, those units will be facing difficult choices.

I agree with everything you just said. I DO NOT want OC Corps to make the jump to WC because of what the OC Corps are doing with the less-than-wealthy young people. To me what the OC Corps are doing today off the field is very much old school. That is why the Open Class Div can NOT fail. I know it may seem like I am b*&^%#$@, but I really do want to come up with solutions. And to do this I need to wrap my mind around some issues. For example: Why are the OC Corps not getting paid for some Shows they do? Why are they not being scored on the same sheets as WC? Why have the Open Class Div. not embraced their past?

Dean