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Funny, I was saying some of the same things a few weeks ago. Guess it's like everything else in drum corps. It takes time for people to get used to new ideas!

1980....SCV got blasted by the judges, but changed drum corps forever with asymetrical drill!

1993...Star of Indiana rocks the drum corps world then leaves for @greener pastures@ in Brass Theatre. Was the "genie" let out of the bottle?

2002...Cavaliers "Framework" sets the drum corps world on it's ear and was so awesome that even the Blue Devils, with a scintillating show in semi-finals, could not defeat them! Did they set the bar too high? Apparently not! Innovative people with vision are still looking to the stars!

2014...?

Warning: Innovation and vison, they have a price!!!

"In order to know if you are headed in the right direction, you must first know where you started, what path you took to get to where you are, where you presently are, where it is you want to go, and what path you will need to take to get there!!"...RNG

"In order for the blind to lead the blind, one must have vision!"...RNG

:thumbup:

Ron Gunn

Edited by INSIDETHEFORTY
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the function of all of those sports leagues and teams is to make money.

that is not the purpose of any individual corps, or DCI as a whole.

This is true. The purpose of Pro Sports ( AND College Sports at the Div.1A Level ) is " to make money", while DCI is not interested in a quest to" make money".

As a result, both DCI and Sports have attained their goals regarding " money ". (Sports has it, DCI doesn't )

DCI is a Non Profit Organization. By choice.

Edited by BRASSO
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This is true. The purpose of Pro Sports ( AND College Sports at the Div.1A Level ) is " to make money", while DCI is not interested in a quest to" make money".

As a result, both DCI and Sports have attained their goals regarding " money ". (Sports has it, DCI doesn't )

DCI is a Non Profit Organization. By choice.

Question:

If DCI is not interested in "making money", then why did a DCI official give me a very hard time for givng away, at no charge, Open Class Finals tickets near the stadium in 2008? When I asked him why he was trying to stop me from giving away tickets for free, he responded, "You are cutting into our profit margin"! DCI was more interested in getting as much money as they could for thier tickets, than in putting butts in the seats! The tickets I was giving away had already been paid for. DCI had already sold them and made money off of them. However, they wanted more! They would rather have 40 tickets go to waste, and sell 40 more to walk up fans, than to have 40 people use the tickets that would otherwise go to waste!

Sounds pretty"profit oriented" to me!

Many people have accused me of being overly "profit oriented" over the years. Well, if I am that, then DCI is even more so! How do I know?

"It takes one to know one"...Ancient American proverb

:thumbup:

Ron Gunn

Edited by INSIDETHEFORTY
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1980....SCV got blasted by the judges, but changed drum corps forever with asymetrical drill!

SCV was not "blasted" by judges for their asymmetrical drill. In fact, if you look at the recaps, their visual numbers were well above their brass and percussion numbers.

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Question:

If DCI is not interested in "making money", then why did a DCI official give me a very hard time for givng away, at no charge, Open Class Finals tickets near the stadium in 2008? When I asked him why he was trying to stop me from giving away tickets for free, he responded, "You are cutting into our profit margin"! DCI was more interested in getting as much money as they could for thier tickets, than in putting butts in the seats! The tickets I was giving away had already been paid for. DCI had already sold them and made money off of them. However, they wanted more! They would rather have 40 tickets go to waste, and sell 40 more to walk up fans, than to have 40 people use the tickets that would otherwise go to waste!

Sounds pretty"profit oriented" to me!

The goal of the New York Yankees is to make the owner money. The money that the owner of the Yankees spends is spent looking for a return on that investment. The money that DCI spends is spent to provide a service to youth, not for a monetary return on investment. Sure, DCI wants to make money so they can still exist the next year, but that is the extent of their money making desires.

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DCI and I don’t see much in common any more which is why I’m working on bringing back polka. I’m winning too. Polka is way more popular than drum corps, fact !

Edited by cowtown
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I don't think DCI in its current state can attract pro-sports like crowds. HOWEVER that does not mean that mass appeal shouldn't be a goal of DCI. I'd love to see it more popular and at least understood on a nationwide level, where there might be a few TV appearances a year. There are a few roadblocks:

1. I think shows are too long for the mainstream viewer. Heck, even I can't sit through 12 straight 12 minute corps performances. Some may like the variety and development, but I think 8-10 minute shows are easier to digest. Most corps waste 2-3 mins of their time with filler features anyway that rarely add to the production unless you're a fan of the corps.

2. Find a way to telecast finals live. Don't worry about losing DVD sales. If you can get this thing on PBS or one of the hundreds of cable networks out there - a LIVE show with commercials and all, it may succeed. How do you sell this? You can a) try selling finals "on-demand" through cable and satellite providers. Like a pay-per-view for $19.99 and see how it goes. Or b) stream finals to the DCI public for FREE (or a very low cost, like $5) through the fan network and that will give DCI the credibility to go and say "look, we had X amount of viewers online last year, if we advertise this we could have Y amount watching TV".

3. Ditch the corps/band distinction. It's okay for us to call them corps. However, there's no need to talk down to someone who sees it as a glorified marching band. DCI should partner with BOA or USSBA and increase its presence through those channels. Marching bands and drum corps should use each other to grow since they are essentially the same activity. You don't see enough of that today.

Look at the number of people involved in BOA/USSBA - MANY thousands! And few go on to corps...what about the rest? Would they casually tune in to watch some drum corps if their music instructor talked about it? Does their instructor even know about it or is he/she focused on their concert band repertoire? Start with that kind of awareness and let it grow.

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I don't get it. Why *wouldn't* growing the base be the primary goal of the BOD?

Why wouldn't ALL corps directors be screaming at DCI to increase attendance? Is managing the season the ONLY responsibility the org has?

Are there corps directors who have spoken up to support increasing fans as the primary (or secondary) goal of the org?

(crickets) I haven't heard any.

Bob Jacobs is a big supporter, with a marketers viewpoint and a love of the activity. Any quotes of other directors who have spoken up?

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I don't think DCI in its current state can attract pro-sports like crowds. HOWEVER that does not mean that mass appeal shouldn't be a goal of DCI. I'd love to see it more popular and at least understood on a nationwide level, where there might be a few TV appearances a year. There are a few roadblocks:

1. I think shows are too long for the mainstream viewer. Heck, even I can't sit through 12 straight 12 minute corps performances. Some may like the variety and development, but I think 8-10 minute shows are easier to digest. Most corps waste 2-3 mins of their time with filler features anyway that rarely add to the production unless you're a fan of the corps.

How long is a football game? Isn't INT the same as halftime?

2. Find a way to telecast finals live. Don't worry about losing DVD sales. If you can get this thing on PBS or one of the hundreds of cable networks out there - a LIVE show with commercials and all, it may succeed. How do you sell this? You can a) try selling finals "on-demand" through cable and satellite providers. Like a pay-per-view for $19.99 and see how it goes. Or b) stream finals to the DCI public for FREE (or a very low cost, like $5) through the fan network and that will give DCI the credibility to go and say "look, we had X amount of viewers online last year, if we advertise this we could have Y amount watching TV".

Can't agree more. The hard-core's are buying DVDs now. That probably wouldn't change. I know several people who stumbled on PBS and approached me afterward to say "I saw that band thing on TV last night. Pretty cool." (Usually, when I asked if they watched the whole thing I got a "No.", but they caught enough to want to talk with me.)

3. Ditch the corps/band distinction. It's okay for us to call them corps. However, there's no need to talk down to someone who sees it as a glorified marching band. DCI should partner with BOA or USSBA and increase its presence through those channels. Marching bands and drum corps should use each other to grow since they are essentially the same activity. You don't see enough of that today.

Agree with them working together, but separating BOA from DCI is crucial. Otherwise DCI looks like the rest of the bands and people will definately tune out. The "Professional", or "Major League" status of DCI must remain. I would be glad if a corps performed as the finale at a BOA show, so that those parents could see what the "Major League" of marching band really is. They may better understand it's potental impact on the kid as being the same as baseball or any other of the myriad of summer activities.

Well, except BOA and DCI are in different seasons...that could be a problem, I suppose. :blink:

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There are millions of people who have, in some way, been associated with some form of marching music ensemble. So, in theory, drum corps could become hugely popular...

Now... how to do that? I have no idea.

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