Official DCP G7 Proposal Discussion Thread

[jjeffeory]

Ya' darn right they can! In fact, I'd bet now that the tsunami is over and the non-G7 are picking up the pieces, they're also thinking the same thing.

So now is the time to contact them - ALL OF THEM - and get them to imagine leapfrogging 7 corps to the top of the heap!

Stagnation AT THE TOP may be the reason why attendance is down. Not "underperformance" at the bottom.

I say kick the G7 out and rebuild!

Wow! I love you man! I think stagnation at the top has been a big cause for a decrease in attendance in DCI.

Specifically, it's the stagnation of show design themes that make sense. Oooops, hope I don't open a can of worms here.

[Matt_S]

Why? Because they don't place as high?

No, because their interests aren't especially compatible. Participants in this thread have been pretty adamant in their belief that what is good for the Blue Devils isn't necessarily good for the activity. Well, what of the reverse of that? A proposal that is good for Pioneer may not be good for the activity either. Pioneer is a great, stable organization that has been able to do what they do for half a century. That's terrific, and you'll get no argument from me on that point. But no offense to Pioneer, they're not going to grow the activity. They've had decades to improve their presence, and have made it quite clear that they are happy where they are.

What of the corps who aren't happy where they and the activity currently are? What of the corps who believe that the best interests of the activity are to aggressively pursue growth opportunities? Corps such as the Blue Devils are willing and able to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise. Pioneer, without the necessary presence or resources, is not. Though they compete in the same class, and on the same sheets, the priorities and motivations of the two corps appear from the outside to be so different as to make continued association detrimental to both groups. Acting in the best interests of the Blue Devils may harm groups like Pioneer. But perhaps acting in the best interests of Pioneer limits the potential of groups like the Blue Devils.

Maybe giving the Blue Devils two votes is the wrong answer. Maybe the solution is to recognize that the two corps have interests that are harmful to the other, and reorganize the activity so that both corps can pursue these interests while reducing the harm to the other organization... sort of like creating a new class on top of the existing World Class, perhaps?

[garfield]

What of the corps who aren't happy where they and the activity currently are? What of the corps who believe that the best interests of the activity are to aggressively pursue growth opportunities? Corps such as the Blue Devils are willing and able to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise. Pioneer, without the necessary presence or resources, is not. Though they compete in the same class, and on the same sheets, the priorities and motivations of the two corps appear from the outside to be so different as to make continued association detrimental to both groups. Acting in the best interests of the Blue Devils may harm groups like Pioneer. But perhaps acting in the best interests of Pioneer limits the potential of groups like the Blue Devils.

Matt, I appreciate your viewpoint and get your message. But we're talking about the goal being aligning with scholastic music. Why can't Pio, and every other corps, do that as well as the G7?

If we all have to contribute to the solution I'd bet Roman would gladly take up this cause.

Maybe someone should ask him?

Edited May 27, 2010 by garfield

[Scerpella]

With the Scouts' aggressive and determined marketing to legacy fans this year, does the leak of this proposal position them to take a new leadership role in the non-G7 group?

If they come out the gate in the next few years the way the hype expects them to (which is debatable, but certainly possible) could they use their renegade reputation to become the anti-G7? It would be interesting to see how their popularity waxes or wanes in the wake of all this kerfluffle.

yes, I had the same thought.

It occurred to me that MEG and the Star organizations re entry into competitive drum corps with Madison may have been the or a catalyst for the G7 proposal coming out now. A successful Madison Scout season would have had a negative impact on G7 trying to pull drum corps further and further out into the ozone. The new group running Madison includes a Madison Alumnus (Mason) and it isnt a stretch to assume that there is still a big Scott Stewart influence in the organization. The last thing Hopkins et al want is Madison a power player again. They would almost certainly be at crossed purposes with G7 and thwart their evil plans.

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

Pioneer, without the necessary presence or resources, is not. Though they compete in the same class, and on the same sheets, the priorities and motivations of the two corps appear from the outside to be so different as to make continued association detrimental to both groups. Acting in the best interests of the Blue Devils may harm groups like Pioneer. But perhaps acting in the best interests of Pioneer limits the potential of groups like the Blue Devils.

Ever heard of Pioneerland? Pioneer is fiscally competitive with the Blue Devils.

Once again, business practice is mistakenly attributed to competitive success.

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

But we're talking about the goal being aligning with scholastic music. Why can't Pio, and every other corps, do that as well as the G7?

What scholastic music?

Oh, the programs that are ceasing to exist all across the country!!! oh ok.

Great business plan there. Make yourself more like a school music program.

[Captncontra]

What of the corps who believe that the best interests of the activity are to aggressively pursue growth opportunities? Corps such as the Blue Devils are willing and able to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise. Pioneer, without the necessary presence or resources, is not. Though they compete in the same class, and on the same sheets, the priorities and motivations of the two corps appear from the outside to be so different as to make continued association detrimental to both groups. Acting in the best interests of the Blue Devils may harm groups like Pioneer. But perhaps acting in the best interests of Pioneer limits the potential of groups like the Blue Devils.

Same can be said of Dallas Cowboys/NE Patriots/Colts vs the Lions/Raiders... yet they seem to make it work. Should the Cowboys break away or play extra games outside the league?

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

Same can be said of Dallas Cowboys/NE Patriots/Colts vs the Lions/Raiders... yet they seem to make it work. Should the Cowboys break away or play extra games outside the league?

Perfect analogy...

What we have here is 7 pro teams attempting to form the XFL.

[bawker]

Perfect analogy...

What we have here is 7 pro teams attempting to form the XFL.

This begs the question of who the G7 equivalent of "He Hate Me" is . . .

[OrlandoContraAlum]

The last part, that describes the proposed show stuff . . .is by Gibbs (see slide 49).

Apparently, the hope is to to have some sort of NASCAResque "cup" with audiences and judges deciding winners at these G7 shows and a cumulative "championship", effectively saying "these seven corps are the only ones with a chance in hell of winning anything".

Now, granted, those corps are usually at the top of the heap (except Phantom), but, really, reinforcing this to audiences and crowds only pushes the idea of "these seven or nothing" further and makes everyone else look like second-rate units to outsiders.

Not to mention having the additional byproduct of making it pretty tough for an outside corps to crack the AAA hierarchy.