The World Series of Drum Corps

[Geoff]

I don't know how it got out either time.

last time i got texts saying #### was breaking Indy, 2 phone calls, and email from an address that wouldn't accept return email, but i got the proposal power point.

this time....well, my business fax number is on my facebook page, and lo and behold a fax came across with no return fax number on the papers. trust me I looked. I did made some calls/emails after getting said fax, and when I finally got home, got the actual text up after forwarding the document out via email ( i scanned it in).

I'm pretty sure how I got the original one. no clue on this one. i mean 99% of my drum corps sources don't fax me things. the 1% that does is my Dad, and I'm way better connected than he is

edit:my G7 source had no idea this was coming BTW

So, is it possible someone is just messing with you? Since you really have no idea where it came from?

[Jeff Ream]

So this has basically shaped DCI week. Any chance of Blue Stars upsetting SCV or moving up in the rankings? Doesn't look like it will happen now. I can only hope...just hope, that if it is so deserved and the Blue Stars knock one #### of a show out of Lucas Oil on Saturday night, that the judges do the right thing and reward them; regardless of who is in the G7.

The way this thing is looking, none of the non-biggies will ever stand a chance of moving up in the rankings with this new system. Pretty sad.

honestly...the judges are going to do what they feel is right, regardless of who is where in the G7 war

[Jeff Ream]

That doesn't sound like we have any guarantee of authenticity. Even if what you received is accurate, we have no idea who leaked it and for what purposes. It seems pretty clear that whoever sent you the document knew you would be posting it here.

see above. and so far, every big leak I've broken has panned out to be 100% true. in fact, when the very first G7 thread started, before it had it's own forum, I made some comments about what I did know for sure, and I believe you questioned them...and hey were true.

[Jeff Ream]

i dont know how DCI does building deals outside of finals.

who knows, maybe DCI could get some former TEP's back that the current tour set up killed off

True, but by the same token, couldn't DCI be hurt where they have multiyear stadium deals for shows that were priced assuming the G7 would be there? We know they had a multiyear deal going forward for Lucas Oil. It's possible there are out clauses for just such an eventuality, though.

[Jeff Ream]

So, is it possible someone is just messing with you? Since you really have no idea where it came from?

no because emails and phone calls backed it all up before i posted a word on here.

[Peel Paint]

no because emails and phone calls backed it all up before i posted a word on here.

I thank you for sharing this. It should be discussed publicly.

I don't know why these guys think they can keep a secret in this day and age, especially bombshells like this.

[dustyboo]

So let me bring up a conspiracy there here. Lets say the G-7 feel so strongly about this new approach that they just know it won’t fail, it will be more successful than they ever imagined. So, in that respect they are going to keep trying to push the issue to the point where DCI forces them out on their own (which is what they want to happen). Then, 5 years from now when the G-7 are as strong as ever and DCI is closing it’s doors, the G-7 can’t be blamed for DCI’s demise because they can claim that they wanted to stay part of DCI but DCI kicked them out. Again, not my thoughts on what will happen, just what the G-7 might actually believe.

[MarimbasaurusRex]

I just want to thank whoever is leaking this stuff and hope they are reading. You take a huge risk in putting this material out there and you have bigger nuts than all the G7 directors put together. Hoo-Rah!

[garfield]

So let me bring up a conspiracy there here. Lets say the G-7 feel so strongly about this new approach that they just know it won’t fail, it will be more successful than they ever imagined. So, in that respect they are going to keep trying to push the issue to the point where DCI forces them out on their own (which is what they want to happen). Then, 5 years from now when the G-7 are as strong as ever and DCI is closing it’s doors, the G-7 can’t be blamed for DCI’s demise because they can claim that they wanted to stay part of DCI but DCI kicked them out. Again, not my thoughts on what will happen, just what the G-7 might actually believe.

Great minds think alike. I said this about a hundred posts ago, and I agree with you. It's politically expedient to offer fig leaves to the vanquished.

[Grumpy]

Shouldn't the 'depressing' part come from DCI running the ticket special with the $25 gas card trying to get people to buy finals tickets? To me that's a pretty strong signal that ticket sales are lagging again. Something needs to change!

Not only are they giving away gas cards, but the "free tickets for age-outs" promotion is designed to put more butts in the seats because their ticket sales are suffering. I think this is a combination of the still-lousy economy combined with the stellar sound quality of the venue. Something DOES need to change-but this isn't it, a simple change of venue back to outdoor stadiums and rotating finals cities will remedy that.

This proposal, from a G7 point of view, is nothing short of brilliant. Let's piggyback off of DCI, we can make what we normally make there, have our 9 shows, we get to keep ALL the profits from that. If this new thing works, we can bid DCI a fond farewell; if it doesn't work out, we can just quietly put it back on the shelf and go about pushing woodwinds through. If we can get the gullible DCI corps to go along with this, we get to have our cake and eat it too.

Apparently, BD and SCV don't plan on performing in any shows out west next year-because this will "follow the DCI tour", and I don't see any west dates. Likewise, those of us in the northeast have no hope of seeing any of these G7 corps-for the same reason, will we even HAVE any shows next year? At least in the northeast, we will still have DCA so we won't have to go without completely. I'm happy to see that the G7 generate "60% of souvenir sales"-and I'm even happier to say that this year, they didn't and aren't going to get one thin dime from me at their souvenir booths. Bluecoats souvenir sales are so good that they didn't even feel a need to set up their souvie stand at the East Coast Classic in Lawrence, MA last week (Mandarins and Pacific Crest are also so flush with cash that they felt the same way). Certainly didn't lend much "atmosphere" to the show with only Cadets, Teal Sound and hometown Boston Crusaders and Crusaders Sr. having stands.

I personally feel that DCI should wish the G7 well, and send them on their way. Don't let the door hit you in the backside on your way out. Before that happens, however, there shoud be some very clear guidelines carved in stone for any of the G7 to return-in the event that their pie in the sky dream turns out to be just that. I think that something that everyone has overlooked, is that in reality we will probably end up only losing FIVE corps, NOT SEVEN. If the G7 leave or are removed, I would fully expect that BDB and SCVC will petition to move from OC to WC, and presumably would have little difficulty with the evaluation process.

The other thing to consider, supposing this debacle is allowed to move forward, suppose that one or more of the non G7 "qualify" by virtue of their placement, one or more of the G7 fail to qualify...suppose that the non G7 decline the invitation to join? Will the remaining corps be able to have the same "draw"? How will you justify to your "target audience" that they should pay the same price to see five or six corps as they were to see seven previously?

Edited August 10, 2010 by Grumpy