DCW article regarding touring . . .

[skywhopper]

But what's the incentive for a professional group to do this? From a marketing perspective, drum corps audience is so small and segmented that it's not worth spending the money to promote the activity. There is absolutely no ROI, and doing it out of the good or my heart doesn't help me reach my business goals.

Are you talking about my suggestions? What part of them required any investment whatsoever on the part of professional groups? Okay, the free DCI ticket thing. I don't see how that's a stretch though. It costs them nothing, and in certain markets, I could totally see a partnership between, eg Carolina Crown and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra could have done a summer concert of Mahler's 2nd, Khatchaturian's 2nd, and Danzon #2 the night before NightBEAT, and Crown could have pushed its fans towards the symphony concert (like our music? check out the CSO playing our rep!).

[Plan9]

Drum corps isn't for everyone! It's VERY DIFFICULT. I claim that even if it were free for MM and for the audience, it wouldn't grow as much as everyone thinks. It still has the stigma of halftime show, which will never change.

It's going to take something very drastic to increase MM pool and audience size, and I claim those steps are:

1) Allow all ages. Keep the current fulltime nature of it, just let anyone march who is capable and passes the current auditions.

2) Allow any number of marching members. If a corps wants to march 200, more power to them. That's really the definition of an "Open Class."

3) Allow all instruments and electronics. Let a coprs broadcast over the PA system, setup disco balls, turn the lights out, whatever.

4) Either get rid of the judges entirely (and make it 100% audience), or keep both ideas and announce a top 12 in each. Over time, maybe the judging part will just fade away, kind of like how the NIT used to be KING before the NCAA tournament. Now it's secondary, and no one pays attn to it. Maybe keep the judges ONLY for caption awards...

DCA can continue to be all-age, just part-time. That will be the difference. If DCA wants to continue with the limitations it has, great! Maybe DCA will grow (if you hate all of my suggestions, then you must believe that DCA will grow, since it will still have all of the age-old limitations you hold dear.)

All of these ideas are great if you are attempting to re-create drum corps in "its own image". OR...you can re-create it in a new image...much like Cirque du Soleil did for (or to...depending on your point of view) "the circus". Fewer, more developed corps; more elaborate productions; much more audience interface; deep integration with new forms of presentation media (diamond screens, etc); out of season activities and outreach; expand into international audiences (which exist....I might add).

Would this outcome be something that would make a MM from 1970 projectile vomit?.......probably. Would it reach a new audience that doesn't now exist and perhaps expand the drum corps form of entertainment beyond anyones imagination? ....ask Cirque!

[Newseditor44]

Couple of thoughts here... First, and with no mention of my agreement or disagreement, can you tell me where the market will finish tomorrow, or where interest rates will be Monday at noon? Point is, the economy is NOT the problem; rather, lack of planning to accomodate the natural swings of the economy is the problem. That is done at the corps level, certainly, but also must be done at the DCI level as well. When the "elite" corps are constantly demanding more payout from DCI to accomodate their own lack of planning it leaves DCI in the untenable position of having not enough cushion to survive.

Second, who has it been who's pulled us into the "artsy" direction in the first place? How can you agree with him now when he's been so instrumental in putting the activity in the position it now finds itself?

Totally agree with you on the economy.

That said, I don't think Hop should be the only one to take the blame for the direction the activity has taken. He's just been the most vocal. Other corps directors have had to vote on the proposals, and in some cases I think they've used Hop as a scapegoat knowing that he was more than willing to front these ideas. I think it takes an incredible amount of courage to do what he's done, and to stand up and say "maybe this isn't working".

[garfield]

All of these ideas are great if you are attempting to re-create drum corps in "its own image". OR...you can re-create it in a new image...much like Cirque du Soleil did for (or to...depending on your point of view) "the circus". Fewer, more developed corps; more elaborate productions; much more audience interface; deep integration with new forms of presentation media (diamond screens, etc); out of season activities and outreach; expand into international audiences (which exist....I might add).

Would this outcome be something that would make a MM from 1970 projectile vomit?.......probably. Would it reach a new audience that doesn't now exist and perhaps expand the drum corps form of entertainment beyond anyones imagination? ....ask Cirque!

You and Mr. Martin I Zing have been drinking from the same straw again, eh Plan?

If the Cirque plan is so translatable to other arts organizations, why don't we see more symphony oboists and bassists swinging from trapeze ropes?

[mgarside83]

All of these ideas are great if you are attempting to re-create drum corps in "its own image". OR...you can re-create it in a new image...much like Cirque du Soleil did for (or to...depending on your point of view) "the circus". Fewer, more developed corps; more elaborate productions; much more audience interface; deep integration with new forms of presentation media (diamond screens, etc); out of season activities and outreach; expand into international audiences (which exist....I might add).

Would this outcome be something that would make a MM from 1970 projectile vomit?.......probably. Would it reach a new audience that doesn't now exist and perhaps expand the drum corps form of entertainment beyond anyones imagination? ....ask Cirque!

If we are going to change what drum corps is completely, then what's the point of trying to save it at all? You're not saving anything. May as well start your college marching band bedazzled shows from scratch.

[afd]

If touring for however many weeks it is is too many, then why not cut back? I'd love to see regional tours where Blue Stars, Colts, Cavies, Phantom, Madison, etc all tour the midwest for a few weeks first. Is that forbidden by the current rules?

That is what it use to be...regional touring before a nationa tour. I remember there were DC shows in mid-july in N. California. Now they are gone before July begins.

[WWonka]

But what's the incentive for a professional group to do this? From a marketing perspective, drum corps audience is so small and segmented that it's not worth spending the money to promote the activity. There is absolutely no ROI, and doing it out of the good or my heart doesn't help me reach my business goals.

And that brings me back to a question I have. What is the purpose of a drum and bugle corps? How many "local" performances are corps doing now days? How many local 4th of July parades are they doing so the area/region have a clue who they are? Festivals? Fairs? We USED to do those gigs. Is a 6-8 week touring machine all that is left? They created this monster and are having trouble feeding it now.

Bust it back to a 3-4 week semi-national tour leading up to finals week. Do regional/local stuff till then. Cut costs. Entertain and compete.

But we can't do regional stuff cause there's not enough corps left. BS. Work with the DCA corps. You could #### near do a Texas tour of Texas only corps. Xmen, Revo, Forte, Genesis, Vigilantes and get GCS back out performing. Meet Teal, Spirit, Alliance and Corpsvets somewhere in the middle for a few shows. Cali has enough for it's own circuit. Midwest, ditto. East if you work with the DCA corps.

This whole thing is going to devolve into the usual suspects rehashing a lot of the usual arguments.

[mgarside83]

And that brings me back to a question I have. What is the purpose of a drum and bugle corps? How many "local" performances are corps doing now days? How many local 4th of July parades are they doing so the area/region have a clue who they are? Festivals? Fairs? We USED to do those gigs. Is a 6-8 week touring machine all that is left? They created this monster and are having trouble feeding it now.

Bust it back to a 3-4 week semi-national tour leading up to finals week. Do regional/local stuff till then. Cut costs. Entertain and compete.

But we can't do regional stuff cause there's not enough corps left. BS. Work with the DCA corps. You could #### near do a Texas tour of Texas only corps. Xmen, Revo, Forte, Genesis, Vigilantes and get GCS back out performing. Meet Teal, Spirit, Alliance and Corpsvets somewhere in the middle for a few shows. Cali has enough for it's own circuit. Midwest, ditto. East if you work with the DCA corps.

This whole thing is going to devolve into the usual suspects rehashing a lot of the usual arguments.

I think you have some good ideas here.

[rkfdPRphan]

And that brings me back to a question I have. What is the purpose of a drum and bugle corps? How many "local" performances are corps doing now days? How many local 4th of July parades are they doing so the area/region have a clue who they are? Festivals? Fairs? We USED to do those gigs. Is a 6-8 week touring machine all that is left? They created this monster and are having trouble feeding it now.

Bust it back to a 3-4 week semi-national tour leading up to finals week. Do regional/local stuff till then. Cut costs. Entertain and compete.

But we can't do regional stuff cause there's not enough corps left. BS. Work with the DCA corps. You could #### near do a Texas tour of Texas only corps. Xmen, Revo, Forte, Genesis, Vigilantes and get GCS back out performing. Meet Teal, Spirit, Alliance and Corpsvets somewhere in the middle for a few shows. Cali has enough for it's own circuit. Midwest, ditto. East if you work with the DCA corps.

This whole thing is going to devolve into the usual suspects rehashing a lot of the usual arguments.

Up until finals, I had attended 10 regional competitions here in the Midwest. Got to do a little traveling. 6 hours was the longest drive. Also went to 5 parades over the 4th of July weekend. Almost every parade in the Midwest has at least one drum corps in it over the 4th of July. I know some people who went to a drum corps show to see the corps they saw in the parade march.

MORE OF THIS would sure help the local corps!!!!!

[mgarside83]

Even bagillion dollar sports franchise does community marketing and outreach. If they don't have their fan base, they have nothing.