MikeD Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I did.. the problem is he put them on an equal level. Creativity isnt the goal of the business. Drum corps is in the business of entertainment, where creativity can be a tool. The goal of the business is to attract and retain fans through entertainment. Creativity may in some or even many cases be a method of getting there.. but creativity for creativity's sake, disregarding the ultimate goal of pleasing the fans, misses the mark. IMO they are on equal level. The design staffs should consider both in creating the shows they want to perform. Also, 'entertainment' is also in the eyes and ears of the beholders. Look at the recent BD threads. There are those who dismiss their show as very UNentertaining, while others extol the virtues of their show as extremely entertaining. Happens with just about every corps and every show they present, year in and year out. I love Cadets 2007...others hate it. I have not been a fan of the Coats shows up until this year....others love them. Corps have a 'target' audience in a lot of cases; for those people their shows are highly entertaining most years. Every now and then one corps crosses ALL lines, a la Regiment's Spartacus show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hence the need for DCI to market to the huge potential scholastic audience they are targeting. There ARE fewer corps left to provide audience, as happened in the past. Those thousands of bands are the replacement for the hundreds of corps that used to exist. the thing is as someone else said...with fewer places to go and march, once their band days are done, odds are an overwhelming majority will for get about drum corps. I know several alumni of where I teach forgot what drum corps is a mere 5 years after graduating...and they marched with kids who marched corps. Just by being in a band will not create the diehards on a level being in a corps did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 The problem is, 99% of those band kids are going to forget about band, and with it drum corps, when they graduate. So you're constantly churning new fans. On top of that, students arent exactly known for their large amounts of disposable income. At this point DCI needs to be attracting (re-attracting?) and retaining those who have hit the point in their lives where they are financially stable or well off, and have disposable income to support the activity through ticket sales, souvie sales, donations, etc. Drum corps will not survive on a constant churn of students with part time job income.The problem is, over the last several years, the exact opposite has been done. Those that DCI should be directing efforts to have been told 'deal with it or leave'... and many have left. agreed. to many band is just the latest fad in their lives. when college hits, without a corps to march in, they will find a new fad that will replace band/drum corps. yes we need to reach the kids, but we need to retain the former kids, and we aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scerpella Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Whats ironic about this discussion as it descends into the usual characterization of legacy fans as whinosaurs and anachronistic, is the fact that by every objective measure of the success of an enterprise drum corps, doing exactly what the "drum corps is wonderful" (DCIW) crowd wants it to do, is failing miserably, so much so that the leading lights of the activity representing all the cutting edge art these folks like to swoon over, have pronounced drum corps so broken that the current configuration that they created must be scrapped for an entirely new model, one that allows the activity to becoming virtually identical to marching band. Also forgotten in these ridiculous strawmen thrown up by the DCIW crowd that somehow old fans want to retrograde the activity back into the days of VFW and V-R horns, is that their position can be as easily mischaracterized as wanting stages, tape loops, narration, woodwinds etc etc on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 The problem is, 99% of those band kids are going to forget about band, and with it drum corps, when they graduate. So you're constantly churning new fans. On top of that, students arent exactly known for their large amounts of disposable income. At this point DCI needs to be attracting (re-attracting?) and retaining those who have hit the point in their lives where they are financially stable or well off, and have disposable income to support the activity through ticket sales, souvie sales, donations, etc. Drum corps will not survive on a constant churn of students with part time job income.The problem is, over the last several years, the exact opposite has been done. Those that DCI should be directing efforts to have been told 'deal with it or leave'... and many have left. Yes, there will be new audiences...one good thing about the scholastic crowd is that it is a very 'renewable resource' as kids cycle through HS and college. Some number will remain as true long term fans, of course, plus the corps age-outs in some quantity. But...there will be a different audience in the future than the past, and from what I see as an outsider, DCI knows this in how they are placing their focus. Drum can and WILL survive 'churning'[ through students. As for income...HS kids who flock to shows by the busload in TOTAL have a lot of $$ to spend. Parents tend to get their kids the things they need and want. Just look at souvie booths as the kids descend like locusts. Maybe each one has fewer $$$ then an adult fan, but taken in total they have a lot to spend...of mom and dad's money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hence the need for DCI to market to the huge potential scholastic audience they are targeting. There ARE fewer corps left to provide audience, as happened in the past. Those thousands of bands are the replacement for the hundreds of corps that used to exist. Have your scholastic audience go to symphony performance, next evening take them to a football game and then take them to a drum corps contest. One is no talk and appreciate, the other is yell and hoopla, i like both. All I can say is that I watched DCI 2010 live and my hands; sore from applause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Whats ironic about this discussion as it descends into the usual characterization of legacy fans as whinosaurs and anachronistic, is the fact that by every objective measure of the success of an enterprise drum corps, doing exactly what the "drum corps is wonderful" (DCIW) crowd wants it to do, is failing miserably, so much so that the leading lights of the activity representing all the cutting edge art these folks like to swoon over, have pronounced drum corps so broken that the current configuration that they created must be scrapped for an entirely new model, one that allows the activity to becoming virtually identical to marching band.Also forgotten in these ridiculous strawmen thrown up by the DCIW crowd that somehow old fans want to retrograde the activity back into the days of VFW and V-R horns, is that their position can be as easily mischaracterized as wanting stages, tape loops, narration, woodwinds etc etc on the field. so eloquent. oh and true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 Yes, there will be new audiences...one good thing about the scholastic crowd is that it is a very 'renewable resource' as kids cycle through HS and college.Some number will remain as true long term fans, of course, plus the corps age-outs in some quantity. But...there will be a different audience in the future than the past, and from what I see as an outsider, DCI knows this in how they are placing their focus. Drum can and WILL survive 'churning'[ through students. As for income...HS kids who flock to shows by the busload in TOTAL have a lot of $ to spend. Parents tend to get their kids the things they need and want. Just look at souvie booths as the kids descend like locusts. Maybe each one has fewer $$ then an adult fan, but taken in total they have a lot to spend...of mom and dad's money. actually based on Januals commentary, they realize they ####ed up with legacy fans and want to get them back. And given the economy, I dont think parents are handing little Johnny near what they used to, or the directors wouldnt be saying that the current model they created is financially unsound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 the thing is as someone else said...with fewer places to go and march, once their band days are done, odds are an overwhelming majority will for get about drum corps.I know several alumni of where I teach forgot what drum corps is a mere 5 years after graduating...and they marched with kids who marched corps. Just by being in a band will not create the diehards on a level being in a corps did. Absolutely true. There are not...and never will be....the hundreds of competitive corps that existed in the past. So...DCI has to look at a new model of attracting fans and future members. This ends up being then renewable resource of scholastic band members. They HAVE to target this group to survive, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 actually based on Januals commentary, they realize they ####ed up with legacy fans and want to get them back. And given the economy, I dont think parents are handing little Johnny near what they used to, or the directors wouldnt be saying that the current model they created is financially unsound I'm sure they WANT all of the fans they can. My comments are about the future success and continuation of DCI as a viable entity. Legacy fans are going to be a continuously shrinking pool, for reasons noted by many, inc you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts