Lesson Learned From America's Got Talent

[NeutralNovice]

We're running dangerously close to a political discourse, which can get this thread shut down. There's too much good dialogue that can go on for that to happen.

Well the point I was trying to make with my reply to your reply was that nothing will ever be truly perfect because there are always two (or more) sides to every opinion. Some will hate a decision and others will love it. There was no attempt at political discourse in my statement; however, if others read it that way, then so be it.

[Lance]

what

[mobrien]

Considering the taste of many who live here, the last thing I'd want is the "average American" to decide what's good, artistically, and what's not.

Edited September 26, 2010 by mobrien

[Xmen79]

Who is more talented, Jackie Evancho or Michael Grimm? I think Jackie, even at her tender age, has much more talent than Michael. However, that didn't matter in the judging. The viewing audience, in my opinion, voted considering what type of music they like to hear, rather than on which singer had more talent. The most entertaining singer won, according to the majority of viewers.

DCI's instructors should take note, especially if they truly want to entertain the fans more to increase the national audience. If you look at the sale of music in this country based on genre, the types of music being performed by DCI corps are the least popular: wind ensemble, classical, jazz, show tunes, etc.

Will the DCI instructors change their ways and "pander" to what the public wants? ... ######.

Interesting topic and discussion; HOWEVER, this comment is STILL just YOUR opinion! Your assertions of "I think," and "in my opinion," are precisely that - yours and yours alone. "Talent" is such a nebulous term and equally subjective, so this entire discussion is wide open to personal opinions, assertions, and predispositions, and moods.

And I find your last statement I included - "what the public wants..." to be highly conjectured. That is, unless I missed the announcement where you have become the anointed spokesperson for "the public." DCI was built on corps performing, what you call, the "least popular music genre. Wind ensemble, classical, jazz, show tunes... please go back and review what the DCI champion from each previous year won performing. I know Gail Royer (God be with him) is rolling over in his grave from such an assertion.

So, what then would qualify as "entertaining" music? I guess we move to Hip-Hop and Dance: some Usher, then Lady Gaga, and close with Green Day's "American Idiot."

[WOOHOO]

I think the public likes exactly what I like

In all seriousness, I think most people in general know that their personal preferences are not indicative of competitive superiority. I think almost every year I have watched DCI, the highest performing corps won (except 2008, but even that is a good percentage). Obviously, America's Got Talent is different from DCI in that AGT is obviously a popularity contest, and DCI is not. Does anyone actually want DCI to be a popularity contest? That might be the only thing that might make me leave the activity, but I don't see that happening.

Edited September 26, 2010 by WOOHOO

[davidp]

I think it would be interesting to explore more types of music, but wouldn't that push for more instruments....guitars, saxophones, etc. I mean how does a drum corps perform "The Devil Goes Down to Georgia" for instance, without a fiddle? Also, most of the acts in America's Got Talent were solos and small groups. Their acts might get lost on football field compared to the stage. But, the entertainment aspect...yes I understand that. I keep reading on here that people want more entertainment.

Check out Spirit of Atlanta, circa 1980. I'd say they did it very well.

[Lance]

A surefire way to induce narcolepsy for many people is to put in a drum corps dvd from any era.

A surefire way to induce narcolepsy for many drum corps fans is to flip the channel to America's Got Talent.

[crazymello]

i've thought about putting a blast-esque stage marching and brass playing group together to try out for america's got talent, but I've never really executed this idea. It would be cool though. I mean, if you put out some drum corps power in that type of room with those accoustics, even with 16-24ish horns, it's gonna be noticed.

Edited September 26, 2010 by crazymello

[over60]

The reason I posted this is to get to the fact that DCI will never become popular in any meaningful sense playing the kind of music it's now playing. The untapped potential audience wants Pop music. There has been a lot of hand-wringing about low attendance and lack of money for the corps. The two go hand in hand. "Entertain or die" is probably not an exaggeration. It is a fact, not my opinion, that current DCI music is not popular with the general public. The AGT result might have been different if Jackie had sung something other than operatic material, which the viewing audience was unfamiliar with. Her tremendous talent was overshadowed by her choice of performance material.

I've been following drum corps since the mid 1950's. I know exactly the kind of music the corps played "in the old days", like the Blue Devils in 1976 winning with Channel One Suite, Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor and Land of Make Believe, very sophisticated, indeed. But the point is this: the audience has changed over the decades. There were many more competing corps pre-DCI beginning in 1972. Corps were neighborhood groups. Touring was not done. Going to VFW or American Legion Nationals was undertaken by only the well established groups. There were many great corps that did not attend the national championships each year. I know that is hard to believe today but the corps lived within their meager budgets. There were local shows every weekend during the summer and attendance was good because parents and other family members and friends would always go and watch the local kids. It's almost like the support for Little League Baseball or high school football. Now, however, the corps are not local groups. Touring is mandatory and therefore the budgets are astronomical. To support the corps today, massive financing has to be annually acquired.

Drum corps today are big business. If you want to sell your product, especially at a price to maintain a profit, you must give the customers what they want at a price they're willing to pay. You have two choices, either increase your prices or increase your audience. Can DCI significantly increase ticket prices? Playing more popular styles of music would be one way to get the public's attention and expand the fan base, something that is needed to maintain viability. Perhaps the high membership quality of today's music majors would be lost, but as AGT showed, the public is more willing to pay for entertainment than talent.

By the way, I'm not saying I'd like the new style. As a matter of fact, I don't like current Pop music. This isn't about me or my tastes in music. As I mentioned in my original post, I enjoy sophisticated material. I'm just tired of hearing about the corps crying about their and DCI's financial condition. The corps have made their own rules. If the activity wants to expand it has to broaden it's musical appeal. The people in charge don't need me to tell them. They just don't want to change. There's an old adage about commerce---the customer is always right.

[garfield]

Just so I'm clear, are you saying that even with the best business management by DCI the niche will continue to shrink because the music drum corps play is not mainstream enough?

Not a challenge, but a real question of clarification.

The reason I posted this is to get to the fact that DCI will never become popular in any meaningful sense playing the kind of music it's now playing. The untapped potential audience wants Pop music. There has been a lot of hand-wringing about low attendance and lack of money for the corps. The two go hand in hand. "Entertain or die" is probably not an exaggeration. It is a fact, not my opinion, that current DCI music is not popular with the general public. The AGT result might have been different if Jackie had sung something other than operatic material, which the viewing audience was unfamiliar with. Her tremendous talent was overshadowed by her choice of performance material.

I've been following drum corps since the mid 1950's. I know exactly the kind of music the corps played "in the old days", like the Blue Devils in 1976 winning with Channel One Suite, Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor and Land of Make Believe, very sophisticated, indeed. But the point is this: the audience has changed over the decades. There were many more competing corps pre-DCI beginning in 1972. Corps were neighborhood groups. Touring was not done. Going to VFW or American Legion Nationals was undertaken by only the well established groups. There were many great corps that did not attend the national championships each year. I know that is hard to believe today but the corps lived within their meager budgets. There were local shows every weekend during the summer and attendance was good because parents and other family members and friends would always go and watch the local kids. It's almost like the support for Little League Baseball or high school football. Now, however, the corps are not local groups. Touring is mandatory and therefore the budgets are astronomical. To support the corps today, massive financing has to be annually acquired.

Drum corps today are big business. If you want to sell your product, especially at a price to maintain a profit, you must give the customers what they want at a price they're willing to pay. You have two choices, either increase your prices or increase your audience. Can DCI significantly increase ticket prices? Playing more popular styles of music would be one way to get the public's attention and expand the fan base, something that is needed to maintain viability. Perhaps the high membership quality of today's music majors would be lost, but as AGT showed, the public is more willing to pay for entertainment than talent.

By the way, I'm not saying I'd like the new style. As a matter of fact, I don't like current Pop music. This isn't about me or my tastes in music. As I mentioned in my original post, I enjoy sophisticated material. I'm just tired of hearing about the corps crying about their and DCI's financial condition. The corps have made their own rules. If the activity wants to expand it has to broaden it's musical appeal. The people in charge don't need me to tell them. They just don't want to change. There's an old adage about commerce---the customer is always right.