scv guy Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) What was the stage? The infield? No stage. It was a televised performance—not live. Just the Jumbotron. Smaller TVs everywhere around the stadium too. Edited September 30, 2010 by scv guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Sure. Check this out. It was totally free. The circumstances getting that many people to attend? Opera. For free. At the ballpark. That's all. It was no fund raiser because it was free. It was announced in the Sunday Entertainment section of the SF Chronicle, on radio stations and news sites. Opera in the Park (Golden Gate Park) is even crazier because it is a live performance.Perhaps it could only happen in a place such as San Francisco? We have some rabid opera fans here. Many larger cities, like Dallas, have Shakespeare festivals drawing in thousands of people each night FOR FREE!!! A plethora of other cities across the country get thousands of people in one spot to listen to the symphony in the park FOR FREE!!! Heck, I do not really like country music and would not pay a dime to see an act; but if Reba and Carrie Underwood were performing at the local baseball park FOR FREE, I would certainly go with my friends just for the socialization aspect and to get out of the house for a while. Sorry, but your ATT park example about how high art can draw mutli thousands of people is not valid unless you can show where these people actually bought tickets at the same price as a U2 concert or even DCI Finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Earlier this week at my work, we were asked what some of our favorite hobbies were. There were about 30ish of us in the room and as we went around the circle various answers were given like video games, football, basketball, running ect... It got to me and I said exercising and drum corps. Everyone looked at me with that "deer in the headlights" look and asked what drum corps was. They each said they had never heard of it and passed it off as some kind of "lame marching band thing". Needless to say this saddened me to no end. I knew that drum corps was not very popular in america, but this kinda opened my eyes more to see just how little the activity is known. No one at my work (about 100 people) had ever even heard of the activity. It was so disheartening, to not only have all of these people not even know what the activity is, but then go on to say that it is just some "foot ball half time show lame thing". I know DCI does not have loads of cash, and advertising is expensive but to me, DCI has changed my life and what I enjoy watching. Why does no one else even know about it? I feel that if more people could just be sat down and watch some of the best DCI shows in history they would become immediate fans and we would have more people coming to shows. More fans = more money. More money= more shows. More shows= More corps. Why doesnt DCI do more in the advertising department? Why is it still such a little known activity?! It seems that even swimming now is more understood and popular after the 2008 olympics than DCI is! (not dogging on swimming at all I love that sport) But this is just saddening. What is up with this!? See, that's the funny thing...ego is self-serving and it never serves a greater good. 5 or so egos all-time in drum corps have kept the activity from becoming something truly spectacular. Doubt me? In another era, a simple "marching band" (dude with an immigrant father by the name of So...added the initials of his new country to the end of his name) was the rock band of their era. Do we have to market DCI as a rock band? No. 5% interest amounts to 10 million+ fans. Not bad, eh? On the other hand, building up such a fan base might actually require not having a 40-year history of antitrust violations and monopolistic practices. But it sure feeds the egos of, say, 5 people...give or take. Now...again, my favorite example, by comparison, is the NFL. Jerry Jones and other "Legacy" owners of the 49ers, Giants and a few other franchises gave up a little bit in the old system in terms of opportunity to dominate and received a HUGE increase in revenues due to increased interest. From where? Places like Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Seattle and others who have played in or won Super Bowl's since the mid-1990's. Shoot, mighty ARIZONA was one 103-yard interception return away from winning the Lombardi trophy. ARIZONA!! Now THAT will increase fan interest and revenues. Didn't hurt having a fourth network emerge and increase demand and thus increased contract rates. In one scenario, those in charge chose ego and championships over increased exposure and competition. In one scenario, those in charge chose increased MONEY and FAN INTEREST. And do you like the NFL any less today than in 1990? Dallas? Maybe. San Francisco? Definitely. Pretty much everywhere else likes it just fine. Lots of places with no championship history prior have it since. DCI COULD have pursued this strategy. It chose not to. More like the Big 10 attitude toward playoffs in NCAA football--NO WAY!! Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Many larger cities, like Dallas, have Shakespeare festivals drawing in thousands of people each night FOR FREE!!! A plethora of other cities across the country get thousands of people in one spot to listen to the symphony in the park FOR FREE!!! Heck, I do not really like country music and would not pay a dime to see an act; but if Reba and Carrie Underwood were performing at the local baseball park FOR FREE, I would certainly go with my friends just for the socialization aspect and to get out of the house for a while. Sorry, but your ATT park example about how high art can draw mutli thousands of people is not valid unless you can show where these people actually bought tickets at the same price as a U2 concert or even DCI Finals. Well, in all fairness, the Dallas Symphony is one of the healthiest symphonies in the nation due to local philanthropic support. Those "free" concerts you mentioned are usually supported by either our Fortune 500 community (largest in the nation also) or those wealthy individuals. The difference, of course, being that DCI doesn't enjoy such a great corporate development department historically, for whatever reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 In another era, a simple "marching band" (dude with an immigrant father by the name of So... added the initials of his new country to the end of his name) was the rock band of their era. Do we have to market DCI as a rock band? No. 5% interest amounts to 10 million+ fans. Not bad, eh? Not sure if you were only kidding there, but Sousa was the father's actual name. It's Portuguese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Well, in all fairness, the Dallas Symphony is one of the healthiest symphonies in the nation due to local philanthropic support. Those "free" concerts you mentioned are usually supported by either our Fortune 500 community (largest in the nation also) or those wealthy individuals.The difference, of course, being that DCI doesn't enjoy such a great corporate development department historically, for whatever reasons. And I am sure that a huge corporate sponsor supported the Night at the Opera at ATT Park in San Fran. My point was when I asked if someone thought that Opera or Symphonies could "Sell Out" big stadiums like U2, the response from SCV Guy was "Yes"; that he had witnessed over thirty thousand people attending the ATT Park Opera event. However, when pressed further, it was only then that SCV Guy admitted that it was actually a FREE event. That omission of fact in his first response sort of negated his basis for supporting a contention that Opera could "Sell Out" a large stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 We have taken busloads of kids...and at the shows I attend they announce the bands attending all through the show...look at the number of school busses in the parking lots.Yes, not all are hardcore...that's besides the point. They are there competing at some level, be it a lot or a little. and of those busload, how many went on to march or become diehard fans? every year you'll have new faces with graduation and incoming freshmen...how many stick? Can DCi afford to keep relying on those "4 year fans"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) and of those busload, how many went on to march or become diehard fans?every year you'll have new faces with graduation and incoming freshmen...how many stick? Can DCi afford to keep relying on those "4 year fans"? Knowing the mentality of most high school students, I bet most do "not" go because it is a DCI show; but they go because it is a bus trip to somewhere, anywhere; it could be a getaway to play shuffleboard at an arcade for all they care because it is the trip and socialization in which they desire, not the actually destination. Edited September 30, 2010 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 Knowing the mentality of most high school students, I bet most do "not" go because it is a DCI show; but they go because it is a bus trip to somewhere, anywhere; it could be a getaway to play shuffleboard at an arcade for all they care because it is the trip and socialization in which they desire, not the actually destination. depends on the program IMO. but given how into fads kids are, I wonder how many stick. my hunch is not enough to make up for older fans leaving. if it were, after years of this outreach to kids at the expense of the dreaded legacy fans, we wouldn't see the directors crying about money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 ...because... It's not broadcast on TV... Boom. You do that and you've got something people would have atleast heard about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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