Stu Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 (edited) According to the American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, if you paid $350 for dues in year 1984 it should cost you $733.69 in year 2010. However, not all things in drum corps are equal between then and now: Way more national travel in 2010, way more liability insurance premiums in 2010, way more paid professional salaries in 2010, way more food, and way more cost in quality instruments and guard props in 2010. But, those additions would only bump up the dues cost to around $1100 in 2010 terms. So this begs the question, why are dues today ranging from $2600 to over $3000? AIER calculator found at: http://www.aier.org/research/worksheets-and-tools/cost-of-living-calculator Edited December 13, 2010 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noneofyourbusiness Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Another big hit corps take now is paying for housing on non-show days. I have heard of schools charging anywhere from $500 - $4,000 a day for use of the school and stadium! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Plus consulting fees. The bane of the American business structure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russellrks Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 Crossmen 84 joined just before tour $250. Was told if I helped with the chuck wagon I wouldn't have to pay. At the end of the tour was told I owed $250 even though I helped every lunch and dinner. Never did get my finalist patch. Blackstar, I just happened to have an extra one. PM me your address and I will be glad to send it to you. Merry Christmas 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam98 Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 (edited) Russellrks, that's one of the nicest things I've seen someone do for someone else this week. Wish more people were like you in this world--Merry Christmas to you and yours! Edited December 14, 2010 by Sam98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Corps actually tour LESS now. I don't think that is generally true, but.... Tours used to start earlier and end later in the summer (first show usually around June 5-6, finals could be as late as Aug 21, also many corps would still have a regional championship to compete in a week after nationals). That's a good point. The early season shows tended to be weekend trips, returning to base in between, but still that'd be a couple hundred miles each way for two weekends, compared to now - corps haven't even moved in yet. And that's the distinction for me. Today, many world-class corps are on the road for 7-8 weeks straight. Prior to the millenium, the first half of the season was regionally-oriented, allowing many corps to do weekend trips instead of tour. Even the few corps that did "tour" during regional season would have more opportunities to stop at home base for a few days, since their tour was in closer proximity to home. There used to be a LOT more shows each summer, and each corps would compete at 5-10 more shows than they do now (not counting all the prelims that no longer exist). Skeptical of this claim, I went back and checked. I think 5-10 is an exaggeration....but sure enough, because there were so many more shows 20 years ago, top corps did generally do 0-5 more shows per season back then. Interesting. I didn't think my two points accounted for all the increase in tour fees. You have accounted for a big part of the remainder here: Food - very few corps used to run an 18-wheeler chuck-wagon back in the day. Kids were often on their own for food for at least one meal a day (27th Lancers, we used to have crews for McD's, BK and Wendys, we'd pull in and talk to the manager, have our crews go behind the counter and help cook, so we could get out of there in a reasonable amount of time). Fuel alone for these trucks is a big expense. 4 meals a day for 150 kids plus 30-50 staff/drivers/management, adds up fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdcoast Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 I wonder if there are any solutions from anyone to bring down the costs for the kids? Does anyone else think that if the costs were brought down that more might choose to get involved? Does that not bring in more people and revenue to all the Corps and DCI. I dont know, its just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdcoast Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Plus consulting fees. The bane of the American business structure. Do you really think that this is that huge? The only Corps I can think of that this really made a big problem with was mabye Magic of Orlando. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommytimp Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Do you really think that this is that huge? The only Corps I can think of that this really made a big problem with was mabye Magic of Orlando. I actually have no idea. But it is the scourge of the American business system. And I've BEEN a consultant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Russellrks, that's one of the nicest things I've seen someone do for someone else this week. Wish more people were like you in this world--Merry Christmas to you and yours! I was really blown away the last couple of weeks. First I got a DVD of the show and now a patch. My family is wondering why a 26 year old patch means so much. Especially since I framed it and put it on the wall...along with my firefighter awards. I told them because its something very few people do each year and it means alot just like my firefighter of the year awards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.