What is the biggest challenge facing drum corps today?

[HockeyDad]

Reality check. What makes y' all believe drum corps should have frozen in place in ... what year was that 2002? 1992? 1982?

Music doesn't stand still. Nor does anything except maybe anachronisms like fife and drum corps. Wanna be the equivalent of a Civil War re-enactor group? Ban electronics from drum corps. Music today is multimedia, which means electronic. Ban electronics in the plugged in marching band/winter guard context of the moment and you'd be telling time in drum corps with a sundial.

That's the reality. To return to a previous analogy, you want listeners to revert to vinyl records because the had superior audio qualities even in a CD world. You might not accept that it is progress. What you must accept is that we can't go back.

Just as drum corps shed many military remnants in the 70s, drum corps adds new elements in accord with the wider society in which it operates. It's reality whether we like it or not.

HH

So, then, why are DCI Directors saying there's a problem? Seems like you think everything's headed in the right direction. So, is there a problem, or isn't there?

[garfield]

Reality check. What makes y' all believe drum corps should have frozen in place in ... what year was that 2002? 1992? 1982?

Music doesn't stand still. Nor does anything except maybe anachronisms like fife and drum corps. Wanna be the equivalent of a Civil War re-enactor group? Ban electronics from drum corps. Music today is multimedia, which means electronic. Ban electronics in the plugged in marching band/winter guard context of the moment and you'd be telling time in drum corps with a sundial.

That's the reality. To return to a previous analogy, you want listeners to revert to vinyl records because the had superior audio qualities even in a CD world. You might not accept that it is progress. What you must accept is that we can't go back.

Just as drum corps shed many military remnants in the 70s, drum corps adds new elements in accord with the wider society in which it operates. It's reality whether we like it or not.

HH

It is also "reality" to have expected positive impacts on attendance by now, isn't it?

All of last decade's changes were supposed to have appealed to the "modern" audience to attract more fans, more marchers, more corps.

The facts say that those efforts were not the solution, despite your own personal view of "reality"

[BamRam]

Are we in Oz?

"Bow down to the all powerful, all knowing DCI."

When Toto starts to tug on the curtain, the guards come out in force to protect the wizard(s) of DCI.

The original poster asked what are the biggest challenges facing drum corps today? It's not money, it's not lack of fans or corps, it's not lack of membership, it's not that drum corps is a niche within a niche. All of these challenges are merely symptoms of the most fundamental challenge.

DCI does not equal drum corps AND drum corps does not equal DCI.

Once fans, members, corps administrators stop bowing to the all powerful, all knowing DCI, then and only then will the other challenges be solved.

Just one persons opinion.

Edited January 29, 2011 by BamRam

[garfield]

Are we in Oz?

"Bow down to the all powerful, all knowing DCI."

When Toto starts to tug on the curtain, the guards come out in force to protect the wizard(s) of DCI.

The original poster asked what are the biggest challenges facing drum corps today? It's not money, it's not lack of fans or corps, it's not lack of membership, it's not that drum corps is a niche within a niche. All of these challenges are merely symptoms of the most fundamental challenge.

DCI does not equal drum corps AND drum corps does not equal DCI.

Once fans, members, corps administrators stop bowing to the all powerful, all knowing DCI, then and only then will the other challenges be solved.

Just one persons opinion.

Just wrong.

All of what's known as World Class "Junior" drum corps are current members of the fraternal organization that they was started by a visionary few, and they called it DCI. DCI is a fraternal organization made up of members who run drum corps in the World Class circuit. That organization is run by those members and those members vote to determine what the organization does.

While it's true that there are other divisions of drum corps (Open Class and DCA) it is a fact that DCI's history has allowed it to obtain the marketing rights, the distribution channels, the manufacturer support, and, most importantly, the music licensing rights that represent the majority of the activities assets. Witness the G7's (so far) unwillingness to strike out on their own without these assets. DCI, the organization, speaks for the majority of the activities salable assets.

Without the Wizard's balloon Dorothy wouldn't have gotten back to Kansas, and without DCI's backing the activity won't get back to profitability.

Edited January 29, 2011 by garfield

[audiodb]

Conceiving your business ONLY to the preferences of current customers is a self-limiting and ultimately destructive business philosophy. Apple Computer might well be out of business by now had it not seen itself as something other than just a computer company. Google might never have gotten started because Yahoo's search wasn't inadequate in Yahoo customer eyes. The customer often doesn't know what he wants until a smarter company tells him what he wants.

This "customer is always right" mantra is pablum to feed complacency. Sometimes the customer is right. Sometimes he isn't. Sometimes you have to show him what's right.

Drum corps is no different. This talk of Model T's and retail commandments is missing the point. Most of those who saw it (including me) can be excused for thinking the low tempo, valve-deprived, 50-yard-line locked, tic-addled, tympani-waddling drum corps of the 70s couldn't possibly be surpassed. We drum corps customers rightly recognized the spine-chilling, ear-rattling golden age of drum corps for what it was. Until it wasn't. George Zingali, George Hopkins and others named George or something else persuaded us to love 80s drum corps even more with tymps on the ground, tics in exile and corps apace all over the field. Was a drum corps customer who only wanted his drum corps one way wrong? He certainly wasn’t right.

No, the customer isn’t always right. Were all the customers who bought Betamax VCRs right? It was the better technology. It wasn’t sustainable technology. Borders bookstores are struggling to avoid bankruptcy. Who would dispute its customers are right to appreciate the stores and all they offer from books to couches to coffee? Yet their appreciation of Borders doesn’t make Amazon’s model for bookselling wrong. Nor is there anything in the “customer is always right” mantra to invalidate the success of Kindle and Nook against the analog customer preference.

So let’s drop this “customer is always right” rationalization. In the end, it contributes nothing to the discussion and even less to the future.

OK, it's settled. Now go tell Hopkins that all those band kids he says "grow up plugged in" are wrong.

[audiodb]

That's something different from saying the customer is always right. Apple isn't retaining customer by doing the same thing only. No company retains customers by shaping their products solely to the current customer preference. That doesn't work for long. It won't work for DCI.

Stepping back one or two iterations isn't the answer. Stepping ahead one is a more promising possibility.

When you're headed in the wrong direction, a step back is a step in the right direction.

(Now don't make us bring up New Coke, the DCI Associate Championship, or other such examples.)

[audiodb]

Where are the majority of corps geographically located?

Well, they're spread out. There's no locale or region that can claim the "majority" of drum corps.

OK, WHY are there regionals in Atlanta and San Antonio?

Because they sell tickets.

Can't regionalize? Yes they can. Have 2 major regionals in the midwest, one in the east. Finals where they're gonna have them.

And would the South and West just not have any shows? (Granted, that would shorten the tour, but....)

[BamRam]

Just wrong.

All of what's known as World Class "Junior" drum corps are members of the fraternal organization that they started, called DCI. DCI is a fraternal organization made up of members who run drum corps in the World Class circuit. That organization is run by those members and those members vote to determine what the organization does.

While it's true that there are other divisions of drum corps (Open Class and DCA) it is a fact that DCI's history has allowed it to obtain the marketing rights, the distribution channels, the manufacturer support, and, most importantly, the music licensing rights that represent the majority of the activities assets. Witness the G7's (so far) unwillingness to strike out on their own without these assets. DCI, the organization, speaks for the majority of the activities salable assets.

Without the Wizard's balloon Dorothy wouldn't have gotten back to Kansas, and without DCI's backing the activity won't get back to profitability.

Really? All of the World Class "Junior" corps DID NOT start DCI! DCI was started by a small number of upper echelon corps. Those upper echelon corps set up new rules and changed those rules as they deemed necessary. These corps used their growing power and influence to create a system that benefited THEM, not all drum corps (including marketing and distribution rights). And while it will be painful to the ears of many old timers, most of those revered drum corps directors from the 70's and 80's where directly responsible for putting in place a system which decimated "drum corps". Those elite corps directors refused to look at the big picture that was "drum corps". Through the last 30 year the elite corps directors have continued to make decisions which benefit them and their corps.

Yes, today all the World Class Junior corps are members of DCI. But only the foolish believe they historically have had equal say in the direction of the activity. More importantly only the gullible believe that the actions of these elite corps have historically benefited "drum corps".

"Without the Wizard's balloon Dorothy wouldn't have gotten back to Kansas, and without DCI's backing the activity won't get back to profitability."

You've missed the analogy. Dorothy didn't need the wizard, she always had the ability to solve her own problems via the ruby red slippers. So does "drum corps".

Note: I tend not to post too much at DCP because, like many, I can become too passionate about a once great activity that is at the final fork in the road. I mean no disrespect to anyone, especially those that disagree. Just stating my opinion.

[skewerz]

You've missed the analogy. Dorothy didn't need the wizard, she always had the ability to solve her own problems via the ruby red slippers. So does "drum corps".

not entering this argument at the moment, but I just had to say this was a masterful turn around...I'm weird like that...

[garfield]

Really? All of the World Class "Junior" corps DID NOT start DCI! DCI was started by a small number of upper echelon corps. Those upper echelon corps set up new rules and changed those rules as they deemed necessary. These corps used their growing power and influence to create a system that benefited THEM, not all drum corps (including marketing and distribution rights). And while it will be painful to the ears of many old timers, most of those revered drum corps directors from the 70's and 80's where directly responsible for putting in place a system which decimated "drum corps". Those elite corps directors refused to look at the big picture that was "drum corps". Through the last 30 year the elite corps directors have continued to make decisions which benefit them and their corps.

Yes, today all the World Class Junior corps are members of DCI. But only the foolish believe they historically have had equal say in the direction of the activity. More importantly only the gullible believe that the actions of these elite corps have historically benefited "drum corps".

"Without the Wizard's balloon Dorothy wouldn't have gotten back to Kansas, and without DCI's backing the activity won't get back to profitability."

You've missed the analogy. Dorothy didn't need the wizard, she always had the ability to solve her own problems via the ruby red slippers. So does "drum corps".

Note: I tend not to post too much at DCP because, like many, I can become too passionate about a once great activity that is at the final fork in the road. I mean no disrespect to anyone, especially those that disagree. Just stating my opinion.

Fixed to correct my poor wording. I did not mean to suggest that today's corps started DCI.

Yet, if there are any corps today that one would think are wearing the ruby red slippers, and believe they have the ability to fix their own problems, it's the Group of 7 (now 8). And yet, even they certainly realize that they need the organization that is DCI in order to click their heels together 3 times and end up back at the financial equivalent of Kansas. In fact, what was proven by those meetings is that those 8 don't wear the red slippers, DCI does.

Edited January 29, 2011 by garfield