corpsband Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Despite the typical DCP anarchy in the previous thread (which has now devolved into yet another thread about electronics), many people actually did follow the directions and list their top three challenges. By far the top challenge listed was some variation of money. Of course there are many aspects to this general problem but most seemed to focus on the expenses (for the DCI / Corps -- not fans). So as a follow up: Please list your top 3 specific actions DCI and/or Corps can take to control/lower their expenses. Be specific and include the implications your actions may have. Itemize your top three at the top of your post and then go into your explanation. FOR EXAMPLE -- (please note this an example and does not need a response) 1. Reduce corps size back to 128 2. Eliminate pit 3. Limit national tour to 3 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdy Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 1.DCI finals has Regional Qualifiers 2.Better tour routes [ When I was with Pioneer in 2008, Pio went from WI to Louisville, KY and back just to compete in just one show , that only had about 350 people in the stands. 3.More regional emphesis, as in corps tour more in their own region of the country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Despite the typical DCP anarchy in the previous thread (which has now devolved into yet another thread about electronics), many people actually did follow the directions and list their top three challenges. By far the top challenge listed was some variation of money. Of course there are many aspects to this general problem but most seemed to focus on the expenses (for the DCI / Corps -- not fans). So as a follow up: Please list your top 3 specific actions DCI and/or Corps can take to control/lower their expenses. Be specific and include the implications your actions may have. Itemize your top three at the top of your post and then go into your explanation. FOR EXAMPLE -- (please note this an example and does not need a response) 1. Reduce corps size back to 128 2. Eliminate pit 3. Limit national tour to 3 weeks. 1) limit the equipment arms race 2) a tour that makes logic sense in how it's mapped out...including a rotating finals site 3) bring in more fans 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Please list your top 3 specific actions DCI and/or Corps can take to control/lower their expenses. Be specific and include the implications your actions may have. Itemize your top three at the top of your post and then go into your explanation. 1. Shorten the season. 2. Explore other sources of revenue. 3. Hmmm...not sure what else Shorten the season...less time on the road means less fuel used...less need for housing...and lower food costs. Other sources of revenue...not lowering costs, of course, but trying to cover the costs with additional revenue streams. Cadets do this with USSBA, for instance. Corps could be looking at ways to bring in money with non-traditional performances...I believe BD does or at least did that. The clinics corps do a show sites for HS band members is another example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewerz Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 1. Shorten the season. 2. Explore other sources of revenue. 3. Hmmm...not sure what else Shorten the season...less time on the road means less fuel used...less need for housing...and lower food costs. Other sources of revenue...not lowering costs, of course, but trying to cover the costs with additional revenue streams. Cadets do this with USSBA, for instance. Corps could be looking at ways to bring in money with non-traditional performances...I believe BD does or at least did that. The clinics corps do a show sites for HS band members is another example. shorter seasons means less shows...less fans attending...less souvie sales. If all that adds up to being less then fuel expenses and food, then I don't know if anything will help, besides getting alternative income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 shorter seasons means less shows...less fans attending...less souvie sales. If all that adds up to being less then fuel expenses and food, then I don't know if anything will help, besides getting alternative income. That is true...I was using an example I think Greg Orwell has posited. They'd have to do a cost/benefit study of shrinking the season, of course. You might be right that the revenue lost by 'losing' a week is more than the savings I noted...I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doylejd Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 1) Regional sub-circuit tours - If you want to tour the whole country, that is fine, but you have to make appearances at X number of shows within your home region. 2) Shorten the season - Just trimming a week off of tour saves a ton of cash. Corps may actually use this for an additional week of training to finish the show before they start touring. 3) Promote fiscal responsibility within corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Off the top of my head: It would be short-sighted to look at the financial picture from only a cost-cutting perspective, as the OP suggests. But within that narrow focus, try these: 1. Grow the number of corps participating in DCI. Pretty much every cost-cutting idea we all have here will become more practical with more corps, and less practical (or impossible) with less corps. For instance, so many people advocate regionalization, perhaps a return of the regional circuits. DCM operated with 20 member corps and a number of other non-members until it's disassembly circa 2003; now, with only 10 junior corps in that region, we can't recreate the equivalent benefit of shows close to home....we can't fill that many show lineups. 2. Plan for less travel-intensive touring. Thinking long-range (or maybe this summer), fuel costs are likely to rise substantially at some point. In concert with the above increase in number of corps, a more regionalized tour would become an option to reduce the impact of fuel price, while still maintaining the DCI operating model. Of course, it isn't quite that simple....some additional consideration must be given to fostering greater competitive parity, so that regional contests are actually contests....that's what drove corps to forsake the regions in the first place. 3. Limit the equipment burden. I hesitate to even bring this up, as the barn door has been left open pretty long already....but.... Equipment costs money. Transporting equipment costs money too. Less equipment = less cost. Therefore, some sort of plan on DCI's part to limit the growing equipment burden of the competitive DCI corps ought to be on the table for discussion. That is, if controlling costs is the agenda. I'll leave it wide-open to discussion on the specifics. At the very least, corps directors should be reluctant to adopt new rule change proposals that add even more equipment (i.e. woodwinds, as that's about all that hasn't been added already). Better, a moratorium on equipment additions in financially challenging times. More extreme measures to discuss might include removing currently legal equipment (not as effective if most corps have already paid for it), or limiting the quantity of equipment in some way, perhaps by restricting corps to use only what the members can carry on/off the field with them. The point would not be to roll the rules back to the preference of any particular dino, but rather, to reduce the equipment burden to where one of those gas-guzzling semis is no longer part of the corps convoy, thus reducing transportation costs as well as equipment purchasing costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamu89 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) I'll leave it wide-open to discussion on the specifics. At the very least, corps directors should be reluctant to adopt new rule change proposals that add even more equipment (i.e. woodwinds, as that's about all that hasn't been added already). Better, a moratorium on equipment additions in financially challenging times. More extreme measures to discuss might include removing currently legal equipment (not as effective if most corps have already paid for it), or limiting the quantity of equipment in some way, perhaps by restricting corps to use only what the members can carry on/off the field with them. The point would not be to roll the rules back to the preference of any particular dino, but rather, to reduce the equipment burden to where one of those gas-guzzling semis is no longer part of the corps convoy, thus reducing transportation costs as well as equipment purchasing costs. That part could lead to Armageddon for those not wanting more electronics. You could reduce size of pit instruments considerably by not having large marimbas and going with all electronic keyboards. The whole pit could be synth and you could fit it in the trunk of a sedan (minus the speakers, of course). To take it to the extreme, you could replace the entire pit with 3-4 musicians on synths and drum machines and get the corps number closer to 128. Not advocating any of this . . . just sayin. ;) Edited February 2, 2011 by Shamu89 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamu89 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Oops. Didn't answer the original post, and don't want this thread to go off topic. I don't have many ideas since I'm just a parent of a MM, but here goes. Try to get more corporate tie-ins to help with expenses. Gatorade should be a big one as much as the kids drink it and footage of them working in the summer would make a great commercial. Sunscreen companies, footwear, Sam's club/Costco for the food. Somehow get it back on TV. The quality of home theater, while a detriment to people leaving their homes, could be a positive for this since the picture and sound would be much better now than it has been. Just need to get an outlet to take a chance on it. Reread, and still didn't answer correctly. The only thing I could come up with is the same as everyone else. Shorter, more local tour. Sigh Edited February 2, 2011 by Shamu89 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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