How cool would it be

[BRASSO]

mmm.....multi million dollar contracts.....I'd march anywhere for one of those

The only problem is, you've got to get more than 5,000 fans to the " Major Leagues of Drum Corps" regular season "games", and more than 15-18,000 for the "World Series of Drum Corps " Finals " games ".

' Not happenin'.

Edited March 3, 2011 by BRASSO

[Stu]

Well, there you go... another vote for " no change " here in how things are done.

Soooo.... where was that prediction thread again ? I want to make my predictions on placements for the next 10 years, so I can get that thread out of the way for the next decade. Afterall, with the exception of a couple of Corps here and there, the top Corps... are the top corps... the middle corps are the middle corps... and the bottom corps are the bottom corps. And from what I'm reading, some of us like our placements pretty much as is. ( DCI likes it too, as they've set up Slotting System in the World Class Division to pretty much perpetuate the current system into infinity. )

Brasso: As long as a performer has to pay to march and not get paid, I prefer choice on where youth can spend their hard earned money on which corps to audition for and march with! Moreover, all one has to do to counter your contention of guaranteed slotting over the next ten years is to look at the recent rise of the Blue Stars, the rise of Carolina Crown and the Bluecoats, even the current rise of the Academy, or even the historical rise of the Blue Devils and Regiment, as well as look at the fall of the Madison Scouts, 27th Lancers, Troopers, Crossmen, Velvet Knights, Spirit, etc... you seem to somehow agree that corps directors like Hopkins and Gibbs can actually dictate the top middle and bottom; factual current placements when compared to factual historical placements differ with that opinion. Of course the Devils are a current power house and have been so for many years; however they are "not" immune to falling like the Scouts did. If the Devils lose their appeal to those youth who desire to march, and say the Academy gains that appeal, those two corps' would switch places very quickly. History proves that to be accurate.

[BRASSO]

Brasso: As long as a performer has to pay to march and not get paid, I prefer choice on where youth can spend their hard earned money on which corps to audition for and march with! Moreover, all one has to do to counter your contention of guaranteed slotting over the next ten years is to look at the recent rise of the Blue Stars, the rise of Carolina Crown and the Bluecoats, even the current rise of the Academy, or even the historical rise of the Blue Devils and Regiment, as well as look at the fall of the Madison Scouts, 27th Lancers, Troopers, Crossmen, Velvet Knights, Spirit, etc... you seem to somehow agree that corps directors like Hopkins and Gibbs can actually dictate the top middle and bottom; factual current placements when compared to factual historical placements differ with that opinion. Of course the Devils are a current power house and have been so for many years; however they are "not" immune to falling like the Scouts did. If the Devils lose their appeal to those youth who desire to march, and say the Academy gains that appeal, those two corps' would switch places very quickly. History proves that to be accurate.

I'm not for paying performers, nor instituting a draft.

But I 'd be for some degree of transfer restictions between Corps. Nothing that would make transfers impossible, just a tad more difficult, that's all.

Here's a new recommendation of mine :

Make the G -8 Corps have to pay a " Finders Fee" to the Corps that they take a member of 2 years from.

The former Corps... 90% of the time, a lower level Corps... afterall took that marcher, and taught him or her the ropes of marching, playing, how to go on Tour successfully, etc. Such a Finders Fee would level the financial playing field a tad anyway. If the G-8 don't want to pay the Finders Fee, then they don't have too. And now the marcher has a choice. Stay put, or find another non G-8 Corps, or move on with your life. The point being.. do we want more parity in competition, or don't we ? We can't be allowing the top Corps first dibs on talent every year like this and not expect the same ol same ol Corps NOT to be where they are pretty much year in and year out.

It's long over due time now to tell the G-8 that their days of draining the other Corps of their talent... while simultaneously depriving these Corps of their fair share of the gate receipts..... has now officially come to an end.....(But of course, I don't run DCI, and nobody asked me.)

Edited March 3, 2011 by BRASSO

[Jeff Ream]

With the 16th selection, the Crossmen have traded the pick for 3 sopranos to the Blue Devils who will now pick 16th!

[Stu]

I'm not for paying performers, nor instituting a draft.

But I 'd be for some degree of transfer restictions between Corps. Nothing that would make transfers impossible, just a tad more difficult, that's all.

Here's a new recommendation of mine :

Make the G -8 Corps have to pay a " Finders Fee" to the Corps that they take a member of 2 years from.

The former Corps... 90% of the time, a lower level Corps... afterall took that marcher, and taught him or her the ropes of marching, playing, how to go on Tour successfully, etc. Such a Finders Fee would level the financial playing field a tad anyway. If the G-8 don't want to pay the Finders Fee, then they don't have too. And now the marcher has a choice. Stay put, or find another non G-8 Corps, or move on with your life. The point being.. do we want more parity in competition, or don't we ? We can't be allowing the top Corps first dibs on talent every year like this and not expect the same ol same ol Corps NOT to be where they are pretty much year in and year out.

It's long over due time now to tell the G-8 that their days of draining the other Corps of their talent... while simultaneously depriving these Corps of their fair share of the gate receipts..... has now officially come to an end.....(But of course, I don't run DCI, and nobody asked me.)

Brasso: I am not a fan of the G7 proposal and I find it weird that I am now defending those corps'; however there is not a single verifiable instance, not one, where any of the G7 directors or staff "took" members away from any other corps. And even within the systems like SVC Cadets/A or Blue Devils C/B/A there are those within the SCV Cadets and BDC/B who for some reason choose to audition for other corps'. Each November every youth up to the age limit, every last one of them, has the undeniable choice to audition for whatever corps they want to audition for. If a youth wants to march a few years with XYZ then go audition for a G7 that is the choice of the youth, not a "take" away by the G7 directors or staff. The lower corps' of which you speak get paid by the performer for the training in which you also speak and that contract between the performer and XYZ ends each August; what you are maintaining is that if I pay ABC College for two years training how dare I go to MIT to finish my degree! Well, if XYZ corps is tired of many of their members moving over to a G7, then the XYZ corps has the responsibility to provide what a G7 corps provides; just like if ABC College is not providing what MIT provides and they are tired of students transferring to MIT then it is up to ABC college to increase their own standards up to that of MIT. Now on the other hand, if the DCI performers were "Major League" professionals who were paid salaries then I could agree with a non-transfer type contract clause (which you seem to be advocating). Anyway, show us proof where John Meehan or Scott Johnson of the Blue Devils "yanked" and "took" players away from lower placing corps; go ahead, show us proof.

[Jeff Ream]

Brasso: I am not a fan of the G7 proposal and I find it weird that I am now defending those corps'; however there is not a single verifiable instance, not one, where any of the G7 directors or staff "took" members away from any other corps. And even within the systems like SVC Cadets/A or Blue Devils C/B/A there are those within the SCV Cadets and BDC/B who for some reason choose to audition for other corps'. Each November every youth up to the age limit, every last one of them, has the undeniable choice to audition for whatever corps they want to audition for. If a youth wants to march a few years with XYZ then go audition for a G7 that is the choice of the youth, not a "take" away by the G7 directors or staff. The lower corps' of which you speak get paid by the performer for the training in which you also speak and that contract between the performer and XYZ ends each August; what you are maintaining is that if I pay ABC College for two years training how dare I go to MIT to finish my degree! Well, if XYZ corps is tired of many of their members moving over to a G7, then the XYZ corps has the responsibility to provide what a G7 corps provides; just like if ABC College is not providing what MIT provides and they are tired of students transferring to MIT then it is up to ABC college to increase their own standards up to that of MIT. Now on the other hand, if the DCI performers were "Major League" professionals who were paid salaries then I could agree with a non-transfer type contract clause (which you seem to be advocating). Anyway, show us proof where John Meehan or Scott Johnson of the Blue Devils "yanked" and "took" players away from lower placing corps; go ahead, show us proof.

full of win!

[DWEST]

In a perfect world:

1. No age limit

2. Draft when performer reaches the age of 21. (before the age of 21 is like scouting)

3. Free agency

4. Performers get paid

[Stu]

In a perfect world:

1. No age limit

2. Draft when performer reaches the age of 21. (before the age of 21 is like scouting)

3. Free agency

4. Performers get paid

Slight changes:

In a perfect Major League world (otherwise do not call it Major League and call it what it is which is a youth 501c3 activity):

1. No upper age limit for Major League

2. Draft for Rookies

3. Free agency after Rookie Year (or set number of years)

4. Performers get paid base pay for Rookie Year and Negotiated Salaries thereafter

Edited March 4, 2011 by Stu

[charlie1223]

I'm not for paying performers, nor instituting a draft.

But I 'd be for some degree of transfer restictions between Corps. Nothing that would make transfers impossible, just a tad more difficult, that's all.

Here's a new recommendation of mine :

Make the G -8 Corps have to pay a " Finders Fee" to the Corps that they take a member of 2 years from.

The former Corps... 90% of the time, a lower level Corps... afterall took that marcher, and taught him or her the ropes of marching, playing, how to go on Tour successfully, etc. Such a Finders Fee would level the financial playing field a tad anyway. If the G-8 don't want to pay the Finders Fee, then they don't have too. And now the marcher has a choice. Stay put, or find another non G-8 Corps, or move on with your life. The point being.. do we want more parity in competition, or don't we ?

Dislike immensely. What you're doing by this is making the competition between corps more "equal" while disenfranchise the group of people that matter the MOST. The members. They have a right to decide where to march, and how long to march with a corps. While you may want a corps to win that hasn't won before to win, I don't care who wins, as long as the winner deserves it. becasue what I have learned, and what you should learn, is that the Name of the organization is NOT the thing has one anything. It's the 150 members, through their hard work, that have earned the first place trophy. Those are kids that could freely decide where they would like to march and have decide to march at a corps that happened to win. I would never want to disenfranchise a members RIGHT to march anywhere and for however long just so we can get a different "name" at the top. The members are always more important than the "name" "title" of the organization they are "under".

We can't be allowing the top Corps first dibs on talent every year like this and not expect the same ol same ol Corps NOT to be where they are pretty much year in and year out.

You're saying this as if a corps has any influence on the kind of talent that show up at their door step. Each member has their own incentives and restrictions when deciding where to march. They are the only decision makers and that's the way it should be. It's a competitive market and that's the way it should be. You wouldn't want the government to put a restriction on the "kinds" of people that can buy an Mac vs. a PC.... so why would you want that for drum corps?

It's long over due time now to tell the G-8 that their days of draining the other Corps of their talent...

What you really mean is that members should not be able to have freedom of decision when deciding where they would like to march. Just go ahead and admit that you think your priority of "competitive parity" is more important than member's dream to march in a specific corps, or members financial concerns that make it harder to march another corps that isn't local. And you're limiting the ability for a members to find the perfect match for them, and their ability to make choices that is best for their own circumstances and situation.

while simultaneously depriving these Corps of their fair share of the gate receipts..... has now officially come to an end.....(But of course, I don't run DCI, and nobody asked me.)

Based on this thank goodness you don't! Audiences, Fans, members, etc. make a corps who they are. There isn't anything else to it. You can't punish a corps for being popular and for having a lot of people who want to march their. At the same time you shouldn't force members to march somewhere else if it's deemed "less popular or good". Rights of the members should be the priority.

[DWEST]

Slight changes:

In a perfect Major League world (otherwise do not call it Major League and call it what it is which is a youth 501c3 activity):

1. No upper age limit for Major League

2. Draft for Rookies

3. Free agency after Rookie Year (or set number of years)

4. Performers get paid base pay for Rookie Year and Negotiated Salaries thereafter

Maybe it should be.

1. No one is paid before the age of 21 and can play in any corps.

2. After 21, players are placed in the draft.(for pay)