danielray Posted April 21, 2011 Author Share Posted April 21, 2011 The problem, in essence, is that the drum corps activity is run by corps directors - people who are great at running drum corps organizations but have NO CLUE what they are doing when it comes to business, marketing, partnerships, strategic planning, organizational development, governance, etc., i.e., all the things it takes to create a successful industry. Absolutely agree. There are some excellent corps directors out there that have solid operations. Where things break down is with DCI running as a consortia, trying to balance interests of all corps, but the structure of it is highly inefficient. Once again, DCI should focus on producing and promoting the most incredible and incredibly profitable events. The absolute BEST option for all drum corps out there would be for DCI to shift to be independently managed in a way that corps directors are not on the board and are not making strategic and financial decisions. It will remain in the best interest of DCI to make sure that corps are well taken care in order to ensure the sustainability and profitability of events. Regulatory activities should be then transferred to something like the Drum Corps International Rules Congress, which corps actually have a vote on. I cannot stress enough how corps need to get out of any direct involvement with DCI. I cannot think of one incredibly successful business where so many business decisions are determined by a vote of dozens of individuals, representing the distinct interests of their respective organizations. In order to ensure long term stability, DCI needs to become a dictatorship, not the UN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Absolutely agree. There are some excellent corps directors out there that have solid operations. Where things break down is with DCI running as a consortia, trying to balance interests of all corps, but the structure of it is highly inefficient. Once again, DCI should focus on producing and promoting the most incredible and incredibly profitable events. The absolute BEST option for all drum corps out there would be for DCI to shift to be independently managed in a way that corps directors are not on the board and are not making strategic and financial decisions. It will remain in the best interest of DCI to make sure that corps are well taken care in order to ensure the sustainability and profitability of events. Regulatory activities should be then transferred to something like the Drum Corps International Rules Congress, which corps actually have a vote on. I cannot stress enough how corps need to get out of any direct involvement with DCI. I cannot think of one incredibly successful business where so many business decisions are determined by a vote of dozens of individuals, representing the distinct interests of their respective organizations. In order to ensure long term stability, DCI needs to become a dictatorship, not the UN. On this we actually, and emphatically, agree. Problem is that the foxes run the hen house and are not about to give up their control. What about the two organizations to which you are most frequently associated? Seems they are on the highest rung of "controlling interests" in the activity. Have you asked them if they'd give up their voting control of DCI, and their influence on how it's run? I'm curious as to their answer. But I'll be among the first to get in line to support the effort if you can find a way to pull it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 On this we actually, and emphatically, agree. Problem is that the foxes run the hen house and are not about to give up their control. I think this comes down to being a sort of issue of trust. Sort of like a founder of a company bringing in a new CEO to take it to the next level. If there is a solid sense of trust and the founder feels like the management will do more to increase the value of their interest then they could on their own... it works brilliantly. If there isn't that sense of trust or when it is lost (as often happens with the management change was initiated by an investor or board, rather than a founder...) it will always end in disaster. How to create a sort of transition where there is enough trust with DCI for corps directors to ever consider such a thing? Who knows? What about the two organizations to which you are most frequently associated? Seems they are on the highest rung of "controlling interests" in the activity. Organizations I am most frequently associated with? Not long ago I joined this sort of Beer-of-the-Month club. Not really many other organizations I am associated with. :-) Have you asked them if they'd give up their voting control of DCI, and their influence on how it's run? My guess is that a few corps directors out there are not all that tight with DCI these days as it is. So, some might be more open than others for some sort of change. But, that is little more than a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Tanji Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) Absolutely agree. There are some excellent corps directors out there that have solid operations. Where things break down is with DCI running as a consortia, trying to balance interests of all corps, but the structure of it is highly inefficient. Once again, DCI should focus on producing and promoting the most incredible and incredibly profitable events. The absolute BEST option for all drum corps out there would be for DCI to shift to be independently managed in a way that corps directors are not on the board and are not making strategic and financial decisions. It will remain in the best interest of DCI to make sure that corps are well taken care in order to ensure the sustainability and profitability of events. Regulatory activities should be then transferred to something like the Drum Corps International Rules Congress, which corps actually have a vote on. I cannot stress enough how corps need to get out of any direct involvement with DCI. I cannot think of one incredibly successful business where so many business decisions are determined by a vote of dozens of individuals, representing the distinct interests of their respective organizations. In order to ensure long term stability, DCI needs to become a dictatorship, not the UN. The UN model is very accurate. Each director has an inherent conflict of interest - no one truly has the well-being of the collective as their top priority. You use democratic voting to establish fair procedures and goals, not for making business decisions. The corps directors do not have the expertise - nor the time - to properly manage both their organizations and the activity as a whole. This point cannot be overstated. DCI must enlist the experience and expertise of true business professionals or it will die. We are already suffering dearly for the lack of it. Edited April 22, 2011 by BDUFLS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 DCI works at the behest of the individual corps. Anyone who looks closely enough would find out that the DCI central administration agrees with much of what danielray has said and posted on DCP in the past week or so, but that the individual corps often act as stumbling blocks to implementation. Preaching to DCI is like preaching to the choir in most of the matters. It's the corps themselves that need addressing. DCI desperately needs a YouTube channel. Posting entire shows is unnecessary (and perhaps too difficult), but a channel made up of percussion warm-ups alone could generate enough hits to make DCI a YouTube partner. Couple that with all manner of other original material (instructional videos could be especially popular . . . perhaps fewer of the awkward, corny interviews that corps seem to love) and DCI could end up being paid to advertise. It's goofy not to do it. With all the emphasis on band kids as the "future" of drum corps it seems to me that DCI has done little to develop and expand that part of its fanbase. Your average band kid gets bussed into shows for four or five or six years and buys souvenir drumsticks and t-shirts. That's all well and good, but once they leave band behind, they leave drum corps behind as well unless they're among the very few who remain involved in marching music (marching corps, majoring in music or music ed, working with bands, etc.). DCI has done nothing to turn more of these kids into long-term fans. Yes, there were the rules changes which were justified in part by strange rationale, totally unreinforced by research, that band kids wanted drum corps to be more like band. But that was just a justification as the changes were always about design and not business, except in the minds of a few deluded individuals. Cheap, easy little fixes like a YouTube presence could help keep kids connected to drum corps after they graduate high school without forcing them pay for the Fan Network, show tickets, and so on, all without the needless antagonizing of older fans. It would also be more effective, and cheaper, than any boondoggle finals broadcast as a means of drawing in new fans. :worthy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Absolutely agree. There are some excellent corps directors out there that have solid operations. Where things break down is with DCI running as a consortia, trying to balance interests of all corps, but the structure of it is highly inefficient. Once again, DCI should focus on producing and promoting the most incredible and incredibly profitable events. The absolute BEST option for all drum corps out there would be for DCI to shift to be independently managed in a way that corps directors are not on the board and are not making strategic and financial decisions. It will remain in the best interest of DCI to make sure that corps are well taken care in order to ensure the sustainability and profitability of events. Regulatory activities should be then transferred to something like the Drum Corps International Rules Congress, which corps actually have a vote on. I cannot stress enough how corps need to get out of any direct involvement with DCI. I cannot think of one incredibly successful business where so many business decisions are determined by a vote of dozens of individuals, representing the distinct interests of their respective organizations. In order to ensure long term stability, DCI needs to become a dictatorship, not the UN. you'll have it easier convincing Congress to do what's right for the Country and not the Party Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Where things break down is with DCI running as a consortia, trying to balance interests of all corps, but the structure of it is highly inefficient. Once again, DCI should focus on producing and promoting the most incredible and incredibly profitable events. These should be popular contentions. But before we all mind-numbingly nod in agreement, let's read what follows. The absolute BEST option for all drum corps out there would be for DCI to shift to be independently managed in a way that corps directors are not on the board and are not making strategic and financial decisions. Sounds good at first....but be careful what you wish for. Remember when DCI hired an outside manager as executive director? Sam Mitchell was chosen precisely for the role of bringing strategic/financial decision-making prowess to DCI. And his one year at the helm was one of the more damaging and destructive years in DCI's operational history. Before we hand DCI off to Donald Trump, perhaps we should at least agree on his mission should be in running DCI. And judging from your next sentence.... It will remain in the best interest of DCI to make sure that corps are well taken care in order to ensure the sustainability and profitability of events. ....we're probably not going to be able to agree on that, either. Some of us might actually insist that DCI remain committed to drum corps, not just the profitability of today's roster of morphing, multi-program member organizations. I cannot stress enough how corps need to get out of any direct involvement with DCI. I cannot think of one incredibly successful business where so many business decisions are determined by a vote of dozens of individuals, representing the distinct interests of their respective organizations. That is inaccurate. DCI created an executive BOD back in the 1990s, IIRC. Business decisions are made by this smaller (nine-person) board. The only time "a vote of dozens of individuals" is required is at the annual Rules Congress, or when adding/subtracting a member corps. I understand the sentiment for seeking a wider gene pool for the executive BOD, and have no objection to that. Of course, the current composition of the executive BOD is six corps directors and three outside people. Yes, we need outside business expertise on the BOD....but due to the unique nature of this activity, we also need insiders on the BOD. I don't think it would be wise to have DCI run by a BOD with no corps-administrative experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 These should be popular contentions. But before we all mind-numbingly nod in agreement, let's read what follows. Sounds good at first....but be careful what you wish for. Remember when DCI hired an outside manager as executive director? Sam Mitchell was chosen precisely for the role of bringing strategic/financial decision-making prowess to DCI. And his one year at the helm was one of the more damaging and destructive years in DCI's operational history. Before we hand DCI off to Donald Trump, perhaps we should at least agree on his mission should be in running DCI. And judging from your next sentence.... ....we're probably not going to be able to agree on that, either. Some of us might actually insist that DCI remain committed to drum corps, not just the profitability of today's roster of morphing, multi-program member organizations. That is inaccurate. DCI created an executive BOD back in the 1990s, IIRC. Business decisions are made by this smaller (nine-person) board. The only time "a vote of dozens of individuals" is required is at the annual Rules Congress, or when adding/subtracting a member corps. I understand the sentiment for seeking a wider gene pool for the executive BOD, and have no objection to that. Of course, the current composition of the executive BOD is six corps directors and three outside people. Yes, we need outside business expertise on the BOD....but due to the unique nature of this activity, we also need insiders on the BOD. I don't think it would be wise to have DCI run by a BOD with no corps-administrative experience. 9 people is a hell of a lot of people to have on a board for such a small organization. 5 might even be overkill. The activity needs to convert to a dictatorship... About drum corps experience... I am not sure how many on the board of Cirque du Soleil (great example brought up here) were ever an acrobat or clown. The challenge here is that if you limit your pool of talent to people that have experience with drum corps... not only are you severely limiting the pool of talent you are drawing from... you are increasing the chances that little will change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpaul Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 9 people is a hell of a lot of people to have on a board for such a small organization. 5 might even be overkill. The activity needs to convert to a dictatorship... About drum corps experience... I am not sure how many on the board of Cirque du Soleil (great example brought up here) were ever an acrobat or clown. The challenge here is that if you limit your pool of talent to people that have experience with drum corps... not only are you severely limiting the pool of talent you are drawing from... you are increasing the chances that little will change. Prior experience as an acrobat or clown isn't the issue. You do need people with some working knowledge of what the activity is and what the interests of all the different stakeholders are. Since there is no "real world" parallel to our little club, that perspective needs to come from the inside. (I'm not saying that leadership needs to be restricted to insiders, but there needs to be a presence among the governing body.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bad Bari Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 here's my one question: have you, with all of your experience, approached DCI about this in a way to help them? or would you rather just armchair QB on here? So here it is... A guy on an internet forum... giving another guy on an internet forum crap for his level of actual physical involvement! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Nice one Jeff... I assume you were laughing as you typed this... If not, then it is quite sad indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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