dmndsol Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 (not sarcasm) Thank you all you have given me alot to think about. I feel like corps could never be for profit. Not without a HUGE change in the business model and a nationwide demand for drum corps. The demand for drum corps will never be high enough This post is, I suppose, the answer I was looking for. I would like to believe in a world where heroes and "Idols" are actuallly well rounded people like those that are created in drum and bugle corps. I know no one is perfect but I think in general maybe better than most. I would rather my children look up to a Trooper DM or a Cadet section leader as a non-familial role-model than what is presented in contemporary media, you know which "reality stars" I mean. The DM's, Section leaders, Gaurd captains, basically all the people who make a Corps get down the road and truly WORK to entertain us should get a little more scratch for their effort. I don't know if this gets my point across and I know that life isn't fair but it shoiuld be a little closer to even than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPendergrass Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Drum Corps could be for profit groups, but it would take changing the activity considerably. All the old timers complain about things like G to Bb, but in reality, a variety type show or Blast! type show could be done and be made profitable on a bigger level, an outdoor level, even a competative level. The variety type format that we saw in Rockford last year, is a step closer to that transformation. Making the entire event a spectacle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Drum Corps could be for profit groups, but it would take changing the activity considerably. All the old timers complain about things like G to Bb, but in reality, a variety type show or Blast! type show could be done and be made profitable on a bigger level, an outdoor level, even a competative level. The variety type format that we saw in Rockford last year, is a step closer to that transformation. Making the entire event a spectacle. An outdoor level? A competative level? Sir Arthur surely you jest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I love Blast, but from what folks on here have said, I don't think it was ever really that profitable. It's a shame - I'd pay a pretty penny for an indoor, air conditioned, intimate drum corps show with multiple groups. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPendergrass Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I don't think it was ever really that profitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 ...But in an era of ever rising gas costs, is criss crossing the country for the entire summer a smart financial move? ... Is there really an alternative? The communities that spawned the regional opportunities of the past don't exist any more. They've been replaced by the suburban sprawl that defines the geography and the mentality of today. If drum corps could confine its travels to closer competitions, it would. It doesn't because it can't. There aren't enough corps or communities to support the old way. Drum corps is no different in this respect than most other activities. My son might not play little league baseball this year because the local travel teams are changing the local dynamics. The castes created are driving away lesser talents and forcing the consolidation of multiple grades in the same division. Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum, my daughter has been recruited out of her perfectly good dance school to "compete" for a better program which travels to bigger competitions. We may or may not be able to build more corps incrementally and slowly through the years. If we succeed, we might be able to support more regional touring. What we can't reverse is the ever-increasing demand in our society to raise the level of achievement and competition even if it comes at the expense of traditional models that worked for generations. That sort of evolution is inevitable and insensitive to the havoc it leaves behind. That's what killed off all those corps in the 70s, 80s and 90s. And that's why they're never coming back - at least not like before. HH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) (not sarcasm) Thank you all you have given me alot to think about. I feel like corps could never be for profit. Not without a HUGE change in the business model and a nationwide demand for drum corps. The demand for drum corps will never be high enough This post is, I suppose, the answer I was looking for. I would like to believe in a world where heroes and "Idols" are actuallly well rounded people like those that are created in drum and bugle corps. I know no one is perfect but I think in general maybe better than most. I would rather my children look up to a Trooper DM or a Cadet section leader as a non-familial role-model than what is presented in contemporary media, you know which "reality stars" I mean. The DM's, Section leaders, Gaurd captains, basically all the people who make a Corps get down the road and truly WORK to entertain us should get a little more scratch for their effort. I don't know if this gets my point across and I know that life isn't fair but it shoiuld be a little closer to even than it is. I think that, without understanding the financials of most corps, your point is that you believe that every corps should be super-successful, because you see the benefit that our activity bestows on its members. I agree, and I wish every corps ran on a million-dollar budget and turned away dozens of tryouts every year, knowing that there was another corps where that kid could march. You want that because it impacts the kids in such a wonderful way. I get that. I agree, whole-heartedly. But the facts of today's drum corps is that you don't really get recognized, or get much support for your program, until you cross the half-million dollar mark in what you spend putting a show on the field. I can explain the balance sheet and income statement to you, but it won't matter. In today's world, drum corps doesn't become self-fulfilling until you break the top-12. And that takes raising, and spending, half-a-million, minimum. The kids getting that wonderful "life" education is limited to a small number of corps, and those corps and the top corps have made participation so exclusive that it's very hard to get any recognition at all. And kids want recognition in the form of full stadiums. Those are few and far between these days. Edited to correct my line of thinking. Edited March 2, 2012 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 ...The kids getting that wonderful "life" education is limited to a small number of corps, and those corps have made participation so exclusive that it's very hard to get any recognition at all... Do you really think that's true? Kids in non-finalist corps don't derive enough benefit from the experience? I'm a skeptic both about the statement and that you might believe it's true. Sorry. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) Do you really think that's true? Kids in non-finalist corps don't derive enough benefit from the experience? I'm a skeptic both about the statement and that you might believe it's true. Sorry. HH (Glory: I edited my previous to correct my thinking. My typing was unclear.) Kids in non-finalist corps don't get enough recognition for their efforts, no. Recognition in the form of profitability is hard to come by, and even breaking into finals is barely enough. Are the kids in OC fulfilled? Yes, I suppose, mostly. Many can't wait to jump to a top-12, or go home apparently. Our activity has allowed itself to become focused on the TOC circuit, and on the finals. We've been led to believe that's where the value is. They spend the most. They are the most entertaining. There are a sad-few corps providing that experience to kids today. There are darn fewer that make (and spend) upwards of a million dollars doing it. Yet, we're pushed to believe that they deserve all the attention, and financial support. The OP's comments were lamenting that fact. I do, too. Edited March 2, 2012 by garfield 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 A federally recognized 501©(3) is a classification placed on an organization by the Internal Revenue Service exempting an organization from certain taxes; as in point, under section 501(a) being qualified to be exempt from Federal income tax (on the corporate level). On the state level, each state is different and may allow certain exemptions from tax liabilities as well; such as exemptions on sales and use taxes, rooms taxes, etc. Each state is different. The status of 501©(3) also allows certain contributions to be considered deductions by the donor(s). The status has nothing to do with the entity being profitable, or not. .......and all that information and 47 cents still will only get you a senior cup of coffee at the local McDonald's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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