Michael Boo Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) ...If DCI is somehow "not" supposed to be aware of a bad financial condition of a member corps, then the DCI system is broken, and it should get out of the way of the activity before it kills it off. Point of fact, those Teal Sound kids should have never went on tour. ... I'm sorry, but this is low rent business organization at its finest. How many corps do we need to lose to wake up here? Lee...love 'ya, guy, but if you generalize and run with assumptions like this in a court of law, I suspect many judges would throw you out of the room. Do you have information about the scenario that you're suppressing from the rest of us? [Edited because telling someone, "Love 'ya, buy," made less sense than even I usually make.] Edited July 10, 2012 by Michael Boo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friceox Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 The more I think about this, the more I see it as a bus contract problem. A lot of corps 'rent' busses for the tour BUT have their own volunteer drivers. Mostly school bus drivers that load up and tour with their favorite corps - on a volunteer basis. What if Teal contracted buses AND drivers? Did they read the fine print? Did they write their own clauses into the contract? Professional bus drivers I have contracted with (ones that come with day trip tours, casino tours....) must be provided with a hotel room and restaurant meals. Home cooking for weeks? Sleeping on gym floors? Teal staff might have messed up there, but until more facts appear, I'm looking at the bus contract. It's not the bus contract issue. When there's no money for buses, then it's a money issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric M. Buckman Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Teal Sounding folding mid-tour is sad, but by definition, the ball had to have been dropped by both DCI and the Teal Sound board of directors for something like this to happen out of the blue DURING the DCI tour. This sucks for everyone, including the show sponsors. But DCI should have been on top of this before it happened. If DCI is somehow "not" supposed to be aware of a bad financial condition of a member corps, then the DCI system is broken, and it should get out of the way of the activity before it kills it off. Point of fact, those Teal Sound kids should have never went on tour. They should have had a chance to march somewhere else, -- in January. How many DCI age outs just had their last season of drum corps ruined? I'm sorry, but this is low rent business organization at its finest. How many corps do we need to lose to wake up here? Thatta boy Lee...well said. Sad! Consider not how many more corps do we need to lose, considering, how "FEW" there actually are than a mere 30 years ago! Lee Rudnicki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lamon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) I think we tend to blame DCI for everything. They have made some mistakes, but I dont think that they are broken. Individual drum corps have to take responsibility for the decisions they make. DCI can audit the books they are presented, but cant micromanage them every step of the way. This activity is expensive. DCI cant control how a corps spends its money after they are audited. I doubt DCI is as big or powerful as some people think they are. It is also getting harder to be a fan. I have traveled to many DCI championships, but have not for the last two years. Part of it is the cost of travel and part of it is because I dont like Lucas Oil Stadium. This year I looked into buying tickets, but it was out of my budget. I think that part of drum corps problem is its lack of support from those of us that have marched in this activity. I have been involved in many fund raising activities that have reached out to alumni, with little results. I know that some of you have contributed money or volunteered, but the vast majority never contribute or volunteer. They wax nostalgic about how they benefited from the experience, but run when the hat is passed around. We are quick to complain about a $35 dollar ticket price to attend a show, without considering where the money goes or how much money it cost to put on the show. In these current times, drum corps have to be experts at raising funds, charge their members more than they want to and pray nothing bad happens. I dont think DCI is broken, but if it is, it is just a small reason for the state we are in. Edited July 10, 2012 by Randy Lamon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkfdPRphan Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 It's not the bus contract issue. When there's no money for buses, then it's a money issue. You KNOW FOR A FACT that Teal didn't have the money to put down on the original contract? YOU have read such contract and KNOW FOR A FACT that Teal did not pay the amount asked for by the bus company - thereby stranding the kids when the money ran out? REALLY? So, you know for a FACT that Teal was in trouble BEFORE the season started? The contract issue DIDN'T CAUSE the FINANCIAL issue? (I hope you dont believe that every corps should have enough money lying around to be able to finance another complete tour in case the bus contract is broken! That is a major part of any corps financial budget....unless you believe they didnt budget it at all.) ....I will wait and see before accusing people I don't personally know. I HAVE made bus contracts in the past and almost stranded my co-workers by not reading the fine print that the bus driver was not going to stay with us until the end of the event we were taken to unless he was paid for his idle hours. ...I smell something similar here. Not that Teal is blameless. Someone messed up there. But I reserve any shots at the financial people there until more facts come forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I wonder if the divide between corps is deep enough to prevent sufficient funding within DCI to monitor corps on the edge. Last I heard DCI was supposed to focus strictly on the tour promotion and that the individual corps would take care of most everything else. I'm just wondering if some directors are saying "See, they shouldn't be supported. They don't know how to run a corps..." or some-such. Those suggesting DCI would be better managing just a handful of corps would be pretty happy with this news, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 As unpopular as the G7 proposal was a couple years ago, if the policies there were implemented would Teal Sound have had the financial struggles it currently has? Because I think many people here like to think the problems of DCI are related to marketing and show-content but I think the problems are more complicated than that. I'm not in anyway trying to open a can of worms and I'm not stating an opinion about the G7 proposal. no. They wouldn't be here to have struggles, as they would have been getting less a show than they did this year. They weren't in the ranksthe G7 wanted to bother with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Would certainly be less touring/ bus traveling. But also less performance revenue. how so less travel? given the DCI touring model, they would still have to get from show to show, feed the kids on the down days, as well as have facility costs. It's not like they could turn around, go to florida, then come back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 WE DON'T HAVE ANY FACTS other than Teal's management shut things down. no but this shows once in World Class, there should be some form of follow up on finances before disaster hits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friceox Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 You KNOW FOR A FACT that Teal didn't have the money to put down on the original contract? YOU have read such contract and KNOW FOR A FACT that Teal did not pay the amount asked for by the bus company - thereby stranding the kids when the money ran out? REALLY? So, you know for a FACT that Teal was in trouble BEFORE the season started? The contract issue DIDN'T CAUSE the FINANCIAL issue? (I hope you dont believe that every corps should have enough money lying around to be able to finance another complete tour in case the bus contract is broken! That is a major part of any corps financial budget....unless you believe they didnt budget it at all.) ....I will wait and see before accusing people I don't personally know. I HAVE made bus contracts in the past and almost stranded my co-workers by not reading the fine print that the bus driver was not going to stay with us until the end of the event we were taken to unless he was paid for his idle hours. ...I smell something similar here. Not that Teal is blameless. Someone messed up there. But I reserve any shots at the financial people there until more facts come forward. Actually, yes, I did know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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