AmFlag61 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 DCI is the "best in the world for what it does"? Who else are doing it? Being "best" out of a field of 1 isn't that difficult. When AL and VFW were running State & National Championship contests there may have been arguments about which Title was "better". And before you all start flaming, I'm not suggesting a return to those Performance restrictive "Rules & Regulations". DCI opened doors for Corps to become more Artistic, Creative, and Innovative than ever dreamed of. But...at what cost? Countless Posters over the years have correctly pointed out the diminishing number of Drum Corps from "then" to "now". Financial demands have totally eliminated the ability of local Veterans organizations to continue supporting what was once part of their Youth Programs. The original gripe was that Corps weren't getting their "fair share" of prize money and that Corps were locked into antiquated Military style rules of competition. I understand both views. But DCI was "broken" from day 1, in that it ultimately decimated the Drum & Bugle Corps activity in favor of $. And now the toll is being paid. Teal folds in mid-season? The Cavaliers & Phantom Regiment engage in a "Backyard Brawl" to see who can get the greater $ donations? Get real, folks. It's, in the words of The Godfather, "NOTHING Personal, just BUSINESS". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) DCI is the "best in the world for what it does"? Who else are doing it? Being "best" out of a field of 1 isn't that difficult. When AL and VFW were running State & National Championship contests there may have been arguments about which Title was "better". And before you all start flaming, I'm not suggesting a return to those Performance restrictive "Rules & Regulations". DCI opened doors for Corps to become more Artistic, Creative, and Innovative than ever dreamed of. But...at what cost? Countless Posters over the years have correctly pointed out the diminishing number of Drum Corps from "then" to "now". Financial demands have totally eliminated the ability of local Veterans organizations to continue supporting what was once part of their Youth Programs. The original gripe was that Corps weren't getting their "fair share" of prize money and that Corps were locked into antiquated Military style rules of competition. I understand both views. But DCI was "broken" from day 1, in that it ultimately decimated the Drum & Bugle Corps activity in favor of $. And now the toll is being paid. Teal folds in mid-season? The Cavaliers & Phantom Regiment engage in a "Backyard Brawl" to see who can get the greater $ donations? Get real, folks. It's, in the words of The Godfather, "NOTHING Personal, just BUSINESS". A few things: You arent wrong about alot of what you say and i do believe that there have been issues right from day 1. With that said, VFWs and Legions cant even take care of them selves now a days and there are 1/4 the amount of these places than there was BITD.... What happened to Teal has nothing to do with anything but very bad management, a current Admin. who also had to deal with the past Admin. issues, letting many kids getting away with promising to pay and Not paying, and IMO..being in WC when for many reasons they had no reason being there. I said that from their beginning in WC and many disagreed..well here they are today. I did chuckle when you said "Best in the world and who else is doing it "..lol.....its true...its all SELF imposed glory..its like when WGI originally called it the Olympics and even used the oylmpic circles as a logo until they got told NO NO I agree about what you said about the freedom of creative writing BUT it was way more than that , it was also controlling their own financial destiny . Edited July 12, 2012 by GUARDLING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmFlag61 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) Points well taken. The demise of AL/VFW Posts nationwide is a philosophical discourse that could take pages. The reluctance of existing Veterans organizations to accept Viet Nam vets led to the creation of VVA and VietNow, thus depriving AL/VFW of new members.. Succeeding conflicts have not encouraged returning Vets to exhibit the same degree of Pride that WW1, WW2, and Korea did. As a result diminishing Veteran Posts are no longer a source of Drum Corps support. Nor have they been for decades. The questions remain as the OP has stated. But DCI, while not the best game, is the only game in town. Alternatives? I, frankly, see none. Edited July 12, 2012 by AmFlag61 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 ... Might be time to reconsider the idea of the G-PickANumber. Mike If the corps shows during the summer are split into say (1 - 8 from last season) (9 - 16) (17 - 25) then the ticket prices to those splits should also reflect the breakdown. Not many fans are going to be willing to pay the same price to see 9 - 16 as 1 - 8; or 17 - 25 as 9 - 16. Moreover, most of the fans will flock to just the 1 - 8 shows causing financial hardships on all other shows and all other corps. So, I think it is an awful idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkjazzaxe Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Good discussion... my comment of DCI being "best" was meant to mean the CORPS being the best at what they do- marching arts. I should have been more clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasgre2000 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 As for your comments about "revenue sharing" being a bad thing, there's already "revenue sharing" of a sort in DCI in the form of standardized appearance fees. And between the ToC shows and the standard contract, stronger, richer corps are getting more money per appearance. But why should that be so? It costs Teal and Surf essentially just as much as it costs Bluecoats and Blue Devils to run their tour, pay for fuel and equipment, and all the rest. That should be so, because the "stronger, richer corps" are the corps that are persuading people to pay a lot of money for tickets and internet streams. Which show do you think will have a larger audience? One featuring the Blue Devils, Cavaliers, and Cadets? or one featuring the Teal Sound, Pioneer, and Cascades? This is simple basic economics 101. Supply and demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasgre2000 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Another great example is Carolina Crown, genius behind the scene cash flow from ticket operating, etc. Crown is a good study because they are a relatively new player in comparison to many of the elite. Crown is a perfect model for corps to follow, and proves that you can move up in this activity. The suggestion that the lower level WC corps are stuck there forever is just not true. They can move up, and as they become more competitive they will be rewarded with better financial stability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkjazzaxe Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Agreed about Crown. They have a great business plan it seems. I do believe corps can rise up, we've seen it with Crown. However, I do think it is very, very difficult. To be competitive you need financial stability, and to have financial stability (at least from corps touring operations, which is most corps' main source of cash flow) you need to competitive. Its a catch-22. Financial stability needs to come first. Corps need to have a solid business plan in place prior to everything else. New corps, especially, need to have some sort of on-going cash flow in addition to audition and tour fees. Crowns success can be traced directly to having the resources to hire great staff, purchase the best equipment, and provide a truly high quality experience for the members. This leads to more people auditioning, better placing, more interest, even more $$$, etc. It snowballs in a positive direction. It starts with cash flow, though. Corps are a business just as much a performing arts organization and youth activity. We need more Bill Cooks (Star) and Ted Swaldos ('Coats) at the helm- brilliant business minds who understand how to structure a world class organization and insure it remains fiscally solvent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Pseudo Parents. Most corps already have those ties established and have been in place for decades. Care to elaborate? A WC corps may have 10 members from their geographic area out of the 150 total. Does 'pseudo parents' mean that each of those 10 local families ends up with 14 other members to house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodb Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 That should be so, because the "stronger, richer corps" are the corps that are persuading people to pay a lot of money for tickets and internet streams. Which show do you think will have a larger audience? One featuring the Blue Devils, Cavaliers, and Cadets? or one featuring the Teal Sound, Pioneer, and Cascades? Depends. What were their scores the night before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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