Dear Dinosaurs

[danielray]

No there isn't. There is no correlation at all to placement and the level of audience reception to Corps shows. None.

Dude, I've done merchandising for corps.... have analyzed years of numbers.... show attendance, demographics and placement at shows. I'm making the statement on actual data and experience doing this ####. Not a guess.

I can tell you, for a fact, that when Cadets, for example, do a show that is off the mark in terms of fan interest or competitive placement, they really feel it in their merchandising sales.

I can also tell you what the impact of different demographic mixes are comparing shows like San Antonio vs. Allentown.

Allentown tends to move less volume, but higher-margin items, while San Antonio moves higher volumes of lower margin items.

When you look at the average spend per attendee on a show by show basis, it is pretty interesting. You can pretty much break it down into a formula that has the show attendance weighted by the number of students bussed in and competitive placement. Kids tend to be more influenced than adults by competitive placement when it comes to merchandising sales. Older fans tend to be set in their ways.

[BRASSO]

Which is why the smart money is on DON'T TAKE THE BAIT.....

Its sometimes difficult to tell if a poster is using sarcasm as a goof, or if the poster is really serious. The notion that " mechandising sales " are the best indicator of a shows success with audiences is just plain silly. So who knows, maybe he is saying this tonque in cheek and doesn't really believe such nonsense.

[Fran Haring]

You mean to say I'm kind of a dick?

I'm shocked... SHOCKED... at that characterization of yourself.

[BRASSO]

Dude, I've done merchandising for corps.... have analyzed years of numbers.... show attendance, demographics and placement at shows. I'm making the statement on actual data and experience doing this ####. Not a guess.

I don't care if you were born inside a Corps merchandising souvie truck and/ or spent 50 years working the Corps souvie truck. The notion that competitive placement and the national audience reception levels to Corps are directly related and that " merchandising sales " are "the best gauge" ( your words ) of audiences level of reception to shows is just plain silly, imo. For just ONE example, for years the Troopers merchandise sold very well, yet their competitive placement did not reflect their solid and brisk merchandising sales levels at all.Many a year their sales of merchandise far outstripped higher placing Corps. And the BEST indicator of a shows response with national audiences is the reception itself by the audience after the performance. Not what the Corps sells 100 yards away in their merchandise souvie truck. Its just goofy to think audience response is trumped by sales of clothing and whatnot. And placements and national audience receptions to shows in any given year are for the most part unrelated too.

Edited August 27, 2012 by BRASSO

[skevinp]

And are those who are complaining about the complaining adding anything new to the dialogue?

I would point out that you yourself are complaining about those who are complaining about the complaining but then I would be complaining about your complaining about their complaining about the complaining.

[Stu]

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was....

David Byrne and the Talking Heads; wonderful!!!!!!!!!

[perc2100]

And are those who are complaining about the complaining adding anything new to the dialogue?

1) VERY little of posts on DCP "add anything new to the dialogue." Most of the threads & comments read like white noise: a bit annoying but mostly benign

2) I think he's adding something new to the current dialogue (i.e. the vitriol coming from fans who seemingly have no idea that the competitive nature of drum corps is achieving elements from specific judging verbiage, and nothing to do with individual entertainment factor). The OP is correlating common complaints about the modern trends of the activity with changes/trends from sometimes over 25 years ago.

Also, complaining about complaining about complaining is lame (note: I'm not complaining just pointing out the obvious). And at the absolute least the OP is contributing FAR more with his first post than your response (and mine, for that matter).

[oldskl3rings]

Drum corps has always changed, will always change... a younger generation will dig the #### out of it... while an older generation will nonsensically complain about it. This is the cycle. There is no crisis here. The sky is not falling. This is nothing new.

As a supreme dino I want to know why DC must always change. Activities change to draw more fans, more participants, in short grow the activity. So, Mr. OP, how successful has this constant change been? Do we now have more fans, more shows, corps than 40 years ago? How about 30…20…10? No need to answer.

[BRASSO]

Drum corps has always changed, will always change... a younger generation will dig the #### out of it... while an older generation will nonsensically complain about it. This is the cycle. There is no crisis here. The sky is not falling. This is nothing new.

As a supreme dino I want to know why DC must always change. Activities change to draw more fans, more participants, in short grow the activity. So, Mr. OP, how successful has this constant change been? Do we now have more fans, more shows, corps than 40 years ago? How about 30…20…10? No need to answer.

There was a proposal in NBA basketball to allow the multi colored basketball that the now defunct ABA Basketball league utilized. Its been voted down. repeatedly.... for 35 years now. It was decided to keep the same color of the basketball in place that has been utilized since just after World War 2.

Major League baseball has repeatedly voted down the utilization of the aluminum bat that invented by William Shroyer of Dayton Ohio in 1924...... MLB prefers the continuation of the use of the wooden bat that has been used since the Civil War. The game of Soccer has essentially not changed in 4 centuries. All these sports have shown tremendous audience growth upticks since 1972 despite only cosmetic changes allowed in these sports over the last 100 years...... The classic instrumentation used in Symphony Orchestras has essentially not changed in 300 years. Some instrumentation is utilized however on occasion to augment the basic configuration and instruments primarily utilized to play the classic compositions that have been played by world wide Symphony Orchestras over a million times since 1972. Generations of Patrons of world wide Symphony Orchestras would never permit, nor take kindly, to altering the fundamentals of the instrumentation of the Symphony Orchestra that has been in place since even before the Brittish under King George lost his Brittish Colonies in the foreign land called America. Thus, there has essentially been no major change in the instrumentation utilized in the classic Symphony Orchestra for over 300 years.

Edited August 27, 2012 by BRASSO

[Jeff Ream]

So, first of all, let me just say that the Fan Network rocks. Being able to pull up anything on demand and check it out or see live shows... well worth the subscription.

Anyway, just interesting to see a lot of dinos on here complaining about things these days, when much of what they complain about today is stuff that has been around for ages.

It was really the 80's and early 90's that were the most radical in terms of change in drum corps.

Those complaining about props and costume changes seem to have a very selective memory and might want to check out SCV 87.

Those complaining about out there color guard uniforms and chop/bop music need to remember Suncoast Sound 88.

Those complaining about dancers out there need to check out Cadets 87.

Those complaining about no shako's or jackets need to watch Blue Devils 92.

Those complaining about singing need to go back and watch Cadets 84.

Those complaining about about mashing up tunes seem to have forgotten Cadets 89.

Point is ... I remember those already extinct complaining about all those things above in my day, how those things killed drum corps. This is no different than the current generation of old timers complaining about the current state of the activity.

Drum corps has always changed, will always change... a younger generation will dig the #### out of it... while an older generation will nonsensically complain about it. This is the cycle. There is no crisis here. The sky is not falling. This is nothing new.

Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was....

those saying everything is just fine is....well...like those saying everything was just fine 20 years ago. same as it ever was ( while wondering if even 40 corps will be at finals week next year)