Save the Glassmen

[barigirl78]

The issue here is an ongoing problem with corps that are below the 6th place level that are trying despairingly to keep up with those organizations above them through what any means necessary. Having been first hand involved from 2006-2011 working to move a corps into that level, the outlook of accumulating more debt became greater with each step we took forward. So much to the point that the "we can do this" vs. the "we really need to step back and look at this more closely before moving on" scenario should have come into play. Some of the poster's original point about the business model that DCI has does not conform well with what we are attempting to do in today's market is exactly correct....IT Doesn't work to all the corps that are in the activity and just trying to make it on a day to day, month to month operation. There needs to be a more realistic and achievable method where all corps can prosper within their own guidelines and budgets in order for the activity to continue to strengthen. With the costs of fuel, food, transportation, staff, insurance, etc.... continuing to rise every year....the back side of the income does not increase, not does it make sense to only be receiving a mere 1/4 - 1/3 of the cost in performance fees to the individual corps, while looking at the costs to bring them(travel) to a show can run nearly 3 - 4 times that amount. It is definitely time to start looking at how the organization can help build the corps strengths and utilize those corps into the elite Marching Major League Division one day. Look at the other sports series, NFL with the UFl and the European League, NBA and the D-League teams, NHL and the AHL and lower leagues, MLB amd the farm teams. Sports teams are learning each year to make it work, even though it is on a different level, but we can use this same philosophy if we would only sit down and be honest with each other on what our true books and records look like so that we can develop a stronger DCI that will benefit all who choose to compete within the auspices of said organization.

If you ask me, the answer may be for all DCI corps to agree to a spending cap that is below what they are spending now and is . So, many of the so-called advances in the activity in the past decade have added to the costs of running a corps without driving any additional revenue to the activity. The top corps are the ones dictating what every corps needs to spend to stay competitive and it may be good for them, but it's not good for the activity.

The salary cap the NFL operates under has been very, very good for the NFL in terms of increased popularity and more parity. Someone figured out that giving everyone the chance to succeed was good for the activity overall and lifted all boats.

[cixelsyd]

Randy -

Thank you for sharing your insights here. This is a conversation that needs to take place.

The issue here is an ongoing problem with corps that are below the 6th place level that are trying despairingly to keep up with those organizations above them through what any means necessary. Having been first hand involved from 2006-2011 working to move a corps into that level, the outlook of accumulating more debt became greater with each step we took forward. So much to the point that the "we can do this" vs. the "we really need to step back and look at this more closely before moving on" scenario should have come into play.

I am with you so far.

Some of the poster's original point about the business model that DCI has does not conform well with what we are attempting to do in today's market is exactly correct....IT Doesn't work to all the corps that are in the activity and just trying to make it on a day to day, month to month operation. There needs to be a more realistic and achievable method where all corps can prosper within their own guidelines and budgets in order for the activity to continue to strengthen. With the costs of fuel, food, transportation, staff, insurance, etc.... continuing to rise every year....the back side of the income does not increase, not does it make sense to only be receiving a mere 1/4 - 1/3 of the cost in performance fees to the individual corps, while looking at the costs to bring them(travel) to a show can run nearly 3 - 4 times that amount.

I am still with you - but feel there is one thing to clarify. Drum corps has never had a true business model, because drum corps is not a pure business. All through history, people have been drawn into drum corps competition at least partly because of the competitive angle - the chance to become one of the best, or champion, of their class/circuit/state/nation/world. That competitive drive causes people to devote their time, energy and money (remember that part) to the pursuit. Like any other amateur sport, part of the battle is waged away from the contest field, where funds must be raised to cover the expenses of preparing your team to compete with other similarly funded teams.

The business model of a drum corps circuit, like that of amateur sports, must therefore account for the fact that their role is to provide as level a playing field as possible for their sport. A governing body like DCI cannot stop some corps from out-fundraising others, but it can define the nature of the activity so that it focuses on the participants and not on ever-increasing equipment, travel and other costs.

It is definitely time to start looking at how the organization can help build the corps strengths and utilize those corps into the elite Marching Major League Division one day. Look at the other sports series, NFL with the UFl and the European League, NBA and the D-League teams, NHL and the AHL and lower leagues, MLB amd the farm teams. Sports teams are learning each year to make it work, even though it is on a different level, but we can use this same philosophy if we would only sit down and be honest with each other on what our true books and records look like so that we can develop a stronger DCI that will benefit all who choose to compete within the auspices of said organization.

No doubt, looking to those examples will prove useful - selectively. These leagues have interesting ideas for funding and promotion, some of which have already come into use among enterprising corps such as the one you worked with. But while drum corps may be the major league of marching music, that does not mean it has the ability to become as self-sustaining as the major leagues you name above.

One advantage the individual drum corps has is the ability to cut their costs to fit their budget. A team in a sports league may already have their travel schedule dictated to them by the league. A drum corps has some flexibility in choosing where to travel, how to travel, and how long to stay on the road.

I hope corps like the Glassmen look at all their options on both the revenue and cost side of their budget as they go forward.

[elmhurstmusiced]

DCI's fault?

I guess it must always be.

Edited October 22, 2012 by elmhurstmusiced

[mingusmonk]

Does this announcement doom the Glassmen??

If I were a prospective member, would I seriously consider joining a corps that may not make it through the winter? I would rethink my audition preferences and go somewhere else. IF, and that is a big IF, Glassmen cannot meet their 150 member requirement, then the gap between income and budget gets larger, much larger. How will they make up that difference?

Trying to raise $300,000 in 30 days is quite a feat. $10,000 per day.

I wish them the best and hope that they succeed.

I read that as 30 days, best case, or otherwise 70 days (end of year). Still no small task.

Once again, good luck.

[Pete Freedman]

I'm not sure this isn't all just due to the economy. From the DCI scores currently posted (for 2011 and 2012) there is a sharp decline in corps going to finals week - it's a little murky because some of the open class corps go to finals too - but World Class prelims went from 41 in 2011 to 35 in 2012.

But maybe that's what you expect when the global economy takes the hit that it did. I don't have those stats for the last 20 years say, but it can't have been dropping at that rate all along. Yes, many corps folded in the early 80s, but again that was just after a huge recession. It's possible that what we're seeing here is a pattern of corps budgets being hammered by recessions, and then surviving a few years on big loans, then having a debt crisis even as the economy recovers.

So, things may pick up again eventually. Cold comfort for the corps that are struggling now, though.

With the costs of fuel, food, transportation, staff, insurance, etc.... continuing to rise every year....the back side of the income does not increase, not does it make sense to only be receiving a mere 1/4 - 1/3 of the cost in performance fees to the individual corps, while looking at the costs to bring them(travel) to a show can run nearly 3 - 4 times that amount.

Actually, I would think the costs (except fuel) would go up at the general rate of inflation, and so should the revenues - except that the high unemployment means somewhat fewer kids can go, which has a big impact. Still, once unemployment comes down and gas prices stabilize (yeah, right) things may settle. Do I sound confident?

Look at the other sports series, NFL with the UFl and the European League, NBA and the D-League teams, NHL and the AHL and lower leagues, MLB amd the farm teams. Sports teams are learning each year to make it work, even though it is on a different level, but we can use this same philosophy if we would only sit down and be honest with each other on what our true books and records look like so that we can develop a stronger DCI that will benefit all who choose to compete within the auspices of said organization.

Those sports promote themselves aggressively. They believe their sports have inherent value to the general public and invest heavily in that belief. DCI does essentially no promotion outside the existing fan base. Also, TV is a critical medium for those sports, while there is a strong perception that the value of drum corps is largely limited to live audiences, and to a few good seats at that. I think this is wrong (in fact, quite a few people say they discovered drum corps from TV), but that seems to be the view among many. The video is thought of as an adjunct to the live performance. I think HD can change that.

DCI could follow the Formula 1 model of leasing the media rights to a private company that then has to make their money back. That company would be in a unique position to make drum corps popular. They would be under pressure to develop the creativity and marketing savvy DCI can't get by just hiring people to follow a set of rules. Currently, any major initiatives have to be approved by 12 directors!

But in any event, you would need at least a big one time media blitz to break drum corps into the mainstream consciousness. When Bill Cook was alive, this could have been a possibility. Until that happens (and works) each drum corps will depend on good people who see the value of independent performing arts educational organizations.

[chaos001]

If you ask me, the answer may be for all DCI corps to agree to a spending cap that is below what they are spending now and is . So, many of the so-called advances in the activity in the past decade have added to the costs of running a corps without driving any additional revenue to the activity. The top corps are the ones dictating what every corps needs to spend to stay competitive and it may be good for them, but it's not good for the activity.

The salary cap the NFL operates under has been very, very good for the NFL in terms of increased popularity and more parity. Someone figured out that giving everyone the chance to succeed was good for the activity overall and lifted all boats.

Electronics and amps are marginal expenses in the long run. The biggest burden to drum corps is fuel, which no corps can dictate the price. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but an average night's fill-up for the fleet is easily $5K. After that, food costs are in second place in the budget.

It seems that some people wish to apply business ideas that work well for profit-driven companies. In DCI, the idea is to break even. Not to say that some of these ideas won't work and aren't valid, but if a corps can sustain the costs of traveling, then they shouldn't be penalized because others cannot. Each corps should find ways of meeting its own needs first and taking care of its own house. I could see where DCI could step in for certain situations to give a helping hand, but the corps must be responsible for themselves.

Since fuel is the biggest cost, maybe the number and/or location of shows could be condensed where the shows are only on Thursdays-Sundays in areas of dense population within a region (like they do after Minneapolis), then the corps move on to another region (like locusts but with better music)...just an idea.

Edited October 22, 2012 by chaos001

[Spartans87]

This is not 'before' bad things happen; it is before folding or dumping on the performers while on tour that is true; but they are in debt because of those loans and apparently cannot sustain a tour and pay on the loans; so this is either 'during' or 'after' a bad thing has already happened.

Well, you are making an assumption that the corps obtaining a loan was done so for a "bad" reason. It is possible that the corps has had sufficient fundraising, including bingo, and that has been reduced substantially over some period of time. The plea for help only means, despite efforts they have made in the past, and I would "assume" from the positing they have managed with a reduction for some time, not overnight, that they have decided, appropriately in my opinion, that running with a deficit is not the proper way to insure the corps moves forward safely and soundly. So they do something they have not done in the past - ask us for help.

This absolutely does NOT mean it is "after" or "during" a bad situation.

As far as I can see, with the limited information we have, Glassmen are doing the right thing BEFORE a bad situation arises. I applaud them.

[MikeD]

Since fuel is the biggest cost, maybe the number and/or location of shows could be condensed where the shows are only on Thursdays-Sundays in areas of dense population within a region (like they do after Minneapolis), then the corps move on to another region (like locusts but with better music)...just an idea.

One problem there to be overcome is that it gets harder and harder to find housing sites for even a single night, let alone places to house corps for 1/2 a week.

[Getintoyourcolor]

This is an important discussion...

There are only a handful of World-Class drum corps with the financial sustainability to keep themselves on the field beyond one year.

The DCI touring model is literally choking many drum corps' to death.

As much as I love the idea of having all the corps' embark on a full US summer tour, the amount of money needed to do so is simply too high for most.

Drum corps is at a tipping point. The entire competitive structure must be re-thought.

No one wants to hear about another corps trying to desperately fund its summer at the last minute...

[Pete Freedman]

Well, you are making an assumption ...

Stu will happily hijack the entire thread to prove his bad management hobbyhorse (not BD hobbyhorses...). He will attack the corps in question in post after post as needed to accomplish this. My recommendation is: don't take his bait.