Jeff Ream Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 And therein is one of the business flaw issues concerning why the activity cannot grow. The corps directors/boards who have become dependent on competitive payouts to 'survive' cannot grasp the fact that by continuing to rely on a very high percentage payout it actually yields small/no activity growth and continuously paltry revenue streams. We can banter about the true definition of what is or is not a true Major League, but one thing all Major Leagues have in common is that the teams are not survival-dependent on payouts from the sanctioning bodies, they have many other revenue streams to prop them up during competitive lull periods. I won't disagree on how the business side of DCI is run. But even if that were to change, I really don't see tv being a part of the solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSU GRAD 82 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Our current product has much TOO LITTLE to offer mass audiences. As it stands, TV coverage is unlikely to help much. We are too unique, too specific, too hard to understand. Sorry, but true. For those not already out there in support, our performances need to change into something more entertaining before a typical TV effort would pay off. Currently, DCI even has too little to offer older former Corps members and fans like myself. You can forget about the mass audiences. We discuss ad nauseum on here about what we don't like about the current state of affairs, but it does no good. New seasons come and go and it's the SOS every Summer (With a few exceptions scattered here and there) with Show Designers and Judges ruling supreme over what Corps perform visually and musically. If you can't even hold OUR attention, how are you going to attract a new mass audience? Aint happening, no matter how strong you wish it to be. Time to drop the Ego and go more retro, with shows that combine the best of current with the best of what was so popular in the 70's, 80's and 90's. I'm still waiting for good "Hybrid" show to be unveiled, but not standing around holding my breath. Too many wretched excess "I'm Right" egos involved in the process currently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 ...Time to drop the Ego and go more retro, with shows that combine the best of current with the best of what was so popular in the 70's, 80's and 90's... One of my favorite lapses in logic. More corps died during this purported perfect program period than in any time since. The golden age of Chuck Mangione and the 50-yard-line drumline elevator shaft didn't attract new corps to the activity - the key to growth in audience - any more than broadcast TV did. On the contrary, all those sops and contras serenaded a far larger exodus than any since Bb or electronics. Programming isn't the problem - live or on video. HH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 ... TV should ONLY be a medium to introduce prospetive marching member participants and their parents to the activity. Spending any money to provide entertainment to the existing fan base is wasted if it doesn't draw organic growth of the participant base... This is an intriguing thought. My question is how can DCI achieve growth via TV without eating into revenue generated from existing fans? Or to ask it a different way: Isn't that what DCI is doing now? The free content on YouTube versus the complete content on FanNetwork? HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) One of my favorite lapses in logic. More corps died during this purported perfect program period than in any time since. Its my favorite lapsed logic too. Thats because the lapsed logic forgets that the most logical reason that more Corps died in the 70's is because there were so many more Corps in numbers available to potentially die. Edited May 20, 2013 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 (edited) How, then, do you get those who have aged out of drum corps to keep watching drum corps? Clearly, right now, they're not. Mike Good question. The biggest drop off of fans following Drum Corps after they age out, is this generation's.( despite the " better programming .") Its of concern because the the numbers of marchers in Drum Corps today is significantlly lower than in previous generations. So there is less room to compensate for attrition loss. The loss of TV to DCI Drum Corps is a sidebar to its dwindling loss of participants in the activity and to its national audience base. Things need to change. The road it currently is on, is unsustainable. A new direction, and a new appeal to audiences is needed. Its as clear as a bell it seems to me. It will be up to the next generation ( recent age outs ) to forge a new pathway to audience appeal and marcher growth. Most of today's judges and Corps design staffs are getting up there in age. Some are in their 60's and 70's. Amost all of 'em are already on the AARP mailing list,( many are enrolled ). So soon, we'll see these folks moving on, and the torch will be handed off to the next generation, those under 40, to forge a new direction. We'll have younger judges soon enough. And younger design and programming teams. Perhaps the next generation of judges will look at shows much differently... perhaps with younger design staffs, they'll design programming that'll be much different too. But who knows... we'll see. Edited May 20, 2013 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Its my favorite lapsed logic too. Thats because the lapsed logic forgets that the most logical reason that more Corps died in the 70's is because there were so many more Corps in numbers available to potentially die. Glory's point is perfectly valid though; it is not a "lapse in logic" at all. Corps died off all through the 60's, 70's and 80's performing the type of shows LSU thinks will stop corps from folding. You are right...there were far more corps around back then, but they folded by the hundreds. The reasons have been debated ad nauseum here, but Glory is absolutely correct in that those who are looking for corps to do retro, backwards-looking shows are looking at this backwards to trying to maintain and maybe even grow the activity. Your next post hit at the direction needed, though you and I may have different conclusions as to what that direction should be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Good question. The biggest drop off of fans following Drum Corps after they age out, is this generation's.( despite the " better programming .") Its of concern because the the numbers of marchers in Drum Corps today is significantlly lower than in previous generations. So there is less room to compensate for attrition loss. The loss of TV to DCI Drum Corps is a sidebar to its dwindling loss of participants in the activity and to its national audience base. Things need to change. The road it currently is on, is unsustainable. A new direction, and a new appeal to audiences is needed. Its as clear as a bell it seems to me. It will be up to the next generation ( recent age outs ) to forge a new pathway to audience appeal and marcher growth. Most of today's judges and Corps design staffs are getting up there in age. Some are in their 60's and 70's. Amost all of 'em are already on the AARP mailing list,( many are enrolled ). So soon, we'll see these folks moving on, and the torch will be handed off to the next generation, those under 40, to forge a new direction. We'll have younger judges soon enough. And younger design and programming teams. Perhaps the next generation of judges will look at shows much differently... perhaps with younger design staffs, they'll design programming that'll be much different too. But who knows... we'll see. you always lost people, but you had far more corps with alumni out there to stick around. That, and the fact that marketing to band kids has not really produced a huge number of long term fans is an issue that will continue to grow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Its my favorite lapsed logic too. Thats because the lapsed logic forgets that the most logical reason that more Corps died in the 70's is because there were so many more Corps in numbers available to potentially die. Obviously that's a pretty big supposition. I would posit "the most logical reason that corps died in the 70's" is because of finances. Corps BITD were run by well-intentioned folks with little/no business acumen who were unable to maintain all of the business responsibilities of running a drum corps. Those folks can lay the blame on members not fulfilling their financial obligations, or being able to maintain numbers in the corps to finance the corps, but at the end of the day it comes down to corps not having the money to maintain operations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Good question. The biggest drop off of fans following Drum Corps after they age out, is this generation's.( despite the " better programming .") Its of concern because the the numbers of marchers in Drum Corps today is significantlly lower than in previous generations. So there is less room to compensate for attrition loss. Is this true? Has there been market research that concludes this or are you making assumptions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.