Fan Network 2013

[perc2100]

Hey guys,

I thought I'd throw out some information for you. A couple of points... first, I no longer draw a paycheck from DCI. It gives me a little more freedom to say what I want here, but it won't be a laundry airing. The Fan Network is something I'm proud of, and I've been involved with as a volunteer and employee going back 9 seasons. This will be my first as a non-involved observer.

So let me throw a few things out there. Again, I am speaking as a "civilian". Things change, but here's how I see things:

First, about the calendar... You can go back several years. and you'll see the same complaint about a "heads-up" and "what are they going to do". It's common because people here are excited. Most customers aren't. I moved the expiration date back to the last Thursday (or so) of May so we didn't tease people. I also am rather proud of making it one subscription level. It was quite a debate for years, and I finally got my way on that one. Expect the same thing this year. I'd be shocked if it wasn't within the 65-70 range.

As for the pricing conspiracy, there's not much to it. The decision on how to price the product has been based on years of sales. It's simply set at what brings in the most revenue. If that was $20 a sub or $400, that's what it would be. Data says it's about 65. And unlike many subscriptions, it was a business decision to not auto-renew. That was mostly an ethical decision, but it also would have been more problem than it's worth. But for all the anxiety, you'll have between May 28 and Stanford to purchase and not lapse, so to speak. That's when the marketing is most effective, so I hear.

I&E... I always loved I&E, all the way back to when I first marched in 1992. One of my highlights was being emcee on the main stage in San Antonio last year. I honestly believed that was going to be the last one, so I was sad, but I'd at least be able to say I helped. It was a well-spent day off. But the main problem with I&E on TFN was it was never organized well for "tv". We tried it one year... I want to say 2008. We put a camera on the main stage, but there were large gaps of time where no one performed. In order to make it work, they'd have to re-work how they schedule the event, which is done by having tour managers show up and stand in line, slot kids in any position, and that's that. If they take a "main stage" seriously, it could be a very cool event. And let's be honest; those drum solos belong on YouTube... that's all about whether the directors take it seriously, or if you have 8 wc corps participate. When it was a thing, it was cool. More kids would participate if it was broadcasted. As a fan, I'd love to see the number of ensembles that compete (not no shows) be the first tie-breaker.

Some miscellaneous things...

Emailing support at DCI is rarely going to move the needle... they'll answer you, but the odds are they don't have the answer either. The way most marketing goes, customer support finds out the same time customers do.

HLS streaming, aka iPad compatibility, is something that isn't a technical barrier. I have eluded to it in the past. Last year, we could have done it technically, but it wasn't financially feasible at all. They will look at it again this year, and make a financial decision whether it makes sense. You might not like hearing that, but transcoding would have cost tens of thousands of dollars per season. The streams aren't 5 minutes; they're 5 hours long. As soon as there is a reasonable pricepoint, they'll do it.

Oh, and about the new "can of paint" for the site... there isn't really a delicate way of putting this. Everyone agrees there should be one, but they can't find a company to take it over that makes financial sense, and they don't have the incentive to do it themselves again; sales won't drop because it looks dated.

I hope this offers some insight and perspective. Whenever I was involved with these streams, I really did pay attention to your comments. Just remember that the team there has as much reason to make things work as you have reason to want the interwebs to work. Sometimes, the Series of Tubes doesn't cooperate, but the "hd"-ish (960-wide) broadcasting is only going to get better as technology develops. The level of quality is one of the highest you'll see for a live event, and I'm proud of having helped get to that level. The team will continue to get this medium better and better.

Anything else I can answer?

Thanks a mil. for the response. I've always appreciated your forthcoming participation and posts regarding Fan Network over the years. I get why DCI does what they do, and I can't expect them to change things for my personal best interests.

Except for live streaming Finals. They REALLY need to live stream Finals.

Thanks for the input into this conversation

[Jeff Ream]

Hey guys,

I thought I'd throw out some information for you. A couple of points... first, I no longer draw a paycheck from DCI. It gives me a little more freedom to say what I want here, but it won't be a laundry airing. The Fan Network is something I'm proud of, and I've been involved with as a volunteer and employee going back 9 seasons. This will be my first as a non-involved observer.

So let me throw a few things out there. Again, I am speaking as a "civilian". Things change, but here's how I see things:

First, about the calendar... You can go back several years. and you'll see the same complaint about a "heads-up" and "what are they going to do". It's common because people here are excited. Most customers aren't. I moved the expiration date back to the last Thursday (or so) of May so we didn't tease people. I also am rather proud of making it one subscription level. It was quite a debate for years, and I finally got my way on that one. Expect the same thing this year. I'd be shocked if it wasn't within the 65-70 range.

As for the pricing conspiracy, there's not much to it. The decision on how to price the product has been based on years of sales. It's simply set at what brings in the most revenue. If that was $20 a sub or $400, that's what it would be. Data says it's about 65. And unlike many subscriptions, it was a business decision to not auto-renew. That was mostly an ethical decision, but it also would have been more problem than it's worth. But for all the anxiety, you'll have between May 28 and Stanford to purchase and not lapse, so to speak. That's when the marketing is most effective, so I hear.

I&E... I always loved I&E, all the way back to when I first marched in 1992. One of my highlights was being emcee on the main stage in San Antonio last year. I honestly believed that was going to be the last one, so I was sad, but I'd at least be able to say I helped. It was a well-spent day off. But the main problem with I&E on TFN was it was never organized well for "tv". We tried it one year... I want to say 2008. We put a camera on the main stage, but there were large gaps of time where no one performed. In order to make it work, they'd have to re-work how they schedule the event, which is done by having tour managers show up and stand in line, slot kids in any position, and that's that. If they take a "main stage" seriously, it could be a very cool event. And let's be honest; those drum solos belong on YouTube... that's all about whether the directors take it seriously, or if you have 8 wc corps participate. When it was a thing, it was cool. More kids would participate if it was broadcasted. As a fan, I'd love to see the number of ensembles that compete (not no shows) be the first tie-breaker.

Some miscellaneous things...

Emailing support at DCI is rarely going to move the needle... they'll answer you, but the odds are they don't have the answer either. The way most marketing goes, customer support finds out the same time customers do.

HLS streaming, aka iPad compatibility, is something that isn't a technical barrier. I have eluded to it in the past. Last year, we could have done it technically, but it wasn't financially feasible at all. They will look at it again this year, and make a financial decision whether it makes sense. You might not like hearing that, but transcoding would have cost tens of thousands of dollars per season. The streams aren't 5 minutes; they're 5 hours long. As soon as there is a reasonable pricepoint, they'll do it.

Oh, and about the new "can of paint" for the site... there isn't really a delicate way of putting this. Everyone agrees there should be one, but they can't find a company to take it over that makes financial sense, and they don't have the incentive to do it themselves again; sales won't drop because it looks dated.

I hope this offers some insight and perspective. Whenever I was involved with these streams, I really did pay attention to your comments. Just remember that the team there has as much reason to make things work as you have reason to want the interwebs to work. Sometimes, the Series of Tubes doesn't cooperate, but the "hd"-ish (960-wide) broadcasting is only going to get better as technology develops. The level of quality is one of the highest you'll see for a live event, and I'm proud of having helped get to that level. The team will continue to get this medium better and better.

Anything else I can answer?

Who will be the next president?

:tongue:/>

thanks man!

[skywhopper]

Thanks drumcat! I'm sorry to hear that such a friendly, communicative, dedicated, and skilled professional such as yourself is no longer going to be working for us at DCI, but I assume that means you're on to bigger and better things for yourself, so kudos for all the fantastic work you've put in over the years. Fan Network truly is an amazing product, given DCI's resources, and you clearly played a big role in that! Thanks again.

[Lincoln]

Has anyone received any updates on new subscriptions for the FN yet? Mine expires tomorrow and for the past few days I haven't been able to access videos from '74 to '12.

I checked to see if new subscriptions were available to purchase but there are none.

Edited May 27, 2013 by LincolnV

[ashevillemurphy]

Has anyone received any updates on new subscriptions for the FN yet? Mine expires tomorrow and for the past few days I haven't been able to access videos from '74 to '12.

I checked to see if new subscriptions were available to purchase but there are none.

Just did a quick check ... seems to be working for me ... all subscriptions expire tomorrow.

[Lincoln]

Just did a quick check ... seems to be working for me ... all subscriptions expire tomorrow.

I can log in. However, when I click on the "1974-2012" tab there are no years listed in the column on the left hand side. Do you see the years listed?

Edit: The videos are slow to load. 10 minutes later I could see them. thx.

Edited May 27, 2013 by LincolnV

[Barneveld]

Has anyone received any updates on new subscriptions for the FN yet? Mine expires tomorrow and for the past few days I haven't been able to access videos from '74 to '12.

I checked to see if new subscriptions were available to purchase but there are none.

The following is an excerpt from a post(#36) by drumcat on May 10th. Hope it helps.

"As for the pricing conspiracy, there's not much to it. The decision on how to price the product has been based on years of sales. It's simply set at what brings in the most revenue. If that was $20 a sub or $400, that's what it would be. Data says it's about 65. And unlike many subscriptions, it was a business decision to not auto-renew. That was mostly an ethical decision, but it also would have been more problem than it's worth. But for all the anxiety, you'll have between May 28 and Stanford to purchase and not lapse, so to speak. That's when the marketing is most effective, so I hear."

Edited May 27, 2013 by Barneveld

[Lincoln]

The following is an excerpt from a post by drumcat on May 10th. Hope it helps.

"As for the pricing conspiracy, there's not much to it. The decision on how to price the product has been based on years of sales. It's simply set at what brings in the most revenue. If that was $20 a sub or $400, that's what it would be. Data says it's about 65. And unlike many subscriptions, it was a business decision to not auto-renew. That was mostly an ethical decision, but it also would have been more problem than it's worth. But for all the anxiety, you'll have between May 28 and Stanford to purchase and not lapse, so to speak. That's when the marketing is most effective, so I hear."

Thank you for pointing that out. I had completely missed it.

[crownisking]

Has anyone received any updates on new subscriptions for the FN yet? Mine expires tomorrow and for the past few days I haven't been able to access videos from '74 to '12.

I checked to see if new subscriptions were available to purchase but there are none.

Those videos can still be accessed if you just click the link a few times. Yes, it has been acting a little screwy lately, but for now at least, it still works. I took this screen shot a few minutes ago.

Edited May 27, 2013 by crownisking

[Lincoln]

Those videos can still be accessed if you just click the link a few times. Yes, it has been acting a little screwy lately, but for now at least, it still works. I took this screen shot a few minutes ago.

Thanks for confirming the same behavior I've been seeing.

This brings up a good point..prior to the last couple of days it's been a while since I've experienced any issues with the fan network.

I use it all the time.