Sad News from Music City

[Jeff Ream]

Since you're clearly in on all of the DCI meetings, can you find out how George Hopkins keeps his mullet looking so good? I mean, since you're obviously in the room, you must know these things.

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[fsubone]

I'd love to see an OC show...if there was one within 5 hours of me. Their tour is way out of the way. Go look at it...quick, how many mid size markets they hitting? Johnsonburg PA? More elk than people

It's where they can afford to host shows and make sure they can sell enough seats to cover the costs. Big stadiums like the WC corps go to won't fill up for Open Class, as sad as that is. I think the soccer stadium in Colombus was the largest stadium I performed in during my time in Open Class besides Championships. The rest of the time was at little high school stadiums. Made the stands seem much fuller, which was a nice change of pace.

The California OC corps had two shows in the greater LA area, so that's a pretty big market. And isn't Kalamazoo, MI a pretty good sized place? I seem to remember having a show in Dayton in 2008 as well. Not exactly booming metropolises, but not tiny farm towns either.

[Joe Salvatore]

The one thing that everyone has to remember is that it takes a lot of people to run a successful drum corps....BoD, Admin, Staff, Volunteers, Membership, Parent support, Local and Statewide Support......

While at Teal, we were successful in the first few years of the rebuilding stage in 2007 - 2009 as we made a run towards WC status....after that, the daily routine of running an actual business and not just an organization to compete at the WC level became greater than a lot of people wanted to do....Believe me, it is not easy keeping up with the big boys and as long as things are the way they are, mark my words, there will be more programs each year that can't afford to keep fighting the daily struggles and costs that it takes to run a drum corps in today's market!

Very good insights Randy, I wish the economic and work realities of drum corps were much simpler so as to allow more corps to continue entertaining us while providing the great summer experiences we've all had with them in the past.

Hope you are doing better these days as well.

[Joe Salvatore]

...

As John said, go check out a DCA show before you rush to judgement. Maybe even take in finals coming up in a few weeks.

I never thought of DCA as a viable alternative to World Class DCI until this thread... but understand that if you cannot afford (time or money) to have tour commitments like the DCI World Class AND no viable DCI Open Class is available then this does indeed make sense. (I almost marched tenors for Empire Statesmen in 1986 as I had no corps near me in Houston, TX; but, Mom vetoed this idea.)

I note also that we are discussing Open Class and so issues regarding wanting to join the best of the best don't apply trying to contrast DCI Open with DCA.

Really saddened that Music City will not be touring next year, they seems like they were on the right track program wise.

[Stu]

Look at the date of DCA Finals and you will quickly discover why it is not a viable option for most DCI Open Class Corps. Even SCVC and BDB occasionally have to skip 'DCI' finals for the very same reason.

[alumniof]

I think part of the problem could be that its the same product...just worse. Its minor league. That's the message to the audience by its design. I know the may never happen...but why doesn't DCA go more to a new identity. I'd like to see a college band type show. Nobody watches college matching band for matching or musical excellence or E equals anything. They want to be entertained. People will show and give you money if you entertain them. And not doing what the top corps are doing. Offer something different and separate THAT ANSWERS CONSUMER demand. Judge and change that judging system accordingly. Heck...make that your ,G corps. At least Bugle corps would exist...keep the legacy alive and satisfy the oldies. Even the WC I think would want to see what a drum and bugle corps is. Just ideas.

[alumniof]

have shows for OC where people ####### live. that'd help

Until DCA or I cares about and serves the general public....its going to stay the same. People aren't going because they aren't compelled to go because their last experiences wasnt something they liked or cared for. Starts with show design. Give then receive. That's how it works. That's why TV commercials entertain us. Emotionally connect to the audience. Then...they buy products. Drum corps serve the score sheet and the design staffs egos. Its not complicated. If you go to China to sell the Chinese on whatever you are selling....better learn Chinese. Music is communication and drum corps is a product. What will your product do for me? How does it benefit me? DCI is a yacht club for band directors....not a public service. Even drug dealers get it. Give free samples and sell benefits that appeal to the consumer. Attack that from what angle you want...same principle in sales whatever it is.

[drilltech1]

Look at the date of DCA Finals and you will quickly discover why it is not a viable option for most DCI Open Class Corps. Even SCVC and BDB occasionally have to skip 'DCI' finals for the very same reason.

Are you sure of what you are saying here?

The implication I drew of such a later date (labor day weekend) was that summer was over, schools have begun. This is not true in California, the Mid-Atlantic states north of Maryland, the Northwest, and New England. Schools don't begin there in the middle of the summer as they do in Soybean country Indiana and the college-football driven South. SCVC and BDB competed in DCI finals every other year for quite a while as an economic factor, not a membership or educational factor. The cost of moving the corps to some of the varied locales of championships were also a big factor.

It is only just more recently that each of these two corps have consistently participated in DCI finals week championships.

I will admit that there are some Open Class corps with college age members who study away and may have conflicts. Many however go to local community colleges.

In places like the Atlantic coast communities, summer isn't over until Sept. 23rd. Interestingly the ocean waters are warmest at that time of the whole year and the tourist trade is still flourishing. Not everyone lives in a ESPN universe.

Even back in the days of the dinosoars pre-DCI when there were such contests as the Boonton "Nationals" in mid-September and the Boston CYO championships in September, the circuits wrote letters of requests to get permission for college age members studying away to participate for that one weekend.

I would think that to keep a corps viable, consideration of a DCA membership would be a worthy consideration with possible scored exhibitions at DCI contests until DCI rules and DCA rules are adjusted. Interestingly, Kilties, Govenaires, MBI, Corps-vettes, Carolina Gold and west-coast Renegades plus others from DCA benefit in DCI, but not the other way around.

Edited August 20, 2013 by drilltech1

[Fred Windish]

alumniof,

I think I understand what you are saying about DCA, but you are being a little unfair. Given the constraints DCA corps have in practice time, appearance time, operating budgets, etc. I believe DCA is anything but minor league. Some of the individual talent in DCA is easily on par with some of the individual talent in DCI.

There IS a similar discussion, that is, judges v. audience appeal going on over there, too. Has been for years. For the most part, however, I would say few audiences of local neighborhood folks would consider an evening with DCA to be "low end." That DCA has fans who have attended regularly for 50 years tells us something. That size of that crowd is shrinking, but mostly due to age, not entertainment. Generally, the DCA shows succeed because of its "true" nature, and not due to its pretense of being a new form of high art that only a few chosen minds are capable of appreciating.

[Freedom]

alumniof,

I think I understand what you are saying about DCA, but you are being a little unfair. Given the constraints DCA corps have in practice time, appearance time, operating budgets, etc. I believe DCA is anything but minor league. Some of the individual talent in DCA is easily on par with some of the individual talent in DCI.

There IS a similar discussion, that is, judges v. audience appeal going on over there, too. Has been for years. For the most part, however, I would say few audiences of local neighborhood folks would consider an evening with DCA to be "low end." That DCA has fans who have attended regularly for 50 years tells us something. That size of that crowd is shrinking, but mostly due to age, not entertainment. Generally, the DCA shows succeed because of its "true" nature, and not due to its pretense of being a new form of high art that only a few chosen minds are capable of appreciating.

Fred, please....I think you're being sensitive (for whatever reason) about labels. If you want to be "real"....DCA is considered "minor league" to DCI. For the very reason you mentioned - practice time, budgets, etc;. It's a very fair statement because it's reality. It is what it is. Doesn't mean it doesn't have merit or validity, it's just in perspective to the comparison. The kids, talent - is not the issue - or how they are as people or how hard they work. The structure, the show designs, direction - what BOTH DCI and DCA are doing and not doing as a single voice from 250 plus million people in the US. A good solution to people behinds in the seats are WC, OC, WC, OC, WC, OC. Scramble the order (TOC does) and people will sit. Plus, it helps with logistics and souvenier, concession sales (gotta pee and don't want to miss. Want to get nachos, extra cheese and skittles without missing a corps). Not everyone is going to get a hotdog and therefore OC get's exposure. It's about the forest not the trees. If you're a DCA fan, you will always be one - but - wouldn't you like to see other people besides DCA fans in the seats TO BECOME FANS?

Edited August 20, 2013 by Freedom