Stu Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 ie: SHUT UP! Me thinks that a great quote from A Clockwork Orange is applicable here at this juncture: “Shut your filthy hole, you scum!” – Chief Guard Barns I get told that a lot here on DCP by Guard Barns wanna-bes!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frachel Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 From a "fan of the activity" viewpoint, I don't think they're doing a good job. Why? Because they keep having finals in a place that is horrible acoustically and boring to visit, a lot of people don't have a drum corps show near them, Fan Network is still pretty bad quality wise during the season, and if I didn't already know about drum corps I would never ever find out about it - I've never seen an advertisement for a show (and I'm in NJ where we have a TOC and Allentown nearby) and if I didn't actively seek out the information I wouldn't know where/when shows are near me. Now I personally "know" DCI does more, but I'm trying to look at it solely from an outsider pov, and from that view I would have no idea what DCI is or what they do or even that they exist at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 From a "fan of the activity" viewpoint, I don't think they're doing a good job. Why? Because they keep having finals in a place that is horrible acoustically and boring to visit, a lot of people don't have a drum corps show near them, Fan Network is still pretty bad quality wise during the season, and if I didn't already know about drum corps I would never ever find out about it - I've never seen an advertisement for a show (and I'm in NJ where we have a TOC and Allentown nearby) and if I didn't actively seek out the information I wouldn't know where/when shows are near me. Now I personally "know" DCI does more, but I'm trying to look at it solely from an outsider pov, and from that view I would have no idea what DCI is or what they do or even that they exist at all. Outside of a small group of legacy fans, the activity turns over its fan base about every three years. I think there's enough to do in Indy to keep a family busy for three years. But thereafter, likely their interest in Indy will be dying about the same time as their interest in drum corps. Considering the financial incentive to DCI to stay in Indy - not to mention being in the "heart" of band country - it may not be such a bad decision to stay in Indy. I lost interest in Indy in about 2011 and now go only to see the show. Indy doesn't get tourist dollars from me, but I'm in that Legacy group. Band families are familiar with Indy and it's easy to get to for a large part of the fandom. Your point about marketing is valid, IMO. But I'd bet that their scarce resources drive that question. I gotta believe that a lot of their few dollars are spent marketing inside the marching activity where they attract kid's eyeballs, not mine. Is there a formal marketing plan that can be publicized? Dunno, never asked. If not, maybe they can be chastised, but maybe, instead, their puny budget allows for only one or two choices making a formal plan mostly unnecessary. The last thing the activity needs is more plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HockeyDad Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I went to dci.org to look at the mission statement, because how can you answer the question posed unless you know what dci is trying to be "good" at. I could not find any mission statement. So I looked in the wrong place, or dci doesn't have a mission statement, or maybe there is one but it's not posted to their website. So, I guess my answer is: I don't know if dci is doing a good job, because I don't know what they are trying to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I went to dci.org to look at the mission statement, because how can you answer the question posed unless you know what dci is trying to be "good" at. I could not find any mission statement. So I looked in the wrong place, or dci doesn't have a mission statement, or maybe there is one but it's not posted to their website. So, I guess my answer is: I don't know if dci is doing a good job, because I don't know what they are trying to do. Organizing a national tour, promoting the activity to sell tickets to shows, and returning money to the corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frachel Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Organizing a national tour, promoting the activity to sell tickets to shows, and returning money to the corps. Then I'd say in my view they are doing "Fair", "Poorly" and "I have no idea" in those 3 areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Then I'd say in my view they are doing "Fair", "Poorly" and "I have no idea" in those 3 areas. 1. 104 shows in 75 days, about half of which are hosted by local show committees, some of whom have never hosted before. Maybe you're being too critical? 2. Debatable, based on #3 3. Top corps can receive as much as a couple hundred thousand dollars from DCI. Each corps' 990 shows this amount although it can be hard to pull out of the numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I didn't vote because the answer is yes....and no. Some great stuff happening on the field sure. And some stuff turning a lot of people off some great stuff happening behind the scenes....and then you have the BOD power plays. DCI is neither thriving or dying. it's there. With two or 3 more consecutive years of numbers looking better, I'll change my mind, but even now, the business side seems to go up, then down, then up then down etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 (edited) I didn't vote because the answer is yes....and no. Some great stuff happening on the field sure. And some stuff turning a lot of people off some great stuff happening behind the scenes....and then you have the BOD power plays. DCI is neither thriving or dying. it's there. With two or 3 more consecutive years of numbers looking better, I'll change my mind, but even now, the business side seems to go up, then down, then up then down etc. But what happens on the field is not the perview of DCI. Only a small subset, and mostly just us here, even know about the BOD power plays. The vast majority don't know and don't care. The balance sheet will tell the tale and, from my perspective, if there are not improvements each year then the activity is falling behind from atrophy. Will be interesting to read the next few 990's, won't it? From what I remember, DCI has increased in the last few years the amount that it returns to corps. From that perspective I think you can say that DCI is thriving. Edited May 7, 2014 by garfield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 But what happens on the field is not the perview of DCI. Only a small subset, and mostly just us here, even know about the BOD power plays. The vast majority don't know and don't care. The balance sheet will tell the tale and, from my perspective, if there are not improvements each year then the activity is falling behind from atrophy. Will be interesting to read the next few 990's, won't it? From what I remember, DCI has increased in the last few years the amount that it returns to corps. From that perspective I think you can say that DCI is thriving. but what happens on the field can affect what $$ flows into DCI. Is it any coincidence that the two years recently that who was the champion was not certain until finals night also had attendance increases...but the years where the winner was known in June were down? So yes, what happens on the field may not be the perview of DCI, it DOES affect DCI. and while a small group knows about the power plays, in many ways it has paralyzed DCI in how they do busines. don't forget, the 990's can be skewed because 7 corps get a special cut at certain shows the rest don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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