Reasons for decrease in audience over the decades?

[MikeD]

Article on today's Breitbart website begins this way . . . .

Despite a 16% increase in the American population between 1995 and 2014, film admissions in 2014 hit their lowest level since 1995. With 50 million additional American customers, Hollywood wasn’t able to put any more butts in seats.

The article deals with declining interest in simply going to the neighborhood movies. Clearly, the American entertainment initiative is changing. Doesn't really matter why. Many reasons are valid. The question for movie theaters (and drum corps events) becomes,

So, now what?

Honestly, I don't think much of anything can be done. Advances in technology have made it less important to even leave one's home. Consider the effect technology has had on shopping anywhere in person, inside bricks and mortar. Even shopping malls are closing. Another example is college football bowl games (I'm watching one now). ESPN owns about 13 of those events. ESPN is actually not too interested in how many fans are in the stands. They (ESPN) are doing just fine if only a few hundred show up. It's about selling television ads! That's technology.

LIVE attendance is becoming less relevant. Sorry.

That is why internet broadcasts, the theater events, maybe PPV if financially viable, are things DCI has to focus on in the modern world, in addition to doing whatever they can to maximize actual physical attendance through marketing. I know a bunch of our HS MB members went to 1/4-finals at the theaters this past year, as one tiny example. Expanding the viewing options in today's world is adapting to the new world of technology.

Edit: Interesting as well is that this current decade has shown the largest Broadway attendance over the past 30 years.

Edited December 31, 2014 by MikeD

[Fred Windish]

Hey, Mike!

Never would have expected Broadway theater attendance to be up. Then again, I never thought I'd see a day when a condo unit in Manhattan goes for $88 million! I gave up going to Broadway when decent seats reached $125.

Also of note, the Mummers in Philadelphia (mentioned earlier) are having their own share of struggles. The number of participating groups is way down, same for the number of people willing to be a member. Estimated cost per member $1000-1500. City of Philadelphia cut out all prize monies and shortened the route of march.

These are difficult times for many. It's not just a drum corps or DCA thing, but I do believe DCA as we know it is seriously challenged. The math behind it all is really tough right now and I see no reason to believe it will improve short term.

[Ron H]

It's not just "on" Broadway that ticket prices have risen. In Minneapolis the price of the tickets to the next "Beauty and the Beast" tour range from $49 to $109. And yet they still will sell out 8 shows in a 2,600-seat auditorium.

I completely agree with Fran Haring. This may be a bit harsh for my dear family in MBI, but I saw them in St. Paul in the middle of last season and thought that they were going to be a 5th place DCA corps at best. This was at a DCI Open Class show. MBI did not perform well. Yes, this was one of the dreaded mid-week shows and I can give a lot of slack for that fact.

But still...

MBI has, in the past, been pretty decent early in their season. But with the increase in complexity of their (and other DCA Corps') shows I feel they need to re-think their early season strategy and go back to starting in November rather than in January. This is just a personal opinion. However ALL DCA corps need to come out with a salable and marketable product in June. Otherwise, why should any fan spend 10 or 15 bucks for a show that is just "in progress?"

Most one-time fans will have no idea how the drum corps season works. They will assume that what they see before them is what the ensemble can give. These spectators will have no desire to see the show again if they weren't entertained the first time around.

In the bigger scheme of things, is it really worth the massive effort it takes to field a solid top DCA corps if that corps is only "really good" for the last 3 weeks of a season?

(OKAY, I am exaggerating the issue a bit, but the principle remains...)

Edited January 1, 2015 by Ron H

[Jeff Ream]

Being clean or redoing part of the show later aside, how have corps (either circuit) been on having complete shows at the start of the season? Few years back lot of complaints here and RAMD on partial shows. No idea if that got better or people just gave up talking about it.

you had Bucs,and now Cabs and Fusion

[JimF-LowBari]

Think I screwed things up by saying "complete shows". I mean shows that have drill the entire show.

Don't care if all the pieces are in yet. Just doing a show without stopping because "drill not learned yet".

IIRC the gripe on the DCI threads some years back was corps doing last number in a standstill because drill was not complete. Complete with "why pay full price for non-complete shows".

Edited January 1, 2015 by JimF-LowBari

[Fred Windish]

The troubling aspect in all of this become obvious when you follow it forward. We KNOW the corps will be at their peak over championship weekend but the audience size there is among the smallest it's ever been. That's confusing.

I am one of the many who did not attend championships this year. I did, however, provide some support by purchasing the Fan Network. When you think about it, the vast majority of your money spent at championship doesn't go to the corps. It goes for travel, hotels, food @ drink. It is critical that more who choose not to attend in person, for whatever reason, develop a habit of purchasing a Fan Network subscription. Maybe, purchase a subscription even if you do attend in person. The shows are truly different when enjoyed through multi-camera. Unfortunately, we read of licensing troubles over on the DCI side, so who knows how long we'll have this option?

Let's hope this New Year's Day is the beginning of better things for DCA !

[Eleran]

IIRC the gripe on the DCI threads some years back was corps doing last number in a standstill because drill was not complete. Complete with "why pay full price for non-complete shows".

or even worse ... just stop after the first two numbers and not even play the last two, let alone play them at a standstill.

[MikeD]

Hey, Mike!

Never would have expected Broadway theater attendance to be up. Then again, I never thought I'd see a day when a condo unit in Manhattan goes for $88 million! I gave up going to Broadway when decent seats reached $125.

These are difficult times for many. It's not just a drum corps or DCA thing, but I do believe DCA as we know it is seriously challenged. The math behind it all is really tough right now and I see no reason to believe it will improve short term.

OT...I rarely pay full price for Broadway tickets...I usually wait until a show appears with discounts on broadwaybox and/or theatermania, unless it is a show I really want to see early in the run.

I do agree about DCA overall, that it is at risk in this day and age, probably more than DCI, given the nature of the DCA circuit.

[ajlisko]

... given the nature of the DCA circuit.

Aye, there's the rub ... is DCA really a "circuit" anymore?

:-)

[hairbear]

I had to give this some thought, before posting. I have been a bass player, playing for years. (even before I joined a drum corps, as a kid) Locally, every musician I know is complaining about shrinking audiences, low pay and being forced to do everything but unlock the bar's door, just to get people to show up! We do it all. Rehearse the music, load the gear, promote the bar AND the band, play the gig, nag our friends and family to come to the gig, advertise in print and online, fill the tables with flyers, pay for photos, spend our own money on every expense.... And what does the bar owner do? He unlocks the door and sets up his cash register. That's it. I'm going somewhere with this, be patient. LOL! If we are lucky enough to put butts in the seats or there just HAPPENS to be people already there, they have their noses in their I-phones or they are watching the "big game" on one of several wide screen T.V.s., as we play. The irony is that I played to bigger crowds, when I had less talent in the 1970's. Now that I have a handle on my instrument and have more talent, I get smaller audiences! It sounds ridiculous, but it's true. I've seen and heard bar bands "firing on all cylinders" nailing a show, while the audience virtually ignores them. WHY? Well, why go out and risk a DUI, when you can sit at home with 500 channels of cable or satellite T.V.? Why go to the movies and pay 25 dollars for tickets and another 40 dollars at the concession area for popcorn and drinks (you KNOW those prices are grossly inflated) when you can wait until the movie shows up on cable? Why go out at all, when you have social media, video games, big screen T.V. etc, etc.? Why do people sit across a room from each other and text back and forth? (Yes, I've seen this) The frustration is almost overwhelming. It's kinda sad, actually. It seems everyone is struggling for an audience. Why should drum corps be any different? You can "think" yourself into a corner, trying to come up with a solution. I think society has changed. We have all this technology but with it, almost NO reason to leave the house! The music business has changed. It's nothing like it was when I started playing in the mid 1960's. Maybe the drum corps business has changed too?