Jeff Ream Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 IMO, something of this nature is the way to proceed for DCA to generate a new stream of audience revenue ... would someone care to explain the technology needed at a stadium to tape, broadcast, and archive a show for future viewing? Does the venue have to be a "TV ready" stadium (like for an NFL or NCAA game?) ... or, is it as simple as have some real good recording equipment? ... just curious ... could a BFDTV pull this off ... they film a lot of BHOF stuff ... :-) needs some kind of WIFI, that much I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Would be nice to get good quality digital renditions of some of the corps from the Midwest and South out this way. I wish I could just go to the Atlanta area or to Minneapolis for one of the Midwest contests, but time and money forbid it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOSMarcher Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nicely done, hairbear! First of all, I hope more take the time to post here and join the discussion. With any longer dialogue, patterns DO emerge. Those patterns tell us much more than any one opinion. As stated earlier, the biggest challenge could be technology. Unfortunately, there is NOTHING to slow its growth and pervasiveness in our lives. Geez, enjoying its benefits even becomes cheaper over time! The world has changed since the good ole days. We adjust to it, or become less a factor in these daily lives. I have been a huge college football fan since about 1964. Labor Day Weekend, with its first games of the season, including a few great match-ups, has become an important time for serious college football fans. Technology brings it into my home like never before. I choose to stay home and enjoy, BUT with a laptop sitting on my legs showing drum corps. It works! Not to mention the savings and convenience over enjoying EITHER product in person. Honestly, I don't plan to change next Labor Day Weekend. Maybe, in some eyes, I'm now one of the bad guys! This is why I think DCA needs to be more aggressive and try and get the word out to different city chambers of commerce. I think you would see more people plan to stop by championships if you continue to have different locations for Finals. I gotta be honest, I was not excited to see the championships head back to Rochester, but Annapolis was great! It was a place to go for vacation and made the cost of travel more worth the expense. I know it had its quirks, and I am not saying it is the only option. The next comment that is usually made is that a city needs to make a bid, but I would argue that a lot of seasons do not even know DCA exists. What are we doing to get the brand out there to the general public. I would bet that you could move Championships to the south... say, Atlanta, and you could have the largest crowd in attendance. There is a metro population of nearly 5 million and I get the impression that marching band is a bigger deal in that area than upstate New York. With the right billing, it could be huge. Now... that is not the move that DCA probably wants to do because of the risk, but I think that more interesting destinations are what we need. Maybe not Atlanta, but I think they were on the right track toward a great destination option. Honestly, Chattanooga would not be a terrible location. There is a lot to do and UTC's stadium is the perfect size. It is a little smaller than Navy's, but still has the artificial turf. Still, I know there were a lot of complaints regarding the heat in the DC area during championships. I feel like I am rambling now, but I think with some intelligent thinking, you could definitely turn attendance for championships around. Staying in Rochester seems smarter, but I think it is a sinking ship right now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneva Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 My non-corps friends in the late 60's thought the pop tunes, old big band charts and patriotic music I played in my local GSC corps was about as lame as it could get. In 1970, my first year in Garfield, we performed at the Princeton U P-rade, their annual alumni parade through campus, billed as the biggest sloppy parade in the world. Given the times and where we were...you could just see and almost feel the disdain and scorn of the Princeton students when we got off the busses in our military Cadet unis, and started to play our opener, Gounod's "Queen of Sheba". They only warmed up to us when we started "White Rabbit", so someone decided (I think it was our DM) that we would ONLY play that tune in the P-rade. I just don't buy the rose-colored view that drum corps was some nationally popular activity that became a niche...it was and is a niche activity for those of us who love it. Mike, I had a similar experience with my corps (Appleknockers) in 1969 at little Hobart College in Geneva, NY. I was sitting out the exhibition at the half-time of the Army vs. Hobart lacrosse game. Hobart at the time had a very active "Students For a Democratic Society" chapter which was actually later infiltrated by a government agent known as "Tommy the Traveler" seeking subversive activity (made national news on the CBS nightly broadcast). Anyhow, I found myself sitting in a hostile crowd of students jeering the appearance of the corps fronted by its Honor Guard as "emissaries of the War mongering American Legion". They viewed the corps members as brain washed into making this militaristic/patriotic display. You are right about the Vietnam era of drum corps being an uncomfortable time for our activity with drum corps being an isolated niche. Sure, it is still a niche only now one which is more exclusive and without community ties...but a wonderful niche it is! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 BOSMarcher- I appreciate your contribution to this discussion. Curious if you were in attendance a few years back in Winston-Salem? In any case, when an activity's financial health is dependent almost exclusively on the live gate it has become an increasingly risky proposition. Many have seen this coming for quite some time. Just as in finance, it's all about diversity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 This is why I think DCA needs to be more aggressive and try and get the word out to different city chambers of commerce. I think you would see more people plan to stop by championships if you continue to have different locations for Finals. I gotta be honest, I was not excited to see the championships head back to Rochester, but Annapolis was great! It was a place to go for vacation and made the cost of travel more worth the expense. I know it had its quirks, and I am not saying it is the only option. The next comment that is usually made is that a city needs to make a bid, but I would argue that a lot of seasons do not even know DCA exists. What are we doing to get the brand out there to the general public. I would bet that you could move Championships to the south... say, Atlanta, and you could have the largest crowd in attendance. There is a metro population of nearly 5 million and I get the impression that marching band is a bigger deal in that area than upstate New York. With the right billing, it could be huge. Now... that is not the move that DCA probably wants to do because of the risk, but I think that more interesting destinations are what we need. Maybe not Atlanta, but I think they were on the right track toward a great destination option. Honestly, Chattanooga would not be a terrible location. There is a lot to do and UTC's stadium is the perfect size. It is a little smaller than Navy's, but still has the artificial turf. Still, I know there were a lot of complaints regarding the heat in the DC area during championships. I feel like I am rambling now, but I think with some intelligent thinking, you could definitely turn attendance for championships around. Staying in Rochester seems smarter, but I think it is a sinking ship right now. Interesting comments ... but, this thread seems to be the tale of two DCA's ... one that would like to entice sponsors throughout the competitive season to hold shows, thereby preserving the "circuit" feeling ... and another that seems to concentrate soley on the Championship weekend ... future planning for the success of both may be beyond the "limited resources" of the admin and leaders of the organization ... and I state that with the utmost respect for a tiny group of people that have led DCA through the most difficult of changing times over the past decade ... Andy "remembering DCA right from the beginning" Lisko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Andy, my fear is in knowing that the distribution of funds following championships has traditionally been the biggest 'paycheck' for most of the corps. Now, that might not be the case. You are correct about the 'circuit' having also been changed. The amount of private (if you will) sponsors who find financial benefit in hosting an event is minimal these days. I can only assume the live gate proceeds are not adequate there either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 There's been a mixed bag with more contests. I remember the ones in small out of the way venues with not a lot of attendance. Fewer contests have meant fans know pretty much where they are and when, and that good corps will be there, so it's worthwhile to go. Would the Bucs have expanded to 2 contests if they couldn't make money at both? They're really nice people, but also very prudent, too. YEA! Has even put DCA into the Chester contest. Pricey-as-heck tickets, but it was a nice experience. If they do it again, they've had to have made some money. Cabs have two contests- again, they have to be running at a profit. Bad luck seems or other circumstances seem to have torpedoed recent attempts at contests or long term ones. Bucknell/Lewisburg losing their date because their stadium getting refurbished, and then stuck with July 4 weekend seems to have been the big issue there. My guess is not being able to draw who they wanted to draw except for Scout House, Cabs, and Cabs alumni caused the contest chairman (Bucs severely committed to parades, no more Empire) to pack it in. The mess with the rain in Nokesville really hurt that effort as well. Had they had a venue with all weather turf, that wouldn't have happened. It was a great opportunity for guys like me to see the Southern Corps. It's been, I believe Darwinian in a good way to have gotten rid of the contests with run-down old inadequately lit HS fields (Calling them stadiums would be too kind a compliment!) attended by fewer then 100-200 people. Speaking of inadequately lit, Fawber and I can tell you about that little contest in Brick with the torrential rain and the exploding portable lights. Surreal.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 (edited) W, who sponsored the Lewistown show? All this talk about venues supplying most of a corps budget needs got me thinking about the 70s local shows and why a lot crapped out. Ones I remember had to raise ticket prices to meet corps needs and higher prices meant less people and eventually they went under. Lot of RCA shows in middle of no where were like this and remember bunch of non-corps sponsors (fire companies, HS bands and a bicentennial committee (Frackville?)) comes to mind. Edited January 4, 2015 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Speaking of inadequately lit, Fawber and I can tell you about that little contest in Brick with the torrential rain and the exploding portable lights. Surreal.... I know it's a bit OT... but man, that was a wild night. We (Sun) were also at that show. I'll never forget those lights exploding during the storm. To this day, I can't believe that the corps were allowed on that field, during that horrific weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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