GUARDLING Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) If you don't see more entertainment options available as an outlet for both participation and observation, you are hiding under the proverbial rock. Seriously - you cannot think that what was available BITD even comes close to comparing to today. And while I have heard of the family gathering around the radio for FDR's fireside chats, I guaranty you that kids were dying to get to drum corps rehearsal to get away from what they viewed as lame, or whatever the term was back then. Now, they can go up to their room, to watch their tv, play on their laptop, IPad, tablet and phone, all at the same time. There is no need to sit in the same room with mom and dad for entertainment. There is no need to have to leave your home for entertainment. And that right there is the huge issue that you are choosing not to see. You are so right . those also who chose to ignore the changing times, the kid they served, etc etc is exactly how so many corps disappeared. I have taught thousands over the years and continue to and although there are always some issues that no matter what day and age come back over and over it is not the same member nor time we live in, totally different. You can not ignore that the world isn't quite different, which also includes how a corps has to survive today, GONE are the CYOs, church basements for rehearsal, free areas to learn drill etc etc etc. Edited December 30, 2014 by GUARDLING 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegalEagle50 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 thank you :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 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. I believe American movie attendance peaked in the late 1940s, just before TVs became widely available. So the trend away from live entertainment arguably has been happening for most of competitive drum corps history, for whatever that's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 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. Guess we're either a trend setter or statistic as watched DCA at home this year. Now need the time to watch the rest at our leisure.... Great move for DCA in trying to keep up IMO.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 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. Wow, is that ever true about those bowl games. The Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve in Honolulu.... honest to God, there were so few people there you could have fired a cannon across portions of the seating area and not hit anyone. LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 design trends hurt sure, so did ticket prices. Fewer local corps meant fewer local shows. I know this is probably far down the list of problems... But I've wondered for some time if the general drum corps mindset of "Yeah, our show is sloppy/unreadable/not great now, and may not quite be finished (early season)... but wait until you see us at the championships!!!" is hurting overall attendance, particularly on the DCA side. Because... what if that late June or early July show is the only one I, and my family members, can attend?? What do we care what the product looks like on championship weekend?? We only care what the product looks like at the show we're attending. I am well aware that, of course, corps do get better as the season goes on, and I don't expect a "championship level" product in June, from anyone, on any level. But again... I wonder if the more complex show designs of today are helpful for the late-season product... but not so helpful for the early to mid-season product, on average, in terms of putting more shows on the field that customers (I mean the "casual" fans, not the hard-core "I follow the corps every week" fans) want to see again as the season progresses. My two cents, probably worth about one cent or less. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I know this is probably far down the list of problems... But I've wondered for some time if the general drum corps mindset of "Yeah, our show is sloppy/unreadable/not great now, and may not quite be finished (early season)... but wait until you see us at the championships!!!" is hurting overall attendance, particularly on the DCA side. Because... what if that late June or early July show is the only one I, and my family members, can attend?? What do we care what the product looks like on championship weekend?? We only care what the product looks like at the show we're attending. I am well aware that, of course, corps do get better as the season goes on, and I don't expect a "championship level" product in June, from anyone, on any level. But again... I wonder if the more complex show designs of today are helpful for the late-season product... but not so helpful for the early to mid-season product, on average, in terms of putting more shows on the field that customers (I mean the "casual" fans, not the hard-core "I follow the corps every week" fans) want to see again as the season progresses. My two cents, probably worth about one cent or less. well, corps werent as clean in the old days early season either, or else we'd see corps popping 90's in June. i know of many times corps dropped an entire song or several songs mid season and put new stuff in. so changes and additions and cleaning happened then too. To be honest, if corps were more organized in their offseasons, you'd have less issues with this.Look at Bucs during their incredible run, and now Cabs have caught up there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 well, corps werent as clean in the old days early season either, or else we'd see corps popping 90's in June. i know of many times corps dropped an entire song or several songs mid season and put new stuff in. so changes and additions and cleaning happened then too. To be honest, if corps were more organized in their offseasons, you'd have less issues with this.Look at Bucs during their incredible run, and now Cabs have caught up there too. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 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. At the Wildwood DCA season opener in recent years, I think more corps have come out with complete, or near-complete programs. And hats off to them for doing so!!! But... to Jeff's point... absolutely, corps "back in the day" weren't in championship form, either, in June or July. And of course we were changing things... sometimes weekly. Heck, in 1979, we (Sunrisers) changed our entire drill in July!!! But it just seems to me that more corps are struggling with their programs for longer periods now (not necessarily Bucs, Cabs, Fusion, etc.) .... and perhaps not connecting with the audience as well as they could, early on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) At the Wildwood DCA season opener in recent years, I think more corps have come out with complete, or near-complete programs. And hats off to them for doing so!!! But... to Jeff's point... absolutely, corps "back in the day" weren't in championship form, either, in June or July. And of course we were changing things... sometimes weekly. Heck, in 1979, we (Sunrisers) changed our entire drill in July!!! But it just seems to me that more corps are struggling with their programs for longer periods now (not necessarily Bucs, Cabs, Fusion, etc.) .... and perhaps not connecting with the audience as well as they could, early on. I can understand not being clean or championship early in the season. But just can't remember anyone BITD doing part of the drill and just stopping. Slopy as Hades yes, hold your breath that you don't get run over in certain spots, not throwing in all the bells and whistles... ooh yeah...... IIRC 1978 was rainy as anything in the Northeast and a corps or two skipped an early show and 1979 we redid our big drum solo (Sing, Sing, Sing) drill about from scratch 2nd half of the season. 2002(?) at the Gettysburg pre-season exhibition heard some Cadets parents saying one more rained out drill session and the drill would not have been complete. Weird part was it rained like crazy 15 miles north of G-burg during the show. After that I asked on DCP if more complex drill was causing the late drill problems and got roasted. Mmmmm maybe I could ask that now as it ain't supposed to go above freezing here. Not pointing fingers or making comparisons, just wondering. Edited December 31, 2014 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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