OFFICIAL DCI FINALS THREAD

[N.E. Brigand]

I have a serious question (or a couple) related to this. I was a band director for fourteen years. I remember a lot of the discussions and training meetings regarding copyright. Had several friends who did a lot of arranging and spoke with them regarding copyrights. Seemed (it's been a few years) that MOST composers/license holders were not too tough to deal with unless there was a profit being pursued in the arranging and performance, then the issues arise.

Drum corps have been banging on the copyright doors for decades: it would seem advantageous to the copyright holders to allow use and not place a lot of restrictions on those arrangements and performances. But then you have the DCI machine, that does make money off of the events, recording, and now streaming. This opens the door even more to the copyright juggles.

How many of these corps do NOT operate as a non-profit organization? So then it comes to DCI: is it their operations that cause the snafus in a bigger way with copyright holders?

I remember the recording of a couple years ago, and the removal of some poetry lines that were decided on the field: lines that were important to the show, and I was never able to track down any definitive dispute that would have forced this.

So, question being: where is the most common copyright issue these days? And is this more of a case of mirroring the NFL and their draconian rules regarding their "product"?

To tackle your final question first: as regards licensing issues, this year was different for DCI than any before. As I understand the situation from various reports from people who post here that know a little more or a little less, this is it:

Late last fall, a company named Tresona, having recently become the owner of a lot of music rights, took a good hard look at the contracts they now owned and decided that DCI had been using video in a way that the agreement didn't actually permit. It's not clear whether Tresona is correct about that or not, but they have lots of money and good lawyers, so they sent DCI some tough letters. DCI first removed several dozen historical videos from the Fan Network (shows that included, for instance, the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber or Leonard Bernstein) and then got into negotiations with Tresona about how much the latter deserves to get every time a video featuring their music is streamed or downloaded.

At the same time, DCI had apparently been making plans to replace or supplement the Fan Network with what we now know as DCI Live. The negotiations dragged on past multiple deadlines, so that DCI was only able to announce the new streaming platform and its various annoying limitations (preeminently the fact that there are no downloads, only streams, and they cannot be viewed after the live event is over) about a week before the launch. DCI said then that the Fan Network, or something like it, would return in the fall. We'll see. Right now, you can't even buy DVDs.

In answer to some of your other questions:

Every corps is a not-for-profit organization. So is DCI. (Scroll through the DCP forums and you can read analysis of their IRS filings by the poster named "garfield".)

DCI's expenses and revenues are larger than those of any individual corps organizations (of which, I think BD, Cadets, and SCV are the biggest), but substantially smaller than all of the corps combined. And some of DCI's revenue gets paid to the corps.

Maybe it would be easier for each corps to separately get the synchronization (=video) rights, but do you really want to have to buy twelve different DVDs just to watch Finals again?

The poem that you remember being deleted from the recording was probably Boston Crusaders' adaptation of the late Maya Angelou's "And Still I Rise", modified lines of which were intoned in a recording in their 2013 show, "Rise" (the one where they changed from grey uniforms to red uniforms two-thirds of the way through the show). Apparently the Angelou estate either denied permission for a recording to be made, or they demanded a larger sum of money than DCI could afford.

[N.E. Brigand]

Funny line from Michael Boo's "Recap Roundup" at DCI's site, as regards Phantom's score:

"The corps' biggest improvement came in Color Guard, improving an astounding seven spots from 13th place in Semis and jumping from a score of 16.70 to 18.40. Such a differential in caption scores from one day to the next--at the very end of the season--is most intriguing and rare."

[cixelsyd]

I never said that. I never said anything about him being fired! You're exaggerating!!!

I said he should shot, then hung, then run over by a souvenir truck until his attitude improves.

+++

C'mon, any judge who is good enough for finals is experienced enough to know better than to randomly move around the field when the corps show is over, seriously. The crowd is applauding who they think is their champion, why detract from that?

I don't like judges on the field anyway, but I don't blame any judge who IS there for doing his job. But the judges should be respectful of why the crowd is there, it's a drum corps show, not a judges' marching and maneuvering show. The best judges are the ones you don't notice.

Am I really expecting too much for a field judge to just stand still for a few seconds after the show is over?

Yes, you are.

The only appropriate time for the judge to get off the field is that moment at the end of the show when the corps is standing still. Should they wait, they risk interfering with the exit of the corps and their equipment, which must proceed in a timely fashion to avoid exceeding their allotted time and incurring a penalty.

And if you think it is distracting to see a judge move at the end of a performance, you should see the herd of staff charging down the aisles the instant the last note sounds.

[wvu80]

To tackle your final question first: as regards licensing issues, this year was different for DCI than any before. As I understand the situation from various reports from people who post here that know a little more or a little less, this is it:

Late last fall, a company named Tresona, having recently become the owner of a lot of music rights, took a good hard look at the contracts they now owned and decided that DCI had been using video in a way that the agreement didn't actually permit. ...........(respectful snip, just wanted to reference the post)

Thanks for the detailed information. It's stunning and frightful all at the same time. Such licensing issues could bring DCI to a complete and immediate halt. This season we lost some historic videos. Next season we could lose the season, or at least very important aspects of it.

DCI doesn't communicate all its issues publicly. A lot of its work is behind the scenes. I feel very grateful that DCI has leaders who recognize the importance and the immediacy of such issues, and is working to resolve them.

Judging by the fact that it has dragged on this long and is still not resolved, it seems apparent this issue is more complex and dangerous to the continuing of the activity than any of us could have imagined.

Speaking as a fan, I find it more than a little disconcerting all this is going on, and there is a hopeless feeling knowing there is nothing we as a drum corps community can do about it. We have a corporate giant who cares nothing about our activity, only about money who is trying to take as much money as it can. In this giant's way, stands DCI, representing us. Us the corps organizations, us the participants, us the fans. Us, the drum corps activity.

I hope DCI critics take note, and get behind the only organization who is fighting for us.

[wvu80]

Yes, you are.

The only appropriate time for the judge to get off the field

is that moment at the end of the show when the corps is standing still. Should they wait, they risk interfering with the exit of the corps and their equipment, which must proceed in a timely fashion to avoid exceeding their allotted time and incurring a penalty.

"The only appropriate time...?" Horse hockey.

That's a ridiculous assertion that a single judge who has been running in, around and through corps formations for 10 minutes could possibly "interfere" with a corps marching single or double file off the field at an 8 to 5 clip to the degree a penalty would occur.

If 150 corps members saw a judge standing in their way as they were leaving the field, they would aim for him, and then run his butt over faster than a Cadets push at the end of a championship show, and have the crowd wildly cheering them on as they did it!

No my friend, the "judge holding up the corps' exit" argument is a long shot, and specious, at best.

And if you think it is distracting to see a judge move at the end of a performance, you should see the herd of staff charging down the aisles the instant the last note sounds.

On this point, we are in 100% agreement!

Edited August 10, 2015 by wvu80

[Tad_MMA]

Seems like a real waste of time to me.

Really? But commenting isn't?

[Lead]

Horse hockey.

That's a ridiculous assertion that a single judge who has been running in, around and through corps formations for 10 minutes could possibly "interfere" with a corps marching single or double file off the field at an 8 to 5 clip to the degree a penalty would occur.

If 150 corps members saw a judge standing in their way as they were leaving the field, they would aim for him, and then run his butt over faster than a Cadets push at the end of a championship show, and have the crowd wildly cheering them on as they did it!

No my friend, the "judge holding up the corps' exit" argument is a long shot, and specious, at best.

On this point, we are in 100% agreement!

Not like anyone turns and marches off the field anymore. Turn, grab everything, and walk off.

[chris ncsu]

It's NOT just "black pants." They wore black pants, yes, but then they wore black plumes, cummerbunds, hats, jackets, and to add to the NON-color and NON-contrast, the guard wore black pants! It completely MUDDIED the visual sets and the choreography was invisible, because there is no contrast.

Cadets wore black on black on black on black on black. Visually, it did not work. There is no reward in a build-up judging system for a visual program that is not visual. Even the 15th place Academy who wore black uniforms had the common sense to use white plumes.

NOBODY has made the claim Cadets lost because of black pants, that is a straw man argument. The point being made is that the all-black uniforms were NOT effective in adding GE points in THIS show. It was a HUGE mistake to try to force the uniforms into this year's show, they were never intended to be used for this show, according to Mr. Hopkins. They were ordered for Cadets 2.

And then the staff came out with this RIDICULOUS explanation that neon was the "tenth element" so black was needed for the tenth element. I bet they had a good laugh over that one, thinking how STUPID and GULLIBLE fans are to buy that spin regarding the change to all-black. All the staff did was insult their intelligent fan base with such nonsense. The fans are smarter than that.

Here is the ultimate question; If the all-black uniforms are so visually effective, does anybody think Cadets will use them next year as well?

Put your money where your mouth is, would you bet $10 The Cadets will use these "superior" all-black uniforms next year? I'll bet they won't.

I don't think I'll get ANY takers on that.

In fact, several folks here HAVE said as much about black pants = loss.

Also, I follow GH's posts pretty well, and watched most of his pre-season webinars, etc. -- and I do NOT remember Hop saying that the black was ordered for Cadets 2 and they decided to work them into the long-planned Cadets mid-late-season color change. That doesn't make much sense to me, especially as there are more Cadets than Cadets 2 members.

So, maybe I am gullible and stupid and all the other adjectives you used? Would you say?

You'll find, I think, plenty of Cadets fans who thought the color change wasn't spot on, but as a whole thought it was overall an interesting change for this show. Those same fans do NOT want to see them in black in perpetuity, though some would like to see a different and more "flexible" take on the maroon/gold/cream.

[Tad_MMA]

Are show designers trying to outsmart everyone by coming up with these strange shows? There aren't even metaphors in these shows...it's just nothingness. It's up to "the interpreter" to decide. Well, that leaves the audience more confused and less uplifted.

Great question. Unlike "us," most attendants (I'm told by an insider) see one show a year (e.g. "I live in Akron. This June show looks interesting. Let's go.") They WON'T get what's going on. At the Dublin, OH show, I had no idea what BD was doing (other than all the Ink jibber jabber here), but I watched the feet, the drill and that GUARD (emphasis is God's). And I listened to the horns. I got my $$ worth. If the little girl theme was so important, why wait until Indy? Anyway, the crowd loved the Troopers' "horses" escaping at the end (btw, they ran to the left....in Indy to the right). There was no metaphor, no philosophy. WILD horses aren't corralled. No fuss, no muss. Even Crown's Ode to Joy was hellish. We heard it throughout the show. Once it went major-key, we knew that was the escape from hell.

[chris ncsu]

I concur. Plus, Crown not taking Brass or Guard left little doubt what the final result would be. I believe many if not most of the Crown fans were resigned to the inevitable.

I was in the Crown block seats. Sure, we were disappointed but we still applauded for the winner.

The writing seemed to me to be on the wall when Crown didn't take Visual Prof or Guard, and when BD took drums.