Gary Matczak Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 (edited) One last observation. DCA attendance continues to dwindle to a few thou. Attendance at the AS is even less. Fine - but how many of the Alumni guys/gals/support staff fill seats at the DCA Finals ? I tend to think it could be a BUNCH. Tell the Alumni to take a hike and you will have even far fewer butts in seats for Prelims and Finals. my apolopgies, the quote feature didn't work right for the above,.... there is a lot to consider here, and quite possibly the double edged sword,.............the origins of the alumni show was just that, getting more people in town and butts in seats for prelims and finals,..............many alumni corps/members and travel companions do not go to prelims and finals, but on the other hand, the ones that do, don't buy tickets to the alumni show, because they are in it,............ Edited November 7, 2015 by Gary Matczak 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 7, 2015 Author Share Posted November 7, 2015 Was thinking of the Alumni corps getting paid like Ray said. If the attendance is going down so would the payout. At some point the corps would decide it's not going to make financial sense to attend. That thought was going thru my head at 2015 AS with 7(?) corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 When the Alumni Spectacular began, corps were not getting paid but I thought that changed a while back and they get a percentage of the gate for it now...perhaps someone "in the know" can confirm or dispel this? One big reason that hasn't been mentioned as a possible reason for the small attendance at AS...many of the competing units, and their staffs, companions, etc. are somewhere rehearsing and preparing for their championship performances, or for those that didn't make it to the big show are on their way home so they don't have to pay an extra day's fee for their buses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajlisko Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 >>When the Alumni Spectacular began, corps were not getting paid but I thought that changed a while back and they get a percentage of the gate for it now<< That's not accurate ... the corps split the gate right from the get-go in 98 ... DCA took a small cut for admin stuff ... it was only $5 a ticket ... and it was something to fill the time on a Sunday morning ... plain and simple ... Mickey was to provide a venue for the Alumni's to show their stuff and get a paycheck ... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 I was involved with an Alumni corps back when the AS started...about 2 years into it, Mickey "invited" us to participate but we were told that we would not be paid. The corps members decided that they (collectively) could not afford it, especially for a non paying gig and we politely declined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I was involved with an Alumni corps back when the AS started...about 2 years into it, Mickey "invited" us to participate but we were told that we would not be paid. The corps members decided that they (collectively) could not afford it, especially for a non paying gig and we politely declined. not exactly clear, but kinda how I remebered it,................we were scheduled to appear in 99,.......even printed in the program,...........but did not attend as a corps, partly because of cost,.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 In the earliest performances beginning with the one on the streets of Allentown... there was no money... but from day one of charging admission like Andy said almost 100% of the funds went to the alumni corps... so effectively "Grumpy" if you're trying to make out like DCA refused to pay the alumni corps... you're simply wrong... Never was there a charge for an Alumni contest when almost all of the gate didn't go back to the corps... Yes, I was one of those running the show... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Tom, I was on the Board of an Alumni corps that was invited by Mickey to participate in the AS, but were told that we would not be paid. That was a major deciding factor in our decision to decline the invite. I don't know and am not stating that DCA "refused" to return a portion of the gate to other participants, but our corps was told that it would be a non paid performance, I am only relating the situation with the corps I was involved with. I do recall that a couple years after that, someone in the corps brought up the topic that DCA was in fact returning a percentage of the gate to the participating corps, and a discussion followed as to whether we should contact DCA to ask about the possibility of being included but ultimately the corps decided not to pursue it. I am not "bashing" DCA, or trying to stir the pot, I am simply stating what happened with the corps I was involved with. I am no longer involved with that or any other corps at this point, just a fan and content being a retired drummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Think about this...DCI offers nothing like this! Well , once in a while a corps puts together a large alumni corps (Madison, Anaheim, 27th and SCV). DCA gives many Alumni's a chance to perform. Keep this going since there are many corps still around to entertain the DCA crowd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Not to throw a fly into the ointment, BUT a lot of these corps also depend on the check they receive, regardless of the amount, to help off-set expenses incurred in just getting there. Trust me, not all alumni corps are well-heeled or have a sponsor with a bottomless check book. Most members pay their own way to be there to perform, and many struggle to do so, but any assistance to pay the bus bill, etc. is most welcome. Hotels, meals, liquid refreshment, etc. are on the members of each corps. That all adds up to a healthy increase in the city's income too. The DCA corps receive compensation for their performances during the season by DCA at the end of the season. Should not the alumni also receive some compensation? After all, most of the folks attending the alumni show in the afternoon have also bought tickets for the pre-lims and finals. Many of these people have told me that they come to see the alumni corps and as long as they have traveled a great distance, might as well stick around to see the BIG CORPS battle it out too. Or does the corps just pass the hat in the parking lot or at whatever venue in which they are performing? Keep in mind that these corps are also held to the very same standards as the competing corps as to time, behavior, etc.and are subject to fines being deducted from their checks. And many of the "names" have been on the receiving end of those fines! So most of them really are on their "best behavior" so as to not jeopardize the corps' payday. These folks LOVE to perform for an appreciative audience, but doing it for nothing will lead to the eventual demise of any drum corps, alumni or competition. Just my thoughts on the subject, for good or bad. Let the comments commence! Ray agreed but... DCA weekend pays the DCA members. If their show is at best breaking even, is it taking away money from the DCA members? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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