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When will drum corps be popular enough? How would we know?


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1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

Living and dying solely on gate is death. It’s finding ancillary revenue sources. Merchandise marketing/license agreements, ad revenues....

 

as i tell band boosters that run shows if you wait for ticket sales to make money, you won’t. Your show pays for itself if you fill you program with ads and sponsors. Ticket sales is extra icing on the cake

Where we made "icing" was food trucks.  But it was peanuts compared to our gate.

And, as we increased our ticket prices, our attendance rose because we began advertising that we were two weeks out from Indy and corps were at their near-peak.

Maybe it's different for early shows, or shows in your area, where there isn't as much pricing power, but there were four shows in Ohio at the time so we weren't pricing based on lack of supply, that's for sure!

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On 8/30/2018 at 7:19 AM, dans said:

Baseball is like watching paint dry. That is why Baseball is losing popularity.

I'd argue that sitting with Dad at a Harrisburg Senators game, relaxed and just talking and enjoying each other's company discussing the game and other things is something I greatly enjoy. The pace allows that and allows me to look carefully at the game as well, the details.

 

Similar but more noise and bad fans at NASCAR events... Indy Car is much better in terms of the people you're with.

 

Could be Baseball is best enjoyed live. I think that's the case with hockey as well. Something doesn't quite translate as well on TV.

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One aspect of growth through streaming or theater broadcasts is quality of the broadcast.

If I as a customer pay a premium price to watch a broadcast event, I expect a television or cinema-caliber audio and visual experience.  Showing a marimba player's facial expression while a neat drill move happens behind is not acceptable. Having Tom Blair is a great help on the visual side of things.

The audio needs to match the quality of the visual, meaning the mix heard in the theater (or television) needs to also be of the highest quality.  

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3 minutes ago, wolfgang said:

One aspect of growth through streaming or theater broadcasts is quality of the broadcast.

If I as a customer pay a premium price to watch a broadcast event, I expect a television or cinema-caliber audio and visual experience.  Showing a marimba player's facial expression while a neat drill move happens behind is not acceptable. Having Tom Blair is a great help on the visual side of things.

The audio needs to match the quality of the visual, meaning the mix heard in the theater (or television) needs to also be of the highest quality.  

Agreed! I do know when it's been right, the Simulcast has had me feel very in touch on-field with the sound and camera work- like an on-field judge at moments. I know I'd be ripping peeved if I'd have had issues like some DCP'ers have described at the theaters they went to.

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1 hour ago, Fran Haring said:

I remember Bob Murray of the Caballeros telling me a few times... "The show's paid for before we even open the gates, thanks to the program book."  The ticket sales were a bonus.

yup. One of my local shows is a machine. Even though the parents in charge change, detailed notes on everything are handed down to the next in line. It's a beast. the stadium isn't that high, it's set in a public park where parking isn't all that...and it gets 15-20 bands a year and is turning a profit in July. The other shining example is in a great stadium, parking is eh...ok because of how the school is laid out...always a jammed show. it's turning profit in July. And for this circuit, the bylaws require a certain $$ amount of tickets to be given to the bands to sell themselves to help cover transportation costs depending on the bands size. I know of others around the circuit that do the same type of business.

 

no reason drum corps shows, which cost FAR more to run, shouldn't take the same approach.

 

Of course then I read on Facebook this morning of rehearsal facility issues for corps at DCA Championships...as in the facility sucks even by bad high school band standards

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1 hour ago, garfield said:

Not in Dublin :tongue:

We stopped printing the program and selling ads, and our profits increased immediately.

I would contend that to follow your advice is evidence that tickets are not priced correctly.

Some shows are priced to high ( YEA). But when you factor in the way DCI structures the costs to the host, they have to do something. But there's ways to make money before you even sell a ticket. 

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1 hour ago, garfield said:

Where we made "icing" was food trucks.  But it was peanuts compared to our gate.

And, as we increased our ticket prices, our attendance rose because we began advertising that we were two weeks out from Indy and corps were at their near-peak.

Maybe it's different for early shows, or shows in your area, where there isn't as much pricing power, but there were four shows in Ohio at the time so we weren't pricing based on lack of supply, that's for sure!

the problem in Eastern PA/NJ/MD is a monopoly on who runs the shows and their pricing model. selling $125 super dooper tickets with parking/meatball sandwiches/etc usually end up with the most expensive seats filled in as the night goes on by people sitting outside that section

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3 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

A lot of pro sports health is attributable to huge tv rights

That definitely is the case with college football bowl games.

Several of them are poorly attended... heck, that might be an understatement for some. A whole lot of folks dressed up as empty seats. LOL. But the TV deal drives the bus.

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1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

the problem in Eastern PA/NJ/MD is a monopoly on who runs the shows and their pricing model. selling $125 super dooper tickets with parking/meatball sandwiches/etc usually end up with the most expensive seats filled in as the night goes on by people sitting outside that section

Saw that happen at a NJ DCA show. Couple old friends came over to talk to me from the cheaper seats since there were maybe a dozen of them sold. Was happy to sit with friends and enjoy their company while watching.

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2 hours ago, BigW said:

Could be Baseball is best enjoyed live. I think that's the case with hockey as well. Something doesn't quite translate as well on TV.

I agree with both of those.  Not a huge hockey fan, but it is insane in person.

For a casual fan, golf... the other "paint dry" sport...LOL... is good on TV... you see more players, more shots. But I love getting to a tournament in person from time to time. You see those great players up close... closer than most sports will allow you to get... and see how they make a very tough game look way too easy. 

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