4 DAYS TILL DCI SCHEDULE RELEASE?

[Tim K]

9 hours ago, C.Holland said:

Irony. Drum corps is funded by student tuition. Appearance fees are so scant that it doesn’t matter if they sell tickets to non DCI sponsored shows.  Hell, it doesn’t matter if they sell tickets at all.  75-85% (or 90% for open class) of corps funding is member dues. The rest is grants, donors, then their share of the season’s revenue. 
 

If they couldn’t get show operators for the area, or enough show operators (for the days they hoped for) to be able to make traveling to the region worthwhile, then they cut that part of tour.  
 

keep in mind every show on the tour is because of its adjacency to another show, and the number of potential band students dci can be marketed to. Everything else outside of these reasons is a bonus. But not a necessity. 

 

I can’t say for all shows throughout the country that have been cut, but I know of one show in New England and two Midwest shows where organizers would be more than happy to host shows. Two of the shows were profitable, one a few years back had a roster. 

I think the business side of DCI wants fewer shows in larger venues to attract larger crowds and potential future marching members. The corps being DCI agree to this, in theory, but things change when it impacts home shows and shows where their fans tend to congregate.

People suggest regional tours. I’m not sure there are enough corps clustered together to make that work. It would make sense to have a tour that goes to major venues each year, every other year for smaller but popular shows, and maybe every three years for occasional shows. Could all the folks come together to make it work? Probably not.

[Phantom56]

If you really love love drum corps get your ### on a plane and go to Indy--or San Antonio, or elsewhere. I am thankful every day that drum corps is back--looked pretty iffy in late 2020. 

[corps8294]

I agree with the comments of Tim K. There are not enough corps to effectively run regional tours, anymore. The years of DCM, DCE, DCW, DCS are gone. We all remember the days of first tour being regional leading up to the big midseason regional show and second tour being the big shows where everyone, finally, meets up on their way to DCI. Open Class and DCA are hanging on by rope (although they are pretty close to a thread). 
Even the most well off corps have taken measures to maintain stability and sustainability. This is a much different era for drum corps and DCI than it was decades ago. 

[craiga]

We can't keep pining for 1980 to return.  That was more than 40 years ago and the number of corps, just like the number of churches, scout groups, Grange Hall chapters, etc is 10% of what was.  When I look at the 2023 tour, I see an activity doing its level best to survive and be sustainable.  Just today I learned about another World Class corps probably not coming out due to travel expenses. DCI is now is self preservation mode, which it has to be. For, if we end up in a couple years with 2 California corps and 2 East coast corps because nobody else could afford it, we will have nothing.

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, craiga said:

Just today I learned about another World Class corps probably not coming out due to travel expenses. 

What do you mean, "another"?  All 22 of them were on the tour schedule recently released.  Did I miss an announcement?

[craiga]

There are two of them currently ON the schedule who I am hearing are broke.  I truly hope that I am misinformed. In any case, my point of view is that anything DCI as a collective can do to help these corps make it through the summer, I am in favor of. 

[Jurassic Lancer]

3 hours ago, craiga said:

We can't keep pining for 1980 to return.  That was more than 40 years ago and the number of corps, just like the number of churches, scout groups, Grange Hall chapters, etc is 10% of what was.  When I look at the 2023 tour, I see an activity doing its level best to survive and be sustainable.  Just today I learned about another World Class corps probably not coming out due to travel expenses. DCI is now is self preservation mode, which it has to be. For, if we end up in a couple years with 2 California corps and 2 East coast corps because nobody else could afford it, we will have nothing.

I’m not pining for 1980 … I’m pining for 2019

Also, I am worried about critical mass. With such a trimmed down season, each show should offer enough corps competing or maybe I should say enough corps with draw appeal to compel fans to travel to them. That is not the case this year. 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Jurassic Lancer

[TOC]

2 hours ago, craiga said:

There are two of them currently ON the schedule who I am hearing are broke.  I truly hope that I am misinformed. In any case, my point of view is that anything DCI as a collective can do to help these corps make it through the summer, I am in favor of. 

Let's say your sources are correct.  What are the thoughts on these corps holding weekend camps, collecting fees for them, start collecting the tour fees, and hoping to get into the black to have a tour? It hasn't gone well for some other corps who tried to have a tour with low funds.

[craiga]

I agree with you.

[cixelsyd]

11 hours ago, craiga said:

There are two of them currently ON the schedule who I am hearing are broke.  I truly hope that I am misinformed. In any case, my point of view is that anything DCI as a collective can do to help these corps make it through the summer, I am in favor of. 

That is surprising.  I am not sure how to react.

a.  Every time we have a debate about props, tarps, amp-the-whole-corps electronics or annual costume changes, people tell us all the corps are flush with cash and can afford these luxuries.

b.  Every time we discuss finances in any sense, the case is made that the vast majority of member corps are flush with cash and any who are not are simply examples of "bad management".  If two member corps are broke and 20 are not, then we must have two member corps with "bad management". 

Maybe if instead of two corps, 20 member corps were in varying degrees of abnormally increased financial crisis right now, then amputating a whole region off the tour could be cast as a proportional response to the situation.