4 DAYS TILL DCI SCHEDULE RELEASE?

[JimF-LowBari]

3 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:

This got me thinking.

Why do the excess work of maintaining nonprofit status this is the case? I find that the mechanisms of nonprofits can create more barriers than benefits at a certain point. Missions? Boards of directors? They serve their purpose but not if the income has shifted so dramatically away from a diversified, robust portfolio of donors. (Which corps really had that in the first place?) Besides, there are for-profit entities like L3Cs or B corps that straddle mission and profit for a reason.

The only reasons for holding on to 501c3 at this point that I can see could be to (1) maintain the appearance of being a charity and (2) collect donations from wealthy peeps. Neither one (alone or in tandem) will save a struggling nonprofit. They'll just help 'em kick the can down the road until they're forced to change.

Now, if corps wanted to shift and hire folks who could help them get larger scale grants using their nonprofit status, that's one thing. I've just not seen evidence that anyone's interested in doing so.

No idea how close this relates but belong to old car club that lost non-profit for few years due to stupidity. Ye olde “we always did it this way so why check with experts” (sound familiar?). 
Had one big money maker for the year they paid no taxes on and authorities didn’t check too close. After losing NP status big chunk of money went to taxes and state started checking past business practices. Could corps stand a tax cut out of the budget and (maybe more importantly) someone checking their business practices.

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[Jurassic Lancer]

7 hours ago, Tim K said:

Regarding home shows, I think for some corps they are critical, others not so much. A number of the shows I’ve attended were hosted by Boston Crusaders. Up until about 2009 or so, I don’t know if I could say how a BAC show differed from Bristol or Beanpot other than BAC shows were not the traffic nightmare of Bristol prior to July 4th and you couldn’t get the  Fish n’ Chips dinner at a BAC show that you could get at Beanpot. About 2009 BAC started using their home show as a way to build up support for the corps in the wider drum corps community which was no small feat. 

Current example of home corps shows as a source of revenue going in reverse.

Bloo until recently had three home shows on the schedule, and on the easy routes of the tour then in place. All three shows generated revenue for Bloo (and the participating corps).

An early mid-west show in Akron / Massillon, a show in Pittsburgh, and a Tour ending TOC in Akron / Massillon.

Now only the TOC show remains and that show is on the same night as a Cincinnati show. Top corps are in both shows. This conflict divides the audience that would have gone to both shows if they had been on separate nights. Lost revenue all around.

Bloo got hit hard with the new tour as far as their revenue stream is concerned. Maybe DCI decided Bloo had enough revenue? Or no worries, Bloo can just tack another $500 on members’ tour fees to perform in fewer shows.
 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Jurassic Lancer

[Jeff Ream]

On 12/3/2022 at 8:32 AM, cixelsyd said:

Competitive marching band is pretty sparse in New England.  I would estimate there are three times as many bands (and four times as many band kids) in the states of Washington/Oregon/Idaho currently being amputated.  Meanwhile, the band scene in Florida is so much larger that we should be staging shows there come hell or high water (so to speak).

I think the point is being missed here.  Part of the DCI business model is to promote the activity by showcasing its member corps in events all over the country.  DCI typically has member corps all over the country, and part of the foundational purpose of the DCI circuit was to establish a logical tour to connect them all.

You speak as if DCI should not even be a nationwide operation, but instead cherry-pick the areas of greatest band kid population density and only operate events there.  That is the BOA business model.  It seems to work for BOA.  But BOA is for scholastic marching bands, not summer touring ensembles.  And BOA simply offers high-end events for a sufficiently affluent subset of a much larger band activity that has dozens of other circuits all over the country administering events.  BOA is not compelled to promote the band activity in every geographic market - others are doing that.

actually CT is pretty dense...band has been growing up there, and NY Fed is right next door plus USbands runs up there. so New England isn't a barren wasteland.

the business model doesn't specify WHERE all over the country they have to showcase it too. and corps DON'T have to go places they don't want to go. and while connecting them all is a goal...is PNW a logical tour path? I would think IMO Florida would get shows before PNW, and corps don't want to go there either!

 

Sure DCI SHOULD be nationwide...actually based on the name international....but it has to make sense and not break the bank too. BOA runs regionals all over. They ran events in OH, TN, New Mexico, of course Texas and Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Arizona, Delaware, Arkansas, St. Louis, NC, Orlando, Alabama, New Jersey, Utah...so there you even have what 2 states DCI doesn't run in? so BOa is doing a pretty #### good job promoting the band activity across the country. To the point they are THE band circuit of note. 

yes BOA is scholastic, and also has far more groups. That gives them options. but while DCI is summer touring groups, their goal is to make money. and they deemed the PNW region not worth the cost. Just as they've done with Florida.

[Jeff Ream]

On 12/3/2022 at 9:51 AM, corps8294 said:

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. 

agreed. even putting World and Open together there's just not enough

[Jeff Ream]

15 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

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.

funny most point out the driving costs in drum corps are food, fuel, housing and insurance, and can you point me to who is saying the corps are rolling in dough? on DCP of all places?

[cixelsyd]

7 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

funny most point out the driving costs in drum corps are food, fuel, housing and insurance, and can you point me to who is saying the corps are rolling in dough? on DCP of all places?

When it is time to defend corps spending, there are people who post about how drum corps is big business now.  They cite the seven-figure annual budgets of the higher ranking corps, and contend that props, tarps, amp-the-whole-corps and annual costume changes are therefore relatively trivial expenses.  

[cixelsyd]

On 12/2/2022 at 11:04 PM, C.Holland said:

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. 

17 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:

This got me thinking.

Why do the excess work of maintaining nonprofit status if this is the case?

Because corps need charitable funding sources for that additional 10%-25% to balance the budgets.

Drum corps has never been an innately profitable (or sustainable) endeavor.  Corps have relied upon charitable giving for at least a century now. 

If DCI allowed the option of organizing a drum corps as a for-profit entity, who would be the first to give up their 501c3 status and all the related charitable fundraising (including bingo)?  Would anyone?

Edited December 5, 2022 by cixelsyd

[craiga]

1 hour ago, cixelsyd said:

When it is time to defend corps spending, there are people who post about how drum corps is big business now.  They cite the seven-figure annual budgets of the higher ranking corps, and contend that props, tarps, amp-the-whole-corps and annual costume changes are therefore relatively trivial expenses.  

For the record,  most of the top 12 corps do not pay for their "annual costume changes".  They are provided to the corps for free in exchange for promotional consideration.   The same is true for marching and pit percussion.   I don't know if amps are part of the package, but I'll bet they are.

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 13, 2023 by scheherazadesghost