scheherazadesghost Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) . Edited June 12, 2023 by scheherazadesghost 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 40 minutes ago, ContraFart said: I don't think its an arms race as the bulk of the costs have to do with the touring model, and not so much the production costs. Yes the greatest variance in production costs have to do with top named staff, but I am not sure that is at the top of the cost issues. You are correct that the monetization opportunities are nowhere near where they are in professional sports, but DCI is not a professional sport, its a high end summer arts activity. (Or at least has evolved to be that) What can DCI do? I am not sure. If DCI corps had listened to Bill Cook 30 years ago. we might be having a different conversation today. But I think SCV has made other corps directors think of how to get their financial house in order. It seems that the main way to reign in costs is to lower transportation & housing costs. And the only way to do this is to shorten spring training and tour. Maybe limit Spring Training to 3 weeks, followed by 20-day total tour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContraFart Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 16 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said: It seems that the main way to reign in costs is to lower transportation & housing costs. And the only way to do this is to shorten spring training and tour. Maybe limit Spring Training to 3 weeks, followed by 20-day total tour? Wouldn't spring training be the cheapest part of tour? How many performances are you getting in 20 days? We need to be more creative on the revenue side, not dilute the product. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted January 2, 2023 Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) 45 minutes ago, ContraFart said: Wouldn't spring training be the cheapest part of tour? How many performances are you getting in 20 days? We need to be more creative on the revenue side, not dilute the product. Yes. During spring training, there are virtually no fuel costs. And, the buses, truck drivers, and tractors to pull the corps' equipment trailers don't even show up until the day they actually leave on tour. In the case of BAC, they use alums with CDLs to shuttle the equipment/kitchen trailers from their storage lot in Canton, Massachusetts to Vermont with tractors they rent for a day or two. Also, last year, they didn't even use one of their trailers; they rented a couple Penske and Uhaul box trucks instead, and then used alums and other volunteers to drive those on tour, saving a ton on transportation costs. I know this because I was asked if wanted to drive one of them out to Detroit and back. Edited January 2, 2023 by craiga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenoris4Jazz Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 6 hours ago, ContraFart said: I don't think its an arms race as the bulk of the costs have to do with the touring model, and not so much the production costs. Yes the greatest variance in production costs have to do with top named staff, but I am not sure that is at the top of the cost issues. You are correct that the monetization opportunities are nowhere near where they are in professional sports, but DCI is not a professional sport, its a high end summer arts activity. (Or at least has evolved to be that) What can DCI do? I am not sure. If DCI corps had listened to Bill Cook 30 years ago. we might be having a different conversation today. But I think SCV has made other corps directors think of how to get their financial house in order. DCI's response to Bill Cook and Star was to turn up their noses and get all pissy about starting a corps from scratch with a lot of "scratch." There was a lot of envy and jealousy and Cook just shrugged and went about his business. If they had pulled up a chair and asked "How do we find more people like you???" instead of turning their backs and walking the other way, DCI would have financially solvent organizations all over the place. It's no one's fault but their own that they are in this mess. You had your financial "angel" and you ran him out of the activity (so to speak.) 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruckner8 Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Get rid of fall and winter camps entirely. Wait until WGI is over, then do auditions. Then do a two week move in, that can’t start until Memorial Day weekend. Do a 4-week tour. Be done by mid July. I bet the quality won’t diminish much, because if there’s one thing life has taught me: you’ll get sh1t done in the time allotted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 6 hours ago, ContraFart said: Wouldn't spring training be the cheapest part of tour? How many performances are you getting in 20 days? We need to be more creative on the revenue side, not dilute the product. spring training may be almost as costly. 4-6 weeks, usually at a college, so there's housing. many colleges insist you use their food services too. costs. plus all the other facility related charges. and while there, you're not generating performance or souvie revenue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidal28Rdg Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 15 hours ago, craiga said: I agree, but lest we forget, in 2010 the G7 conspiracy explicitly EXCLUDED the Boston Crusaders as an organization that was not one of "the elite". Also, we should remember than during the 1980s, there were FOUR other World Class corps from the same metropolitan area (Boston and its suburbs) who folded, so merely being from that area alone wasn't enough. Of course, yes there’s the whole muddy, gray area of the time period of the G7 *dark arts* conspiracy, fear of outsized influence from the big corps that Boston had slid off the porch of being a part of. It definitely takes a targeted, organized effort, top to bottom from a board to seek out sponsors that potentially also in that area have a history of sponsoring the arts. Marketing yourself to the utmost, emphasizing public exposure, and exhibiting professionalism at every step is crucial, and it most certainly isn’t automatic or a guarantee you’ll get a slice of the pie, you mentioning the history of corps in the area proves that. BAC definitely put the work in to get their product desirable to investors and it’s of course paid dividends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vidal28Rdg Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 12 hours ago, TOC said: It's been posted here before that in just the Concert in The Park alone, they bring in over $500K. That is wild👀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traverbanking Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Jim, The reason that the Boston Crusaders had to resort to calling themselves the Boston Drum and Bugle Corps for several years in the mid-80s is because the former corps director who legally owned the name "Boston Crusaders" withdrew permission for the corps to use that name because the corps in the early 80s flew the corps to Europe and the check given to the airline bounced. It took several years to sort this all out.There was a court trial. Eventually the former corps director gave the corps permission to use the name "Boston Crusaders". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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