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I remember ‘89 Regiment was invited to play for the Grand Opening of North Pier an office entertainment complex in Chicago. The organization was thrilled and it was a treat to hear New World being played with the Chicago Skyline as a backdrop.

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3 hours ago, ykw said:

Don't Corps get appearance fees for participating in Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades? 

I doubt the Reading Buccaneers perform in five separate Baltimore area Fourth parades (Dundalk, Towson, Arbutus, Catonsville, Bel Air) all for free.

Parade money was a big part of making the budget BITD. A long July 4 weekend in the Chicago area with parades and shows paid for the entire July tour. 

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On 1/15/2023 at 1:04 PM, greg_orangecounty said:

BITD, we raised a significant portion of our operating budget performing play for pay gigs.  We opened shopping malls, car dealerships, appeared at political campaigns, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, California Angel games, etc. etc.  

It was a year-around thing, and we could do it because 90% of us lived locally.  Do modern Drum Corps still do this to raise funds?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen an example of it at least from any of the corps in So Cal.  I know the USC Trojan Marching Band does it as I see them all the time.  

Some do. Parades over July 4th. (DCA does this around the Maryland area since you can hit 4-6 over a few days). Family days with symphonies.  Anything that pays more than a few thousand an appearance because there is a point of diminishing return that makes some not worth it. 

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9 hours ago, keystone3ply said:

BD Entertainment?  I didn't know the 49ers Drum Line were in their portfolio as well as several others:

https://bdentertainment.com/ensemble/drumline/

https://bdentertainment.com/work/

 

 

Some of these are for profit groups now. Managed by BD. The small brass/percussion group that plays for New York City Futbol Club used to be independent, then BD Entertainment added them to their roster.  

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14 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Maybe on July 4th.  But there are two cultural changes that prevent corps from doing that year-round.  One is that members come from all over the world.  The other is that in order to recruit nearly 100% from bands, drum corps must cooperate with schools by deferring to them whenever there is a schedule conflict... which essentially means corps can only convene during summer break. 

I understand members are all scattered across the county (another topic for another time), but there has to be a significant amount of members within driving distance of their base, no?  

It doesn't have to be an entire corps.  It's probably impractical for the reasons you state.  But there's no reason a dozen or so members can't do gigs as a side hustle during the offseason to raise money.  

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1 hour ago, greg_orangecounty said:

I understand members are all scattered across the county (another topic for another time), but there has to be a significant amount of members within driving distance of their base, no?  

It doesn't have to be an entire corps.  It's probably impractical for the reasons you state.  But there's no reason a dozen or so members can't do gigs as a side hustle during the offseason to raise money.  

Half-dozen brass playing Christmas carols in lot of Big-Box Store with donations can could raise some $ for member fees I would think.  Ps - don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness.  

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17 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Half-dozen brass playing Christmas carols in lot of Big-Box Store with donations can could raise some $ for member fees I would think.  Ps - don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness.  

I paid $2,100 for 14 members of the USC Trojan Marching Band to show up and play 15 minutes at my daughter's wedding reception.  No equipment trucks, staff, or "design team".  They just showed up in uniform with their instruments, played and left.  We loved it (granted we are USC family)!  75% of their operating budget for a 275 member band comes from donations and play for pay gigs.  Why Drum Corps don't make this a regular habit is beyond me as other have and do. 

Edited by greg_orangecounty
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1 minute ago, greg_orangecounty said:

I paid $2,100 for 14 members of the USC Trojan Marching Band to show up and play 15 minutes at my daughter's wedding reception.  No equipment trucks, staff, or "design team".  They just showed up in uniform with their instruments, played and left.  We loved it (granted we are USC family)!  75% of their operating budget for a 275 member band comes from donations and play for pay gigs.  Why Drum Corps don't make this a regular habit it beyond me as other have and do. 

Agree.  Seems like a no-brainer. 
 

PS- Welcome to the Big 10.  Because nothing evokes the pastoral tranquility of the Midwest like Venice Beach, CA.  😎

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2 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

Agree.  Seems like a no-brainer. 
 

PS- Welcome to the Big 10.  Because nothing evokes the pastoral tranquility of the Midwest like Venice Beach, CA.  😎

Ha ha!  Thanks for the welcome.  Talk about frequent flyer miles about to rack up!  

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