Real ideas for sustainability & revenue

[IllianaLancerContra]

In USAF I once worked for a 2-Star who had policy that we were never to provide answer “No, because…..”.  The answer was always to be “Yes, if….”.   This approach may be useful in the current discussions.  

[Jeff Ream]

20 minutes ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

In USAF I once worked for a 2-Star who had policy that we were never to provide answer “No, because…..”.  The answer was always to be “Yes, if….”.   This approach may be useful in the current discussions.  

which is why i said some parts of the old way and some parts of the new way may be a solution. But i'm not sure which part is which. regional national....housing is going to have costs. my hunch is bus leasing is a better cost per day in the current model than picking up 2 or 3 days here, 3 or 4 days there. feeding the kids has gotten more expensive cause.....gasp.....corps are making a serious effort to feed them better and more. the old days of the bus pulling up at mcdonalds is gone. plus member safety issues....like medical people etc as well as those trained to be sure no abuses happen....insurance? good lord, homeowners insurance is going up huge because of climate issues....i'm not in an area prone to floods or hurricanes, by policy went up several hundred dollars. i called to get a better rate and shopped around....and it kept coming back to "well...Florida". so i can't imagine what kind of insurance rates corps are paying for all they need.

what needs to happen is serious business minds that arent necessarily tied to drum corps come in and look at the model and find efficiencies and improvements...but also be sure to praise aspects they see that is working. think of it as Gordon Ramsey's Drum Corps Nightmare

[HockeyDad]

Just for the sake of discussion- is it possible that if a local touring model were “mandated” that more local corps might spring up?   And if more local corps spring up, more local shows will?  Is it possible that a big factor in the demise of many corps was the national touring model, not just the ending of funding from the local parish or VFW or Legion post?  I don’t know. And neither do you who speak with such certainty.   We may never find out.  We will probably never find out. I don’t think DCI is capable of making big adjustments like that. So it’s just an academic exercise. Since we’ve run out of ideas for revenue generating I thought I could ask this. 

[TheOneWhoKnows]

1 hour ago, HockeyDad said:

Just for the sake of discussion- is it possible that if a local touring model were “mandated” that more local corps might spring up?   And if more local corps spring up, more local shows will?  Is it possible that a big factor in the demise of many corps was the national touring model, not just the ending of funding from the local parish or VFW or Legion post?  I don’t know. And neither do you who speak with such certainty.   We may never find out.  We will probably never find out. I don’t think DCI is capable of making big adjustments like that. So it’s just an academic exercise. Since we’ve run out of ideas for revenue generating I thought I could ask this. 

Maybe, maybe not. I personally find the bigger issues to be what I call “out credentionalizing (my word) of the music industry” as a whole and technology. For all the good technology has created, the bad is just as heavy. Social interaction is now immediate and you no longer have to go out and join a group to be social. 
 

 

[MikeN]

By "local" touring do we mean fewer miles or shorter length?  I haven't negotiated a bus contract in a few years, so I can't recall specifics of what the larger cost factor entails.  I'm guessing fewer miles over the same amount of time is still going to cost near the same, if the buses are still "on the road" and drivers are dispatched then it costs money.  

Off the top of my head, maybe a split tour - 2 weeks spring training, one or two-week mad dash regionally, followed by 2 more weeks second training then one week mad dash leading to Indy week - might be more viable?  Makes it an 8 week season with transportation needed for four.  Shorter multiple spring training chunks may make housing cheaper. 

Mike

[cixelsyd]

5 hours ago, craiga said:

LabMaster initiated this thread to brainstorm some revenue sources and strategies with the hopes of hearing some fresh ideas.

Instead, we once again find ourselves up to our ears in nostalgic time travel by some people. 

I tried to steer it back on topic, but the thread has been plagued throughout by a lack of ideas, and a lack of people offering ideas.

Quote

Do you guys not get it? Neighborhood drum corps sponsored by churches and VFW posts went away 40 years ago. The activity and society in general has changed and is not going back.

Not right now.  But suppose air travel became impractical.  What then?

Quote

And one more time, for the record, neither Spirit nor SCV nor Cadets opted to take a summer off because they ran out of money.  In each one of these cases, their misfortunes can be directly traced back to bad behavior....in one case, decades ago.

Sorry, but this is misleading.  Spirit was in response to bad behavior.  Both Cadets and SCV were financial.

[cixelsyd]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:07 AM, Spinastick said:

Not to be contrary, but literally everything you listed already exist in multiple corps as a source of revenue. The majority of corps in DCI are decades old, and if you can name it they have tried it as a way to generate funds. 

Okay, then, here is a new idea.  Follow the money.  Identify the "next big thing", the area of greatest growth in drum corps related expenditures.  Then, have a corps (or DCI) provide that thing as a service.

What is the "next big thing" in drum corps?  Lawsuits!

Start a law practice specializing in personal injury law.  It should get off to a quick start, as DCI and their corps have the inside track for finding clients.  Turn that weakness into a strength.

[craiga]

Cadets have no money due to legal bills stemming from bad behavior, and we have been told repeatedly that SCV has all kinds of money...just that they mismanaged their bingo operation and can't seem to get along with each other.   

As I see it, all of this falls under the category of poor behavior. 

And for the record,  plaintiffs in the 40 year old Cadets case(s) should aggressively go after the actual perpetrators....not an organization that has nothing to do with the original crimes.   Just my two cents.

[cixelsyd]

3 minutes ago, craiga said:

Cadets have no money due to legal bills stemming from bad behavior, and we have been told repeatedly that SCV has all kinds of money...just that they mismanaged their bingo operation and can't seem to get along with each other.   

As I see it, all of this falls under the category of poor behavior. 

We could play chicken-egg with this.  But to set a couple of things straight:

- Cadets had bad behavior for 38 years, and fielded a corps every single one of those 38 years.  But only now are they taking a season off.  Both explanations given (fundraising shortfall and legal expenses) are financial.

- SCV did not have all kinds of money when they called off 2023... they had all kinds of debt.  They told us they were taking time off, paying outstanding debts, then replenishing drained contingency funds.  They told us... the masters of transparency admitted that much.  That is financial.

[HockeyDad]

1 hour ago, craiga said:

Cadets have no money due to legal bills stemming from bad behavior,

The BOD member who posted here said it was due to late and unexpected bills plus no longer wanting to pinch pennies on member experiences (busses etc.).  He made no mention of legal fees being a factor. Are you saying he was being less than truthful?   😎

Edited November 15, 2023 by HockeyDad