Where will the growth take place?

[OldSnareDrummer]

1 hour ago, ranintothedoor said:

 

- Think about how powerful Banana Ball has become within the baseball subculture.  It might be time for a "Spectacle" division within DCI where the top groups begin making arena-style art that entertains surrounding crowds.  DCI + WGI + Basketball arenas.

 

 

I sure don't have any better ideas and you score points for out of the box thinking, but I don't know if the dinos and traditionalists of the activity would buy into a full season of The Harlem Globetrotters do Drum Corps.

[KVG_DC]

Legit want Bloo to start their show whistling Sweet Georgia Brown before doing something bonkers again now. 

[wolfgang]

1 hour ago, ranintothedoor said:

 Think about how powerful Banana Ball has become within the baseball subculture.  It might be time for a "Spectacle" division within DCI where the top groups begin making arena-style art that entertains surrounding crowds.  DCI + WGI + Basketball arenas.

- I know this sounds like a G7 thing.  It's not.  Both and... both and.  Keep the touring model (struggling though it is), get SoundSport units paid somehow, and create a cash cow division that moves off the football field and into broadway/basketball stadiums/etc.  Banana Ball is "competitive"... but it's entertainment.  Lean into that for the Spectacle division.  People will pay!

 

Fwiw, this coming year Banana Ball is expanding to 6 teams, including a new one in my area with the name of a 1920s negro league team to honor that era.

My wife and I had to enter a lottery just to be chosen to be able to buy tix when they go on sale. As much as the entertainment value, parents also appreciate the 2 hour time limit.

Hot take - MLB playoff games were darned near unwatchable until the pitch clock, and even now they try the patience of casual fans, in the same way that pretentious artsy shows about nothing try the patience of casual or new corps fans. Pitch the ball instead of shaking the catcher off all the time... and play a melody, not just loud rhythmic staccatto chords.

[mcjordansc]

23 minutes ago, wolfgang said:

My issue with the idea above is having 17-18 corps at Championships eliminates Open Class, and also the need for a Thursday show. Quarters and Semis are my two favorite days of Championship week, though it's reasonable others prefer the Finals night atmosphere.

Imo, I want more corps to experience Championshios, not fewer. One question is:  Could a corps do local shows earlier in the year, rehearse at home for a few weeks, do a trip to Indy for OC or WC (ie WGI model) and get a fair judging?

I am just looking to start a discussion. I, too, enjoy prelims, but maybe we can find something just as interesting to fill that day. Maybe Open Class Corps rotates into Indianapolis using a two or three-year cycle. I don't have all the answers, but I do know a shake-up is needed. 

Regarding World Class, I would love to see 20 or more, but, considering the cost of touring, I am not sure that is feasible. 
 

[wolfgang]

2 minutes ago, mcjordansc said:

I am just looking to start a discussion. I, too, enjoy prelims, but maybe we can find something just as interesting to fill that day. Maybe Open Class Corps rotates into Indianapolis using a two or three-year cycle. I don't have all the answers, but I do know a shake-up is needed. 

Regarding World Class, I would love to see 20 or more, but, considering the cost of touring, I am not sure that is feasible. 
 

We need shows, but we also need corps to fill those shows. Which comes first- corps to perform at shows, or shows so the corps have a reason to form in the first place?

Reminds me of a now-30 year old reference... "Chicken and the egg, Will. We think it started in the past but we started it right here..." What do they say about all good things?

[cixelsyd]

48 minutes ago, mcjordansc said:

Create a unified parent organization—“Marching Arts Alliance”—combining DCI, WGI, BOA, and SoundSport for shared resources, media, and sponsorship. 

No.  These organizations have different, potentially competing missions, and need to remain separately governed for that reason.  Strategic partnerships and resource sharing are fair game, though.

Quote

Adopt a promotion/relegation system similar to Major League Soccer or European football: bottom corps in Premier move down; top corps in Championship move up (pending readiness standards).

There are so many problems with this idea.  Start with these:

1.  This is not soccer, where a relegated team moves into another nationwide league and plays just as many matches.  

2.  This is not Europe, where travel distances within a nation are not as lengthy.

Relegation would send established tour-capable corps to a place where they would only have access to half the shows at a quarter of the pay - possibly a fatal move.  Why should we start killing what few corps we have left?

Quote

Shift only the top corps into a shorter national tour window (mid-July to championships), while others finish their seasons at regional championships.

This idea conflicts with the promotion/relegation idea above.  There is no way to determine which corps to promote if they do not meet on a contest field, and no way to achieve/prove readiness to tour nationally if they are confined to their region.

[TenHut]

The Drum Corp Activity has had negative growth for 30+ years. It isn't going to change anytime soon. I sure hope that DCI and drum corps brass are meeting to discuss the strategy to maintain the activity.

In my opinion, the following needs to happen:

1. There must be a strategy to recruit local kids.

2. Regionalization. This would basically be similar to the old NCAA football conference set up with regional competitions.

3. Hold all corps camps and tryouts in the corps hometown. 

4. Corps members must be from a specified region. IE: Cavys members must be from the Midwest. 

5. DCI needs to hire someone to solidify sponsor partnerships, and someone to build relationships with schools for housing.  If there are people already in these roles, they are bad at their jobs.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2025 by TenHut

[Slingerland]

52 minutes ago, TenHut said:

The Drum Corp Activity has had negative growth for 30+ years. It isn't going to change anytime soon. I sure hope that DCI and drum corps brass are meeting to discuss the strategy to maintain the activity.

 

Spoiler alert - they aren't.

[IllianaLancerContra]

For all these various ideas the default response seems to be ‘No, because…’
 

I propose we take the alternative approach ‘Yes, if…’

[denverjohn]

4 hours ago, TenHut said:

The Drum Corp Activity has had negative growth for 30+ years. It isn't going to change anytime soon. I sure hope that DCI and drum corps brass are meeting to discuss the strategy to maintain the activity.

In my opinion, the following needs to happen:

1. There must be a strategy to recruit local kids.

2. Regionalization. This would basically be similar to the old NCAA football conference set up with regional competitions.

3. Hold all corps camps and tryouts in the corps hometown. 

4. Corps members must be from a specified region. IE: Cavys members must be from the Midwest. 

5. DCI needs to hire someone to solidify sponsor partnerships, and someone to build relationships with schools for housing.  If there are people already in these roles, they are bad at their jobs.

 

 

This all sounds like drum and bugle corps up until 1972.