Marching Music Downloads, RIP

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

Remember DCI is in business to get money back to the corps. 

That is easy to forget these days.

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i'm not saying i'm a fan. but smart business says don't keep losing money. yeah i paid for every CD DCI put out, and every DVD too. and my 13 year old laughs at me, grabs her phone, pulls up youtube, and boom. Thats where DCI should be putting it and finding ways to monetize it.

But DCI cannot monetize it if they do not have the rights... which they just quit pursuing.

At present, FloMarching is using YouTube to offer excerpts as bait for potential new subscribers.  DCI would step on their toes if they were to release the same content there.  Which reminds me... 

For all the criticism we dish out to Flo, they deserve credit for the efforts they were making in 2023 and 2024 to try and get video licensed for on-demand streaming.  In 2024, they got full clearance for Phantom Regiment and Mandarins, and they actually took the time to edit the other corps to include every second of sound they could get cleared.  Then DCI submarined that whole effort by suddenly allowing individual corps to release their own end-of-season videos on YouTube, an unprecedented reversal of founding DCI policy. 

Thanks to that move, no one will ever again try to pursue full compliance.  Another DCI decision I doubt was fully thought out.

[leed17]

1 hour ago, cixelsyd said:

That is easy to forget these days.

But DCI cannot monetize it if they do not have the rights... which they just quit pursuing.

At present, FloMarching is using YouTube to offer excerpts as bait for potential new subscribers.  DCI would step on their toes if they were to release the same content there.  Which reminds me... 

For all the criticism we dish out to Flo, they deserve credit for the efforts they were making in 2023 and 2024 to try and get video licensed for on-demand streaming.  In 2024, they got full clearance for Phantom Regiment and Mandarins, and they actually took the time to edit the other corps to include every second of sound they could get cleared.  Then DCI submarined that whole effort by suddenly allowing individual corps to release their own end-of-season videos on YouTube, an unprecedented reversal of founding DCI policy. 

Thanks to that move, no one will ever again try to pursue full compliance.  Another DCI decision I doubt was fully thought out.

Phantom has been releasing finals videos on YouTube since 2021…I think the corps have always been allowed to release their own videos as long as they assume the cost of the sync licensing rights.  I would expect those corps that have done this in the past have paid those rights properly.  I would be surprised if they were releasing their own individual videos on YT illegally.  BD has also been doing this for years, and other corps like BK and Mandarins have released in past years.

 This whole video and audio problem is just a mess…FLO has tried, individual corps have tried, DCI used to try and gave up, and BOA is working with it by using Tresonas Spin Network.  My issue is what was said by someone earlier…the fact that the members and their parents can’t get a high quality video, and now not even audio, of DCI finals as a keepsake is ridiculous. But it appears it will be a LONG time before anything changes.  Sad

[cixelsyd]

1 hour ago, leed17 said:

Phantom has been releasing finals videos on YouTube since 2021…I think the corps have always been allowed to release their own videos as long as they assume the cost of the sync licensing rights.  

Not quite.  Generally speaking, DCI has employed the "all for one, one for all" approach to A/V marketing from their inception until post-pandemic.  Recordings were issued and copyrighted by DCI so that the proceeds could be directed per DCI wishes.  Individual corps could obtain DCI consent to use prior year recordings on their own products, but not current year.

I did not notice "every corps for itself" videos coming out within a few weeks of finals until 2024.  I thought they still imposed more of a delay in 22/23, but I could be mistaken.  And none of the rules apply to the 2021 exhibition tour.

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I would expect those corps that have done this in the past have paid those rights properly.  I would be surprised if they were releasing their own individual videos on YT illegally.  

I would not state it in those words.  Suffice it to say that the YouTube usage model is more fault-tolerant than other forms of musical media.  Rather than suing every little infringement out of existence, YouTube has a suite of copyright protection and management tools which offer rights holders a variety of options for how to protect (or monetize) their property.  They have essentially created their own forum with their own "laws", for as long as the legal climate allows it to continue to operate.  Within YouTube, you can post something in that gray area between clearly legal and clearly illegal, and see what happens.

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

That is easy to forget these days.

But DCI cannot monetize it if they do not have the rights... which they just quit pursuing.

At present, FloMarching is using YouTube to offer excerpts as bait for potential new subscribers.  DCI would step on their toes if they were to release the same content there.  Which reminds me... 

For all the criticism we dish out to Flo, they deserve credit for the efforts they were making in 2023 and 2024 to try and get video licensed for on-demand streaming.  In 2024, they got full clearance for Phantom Regiment and Mandarins, and they actually took the time to edit the other corps to include every second of sound they could get cleared.  Then DCI submarined that whole effort by suddenly allowing individual corps to release their own end-of-season videos on YouTube, an unprecedented reversal of founding DCI policy. 

Thanks to that move, no one will ever again try to pursue full compliance.  Another DCI decision I doubt was fully thought out.

DCI could use the licensing agreements they have to find ways to monetize it on Youtube. individual corps are doing it.  The problem is legally, i think they get what they pay for as opposed to getting what they pay for if you know what I mean.

 

as for Flo, my criticism of them has decreased significantly since 2022 on multiple levels. 

[skevinp]

On 12/18/2025 at 7:53 PM, larry333 said:

Good for the bootleg guys. 
Bootleg Drum Corps recordings are and will become a major part of the Drum Corps merchandise ecosystem.

 

 

Maybe it will become like Fahrenheit 451 only for music instead of books.

[larry333]

Here ya go...(I have no affiliation to any Ebay sellers)

Drum Corps Music of 2025 ! Double CD | eBay

 

 

Edited December 28, 2025 by larry333
.

[Jeff Ream]

20 hours ago, larry333 said:

Here ya go...(I have no affiliation to any Ebay sellers)

Drum Corps Music of 2025 ! Double CD | eBay

 

 

i am amazed with all he has sold he hasn't gotten hit.

Edited December 29, 2025 by Jeff Ream

[OldSnareDrummer]

I don't get it either. How is this guy not doing life in copyright prison? 

[Jeff Ream]

27 minutes ago, OldSnareDrummer said:

I don't get it either. How is this guy not doing life in copyright prison? 

no clue. but he filled in a lot of gaps in my collection years ago

[rjohn76]

Went to a large holiday gathering with extended family yesterday.  One of the people in attendance is a second generation director at large multi-location funeral home.  At some point in conversation, someone asked him how the business has evolved since his dad was director.  A lot of different points were covered, but he talked about how services today are far more celebratory in nature with multimedia presentations and contemporary music.  Took an interesting twist in relation to this topic when he talked about the relatively new practice of recording/streaming services, which really took off during the pandemic.  Turns out a big topic in the industry since 2020 is how to legally navigate recording/streaming of services that feature copyrighted music.  For decades they had secured blanket licensing that allowed them to play pretty much any songs/artists during services that they conducted.  Once they started streaming those services, it quickly came to light that they needed additional licensing to prevent those streams from being taken down.  We didn't dive too deep into the topic, but it sounded like they were eventually able to secure licensing to legally livestream of the services, but any recordings that are made available after the fact (online, DVD, etc...) they have to mute/replace copyright protected music to avoid potential legal issues down the road.  Sounded very similar to what the marching arts activity is facing, and just underscores the fact that the whole copyright/licensing issue is a much larger mountain to climb.  

Edited December 29, 2025 by rjohn76
Clarity