SoonerFan04 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 East Coast Jazz has a bass spot ( http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums//ind...showtopic=79177 )! I know it's hard for drummers to find a spot, so I'm sure this one will go fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubamann Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Star was despised when it was in DCI, mostly because of myths and fantasy created by members and fans of other drum corps. I don't know how much of it existed before 1991, but it certainly became quite significant after that. I know a lot of people had an "anyone but Star" opinion on the winner of DCI in 1992 and 1993. I know a lot of people claimed Star had an unfair advantage in the activity simply because of the way they were financed. If you were close to the activity in the early 90s, you should be very much aware of it. Bill Cook was aware of it: I suspect that nobody gave more to the activity during that time than Bill Cook did, but I don't know for sure. I am pretty certain that nobody was attacked as much for it as Bill Cook was, though. I'm not surprised they packed up and left. It wasn't fun anymore. The animosity between the hardcore drum corps fanbase and Star was pretty strong and evident. At the time I was even caught up in it and believed the lies that were thrown around, and that is something I regret. My point is that Bill Cook was onto the right idea about how to build a foundation for a drum corps. Being a smart businessman, he created businesses specifically to support the drum corps. Today, more than ever before, reveals how running transportation companies could help out a drum corps. These drum corps would be doing much better if they had 1 or 2 profitable business entities funneling the proceeds into their coffers. Star has 3 of them and another business operation that may be close to it. To me, this seems like the smartest way to finance a corps. Not hanging on by bingo proceeds, while watching debt go up higher and higher. Not begging for food donations else the kids won't get to go. Not trying to get staff to work for free. Not needing cash handouts on tour just to get to Championships. There were quite a few corps that had a lot of money go through them with almost nothing to show for it. I've heard and read comments, in the past, from some of those who helped bail out corps on the road that went like this, "I don't know where all the money went, but I wasn't going to let them take the kids home with just <x> amount of weeks left on tour." They need to have a budget. They need to have staff on contracts that bind them to the corps for the season, and pay them the agreed amount at the agreed times. There are some corps that do all of those things right. There are many that didn't and they are either gone or have lost their previous identities. I believe there would be a lot more of them if the right management had been there with the same mindset that Bill Cook had. Can you really argue with this statement from Mr. Cook : With some sound business minds around, they could have hedged their bets beyond bingo and the seeking of sponorships. Maybe bingo and sponsorships should just be one of many funding sources. With many of the open class corps coming from their own regions, many of them could have had their own variations of Star Charter Services, Star Travel Services, and Cook Aviation to support them. They could have even come up with other ideas outside of drum corps to pay the bills. Why didn't they do it? Because they were good intentioned people who loved drum corps and the activity and were not able to think outside of that box. Management had been so bad in some corps that even good sponsorship deals were lost. Some even had so little business sense that they didn't fully understand the sponsorship deal well enough to know just how many dollars were coming and when. This is no way to run a serious operation, especially when you have kids out there busting their ### night and day looking for an enriching music/life education experience. I work in the Charter bus business. Only Star has been sucessful there. Cadets and others have tried it to no avail. Buses that a Corps can afford will not be competitve in today's charter and tour market. To boot, once the outstanding cost start to pile up..(busted engine?..10 grand,etc) corps would be up the porverbial creek without a paddle. There are MANY corps that are well managed and run today..just to name a few..Cavies, BD, Crown, Bluecoats, Cadets, Boston, Colts, Capital Reg..Blue Stars..the list goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertoo Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 (edited) . Edited July 14, 2006 by mistertoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerFan04 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Spartans charter their buses...website says they have a fleet of 7. http://spartansdbc.org/coach.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 There are alot of business' that can be started with very little money. Lawn care, many have started with a lawn mower and weed wacker and are now a million dollar business. Referal companies. With people getting cheated all the time in home repairs this is a great way to make money and help people. Pizza, if not a shop then believe it or not buy 10 pizzas and delier them to construction sites and sell them. There was a guy in Norfolk that did it all the time. Made a killing. Sponsor events, The larger the better, chicken, shrimp, pancake festivals and carnivals. Do 3-4 a year. Solict ideas from the community. Theres people out there with ideas and no money, work it out. They may be a plumber with no van or tools. All it takes is a little effort at something you don't like to do something you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Think again. At least one of the groups listed will be lucky to make it through this year, and most likely will be inactive in '07. Sad but true. Are you saying that you think most of these corps....Cavies, Crown, Blue Devils, Cadets, Boston, Bluecoats, Blue Stars, Capital Regiment, Colts...will be inactive in 2007? That is a very interesting statement...and would mean that 2006 is the last year for DCI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Are you saying that you think most of these corps....Cavies, Crown, Blue Devils, Cadets, Boston, Bluecoats, Blue Stars, Capital Regiment, Colts...will be inactive in 2007? That is a very interesting statement...and would mean that 2006 is the last year for DCI. No he was saying one group would be lucky to make it through this year and 'that group' would most likely fold by 2007. not that most of those corps would fold by 2007. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistertoo Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 (edited) . Edited July 14, 2006 by mistertoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Ooops...thanks for clarifying! I read it as if you said that MOST of the corps you listed will be inactive in 2007, not that MOST LIKELY one will not make it through '06 and not compete in '07 either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubamann Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Ooops...thanks for clarifying! I read it as if you said that MOST of the corps you listed will be inactive in 2007, not that MOST LIKELY one will not make it through '06 and not compete in '07 either. I cant figure out who he is talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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