I'm kinda bummed

[Piper]

It's always a good thing if a corps can generate income, but I don't know too many drum corps people who are willing to walk around with band messages written on their shirts. Heck, you could get laughed off the bus for wearing something like that.

[dbc03]

It's always a good thing if a corps can generate income, but I don't know too many drum corps people who are willing to walk around with band messages written on their shirts. Heck, you could get laughed off the bus for wearing something like that.

So that is obviously not their target audience

[Michael Boo]

It's always a good thing if a corps can generate income, but I don't know too many drum corps people who are willing to walk around with band messages written on their shirts. Heck, you could get laughed off the bus for wearing something like that.

Do corps members even have any such discretionary income left after they pay for tour?

[byline]

Here's a beef I had. At Lexington, I decided to buy a Bluecoats hat - 15$. Then my friend went and bought a t-shirt and the woman told him that since he bought a shirt, he could buy a hat for only 8$. Why didn't she tell me about that deal? I would have gladly bought a shirt to go along with my hat, or at the very least my friend and I could have saved a little money and bought our hat and shirt together. But in the end, it goes to a great cause, so I chose not to say anything at the time and instead get on here and complain :P

You wouldn't have had to complain. All you'd have had to have done is said you didn't know about the special deal, and you'd love to get a T-shirt with your hat, so could you take advantage of the same deal, too? I'd be willing to bet they'd have done it for you.

[Kimberly]

The "I want it now" feeling is also real strong at a show. Most people don't want to see a show, then come home and get on the internet, find the souvie page for a particular corps and then go through the online stores and then wait for the item to arrive. You also can't actually hold up an item to see how it is going to fit - there are a lot of us out here that only fit into a Size 2 when we were in Elementary school.

Yes - they tell us all the time in Mary Kay "the eye buys what the eye sees."

[MiamiSun76]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all get the "band kids have money" but what about drum corps fans who came to a drum corps show to see drum corps and then want to buy a t-shirt/pin/hat/something with their favorite/former drum corps logo or name on it?

I'm hardly one of those drum corps is dying kind of people but it is sad to see that something even the corps themselves lose sight of things.

That would be number 3 on my list of "issues with Dan Acheson". The 2002 "we don't need legacy fans" State of the Association address.

[Silver_King]

u should complain that it is woodwind stuff at a drum corps stand

[Tank]

anything that gets them to spend it TO HELP KEEP OUR CORPS ON THE ROAD is a good thing.

This is the bottom line, really. I made piece with this issue years ago. I guess you could call it a necessary "evil" for some corps.

[Krista]

Agreed, and if it works.... why complain?

just rummage through your corps of choice's souvies until you find the merchandise you're after.

if the "band" market brings in $$$, fine. So does the corps logo stuff, and it's still there, you just may have to look a bit.

[Piper]

I remember one Memorial Day when we had a kid in the corps who played trumpet in his High School band. Since it was an academic commitment, our director gave him permission to march with the bandos. Anyway, he had to hop on the corps bus to catch a lift to the beginning of the parade dressed in full band regalia. I don't think he ever lived it down. :P