Our House Is Divided Among Itself

[HockeyDad]

This activity that we love is so teenie tiny. 25,000 fans for its one major event of the year is very very small. Add on top of that the amps issue that's so devisive, and it's just so sad. Can DCI survive with this unresolved rift? I'm afraid for its future. There are too many people on either side that we can't really thrive with either side disenfranchised, can we? So, what can we do to heal the wound? I don't know. I, like just about everyone else, have a definite opinion about amps. But, what that opinion is doesn't matter. What can we do to bring us together? Any ideas?

[mfrontz]

It's important to remember that DCP, though wonderful, is one very small part of the drum corps fan base.

DCI's improved a lot in the past five years in improving the product for its fan base, via Season Pass, DCI Cinema, ESPN, etc.

Gas prices are a bigger threat to DCI than amps.

BTW, (full disclosure), I would prefer not to have amped vocals.

Edited July 18, 2006 by mfrontz

[Matt_S]

What can we do to bring us together? Any ideas?

I vote for a DCW swimsuit issue, featuring the babes of a different corps every year. :)

[ajlemm]

I vote for a DCW swimsuit issue, featuring the babes of a different corps every year. :)

And I vote for a DCI sanctioned "calendar" featuring the cutest contra bass in January, snare in Feb. and so on. That would go a long way to cure any divisiveness.

[RobH]

Welcome, HockeyDad, to DCP - where this issue continues to be discussed - far better than any other Drum Corps forum, IMHO!

[bawker]

Well, here's the thing: the discontent is small enough that it can basically be ignored.

3,000 people signed the no amps petition...let's say another 1,000 could have if it had kept on. That's still only 4,000 or so people in the general scheme of things. DCI will reach far more high school students with their product than that by touching on just the BOA/USSBA bands...and keep in mind that these sorts of shows (narrated, "story" etc) are what they are used to at their own particular high school. DCI will weather this storm, no matter how much you shake your fist at them and lament the activity.

The dice have been thrown in a different direction, and it is one that does not include an older, "legacy" fan (cue obvious exceptions to this; but I'm speaking in general terms here). It's not going back, and if anything, it will become more simpatico with the programs you see at Grand Nationals each year. That will drive some away, but they will be replaced. It remains to be seen if this will pay off with long term fan/brand loyalty from the current set of marchers and fans in the next 10-15 years.

DCA has been discussed as an option. That is not a feasible one, as just about every change that DCI adopts is taken into DCA a few years later. The same staff/names work throughout the marching activities (DCI/DCA/BOA/WGI), so it's just a matter of time before the Statesmen have a vocalist out on the field as well. All supporting DCA (for only the "no amps" reason) does is put the amplification debate off for another few years (and it's already being proposed in DCA).

Healing the wound, as it were, is pretty simple two fold mission, IMO:

#1 : There needs to be an intrinsic reconginition of the older consumer. Period. The product on the field will not change, but the products off of it certainly can. More historical DVD's (All Girl Corps, 13-21, A/A-60 Finalists), more throwback apparel items...things that recognize the value of the historical performer. Having a different alumni corps at every Finals. Using DCI.org to showcase the history of the activity, like with the multi-part retropsective on Cadets '83. Getting some reference from the directors in the activity as historical figures in DCI, and finding out how they want to build on their programs legacy. Using "Season Pass" as a gourmet "Burn Your Own DVD" shows for fans that want it.

#2: The biggest roadblock we face is education: about the issue, about the people involved, about the logistics of amplification or electronics or woodwinds. Some people are content to let those on the DCI BoD do what's best for drum corps, since they know best. Others feel like we need to have all the cards on the table and make our own choices from that information. I, personally, fall into the latter camp. :)

#2a Until someone...Hop, Fielder...Gibbs...and mostly including Dan Acheson himself...steps up and says "This is where we are going. This is how we want to get there. These are the tools we need to use, and why we need to use them.", we'll still have a debate that takes place with only a few misquotes from directors as fodder, and our own conjecture as the rest.

Even the smallest political candidate knows you have to get people motivated and on the same page to effect change...but, in many regards, these changes have been dropped in our lap with an air of "Deal with it. We'll survive." That's going to grate a lot of people, and in some cases, rightly so.

We've run a lot of things into the ground on here, except how we can all find a happy medium on this debate. Maybe that much is worth still arguing. :)

[jwillis35]

This activity that we love is so teenie tiny. 25,000 fans for its one major event of the year is very very small. Add on top of that the amps issue that's so devisive, and it's just so sad. Can DCI survive with this unresolved rift? I'm afraid for its future. There are too many people on either side that we can't really thrive with either side disenfranchised, can we? So, what can we do to heal the wound? I don't know. I, like just about everyone else, have a definite opinion about amps. But, what that opinion is doesn't matter. What can we do to bring us together? Any ideas?

Good post. One thing is for sure: History teaches us many of our greatest lessons because it is no longer present, which means we have time to evaluate and research its validity and connectivity to the present.

The 25,000 fans you speak of that on average attend DCI Finals is a) not a real indication of how many people follow the activity, B) a number that will fluctuate from year to year based on location, etc., and c) it is a number that can be looked at many different ways (good and bad).

When DCI was formed in 1972 the early championship shows were held at small-school stadiums in Whitewater, WI and Ithaca, NY, places that do not hold even close to 25,000 fans on concert side. When finals were in Philadelphia in 75 and 76, again they were held at a stadium, Franklin Field, which does not come close to holding 25,000 on concert side. In 77 and 78, DCI held Finals in Denver, the first place and stadium where 25,000 concert side was possible. I am not sure what attendance was during those two years, but I don't think it was over 28,000. In 79 and 80 Championships were held in Birmingham, AL, and, again, the stadium could hold more than 25,000 concert side. I am not sure what attendance was, but again I doubt it was over 28,000 to 30,000. In fact, with the exception of Montreal in 81 and 82 (and I think 82 hit something in the high 30s), DCI Finals have been pretty consistent in terms of attendance. Since 1977 I would guess (no real numbers here) that finals has fluctuated between 24,000 and 28,000, with only a few exceptional years hitting the 30s. I believe we will see 30 plus in Pasadena, CA next year.

When considering attendance, we must also consider regionals and other shows. We must consider the number of corps competing and the cost/length of tour, and the expanse of that tour. Back in the 70s and 80s there were no regionals in Texas, there was no big show in Indianapolis (a much improved version of the old DCI Midwest in my mind), there was no regional in Tennessee, the California circuit was not nearly as good as it is today, and it did not seem as though there was much hope for a Finals in California. DCI has been able to keep a few of the older regionals, such as DCI East (which is now a two-day event), DATR (Drums Along The Rockies in Denver), and the Ypsilanti, MI show (which used to be called DCI North and was held in Battle Creek this year), and they have added Indy, San Antonio, Atlanta, Murfreesboro, and have managed to turn a few early shows into big events (Toledo and Lisle, IL).

On the down side, we have fewer corps today, fewer marching members, and a shorter tour season. But most of these things were unavoidable, and amps, entertainment, vocals, and what have you had nothing to do with this change. We have fewer corps because many things changed very quickly, not the least of which was more of our youth getting a pretty good music education in the public schools (vs. the days of WW I and WW II when fewer schools had music programs and corps were able to get kids off the streets). The cost of travel and insurance dealt many a swift blow, and financial mismanagement certainly didn't help matters. Todays' kids have more opportunities, and they fight the cost of college and their desire for summer jobs and cars. It all adds up to less corps. The shorter tour is largely the result of longer school years, more responsibilities on the part of the marchers and the staff who have other jobs to attend to prior to each school year, and the sheer cost of tour.

When I consider all that, the economy, the schooling, the opportunities for kids today, the cost of touring, and the changing appetites of young people today (who are soaked in popular culture in both good and bad ways), then I come to the conclusion that DCI could be far worse off. In fact, I think DCI is doing very well at the moment. Yes, we do have issues with many fans that are unhappy about amps and vocals, and they have a good argument and a right to express that, but the fan base is really not all that different than it was in 1978. Just as those in 1978 may not have found marching with a corps from the 40s to be as exciting as those from the 70s, the kids of today do not find the shows of the 80s to be as appealing as the shows of the 21st Century.

We have seen tremendous change in the activity, from the 40s to the 60s, from the 70s to the 90s, and the 21st Century will only bring more change. Not all of it will be good, but the constant of this activity is that our youth will have a chance to march, travel, learn and grow, make friends, develop great skills in music, and entertain; and we the fan can always take that to heart and revel in the fact that they are working their tails off to try and please us. So even when a few shows don't catch my fancy, I am still going to applaud effort and cheer those kids on for their hard work and desire to do something they love. My love for being entertained does not trump the thrill that I get from watching them try their best. To me, that is the greatest feeling, and I know these kids will be way ahead of those who do nothing with their summers. I know these kids will have gained from the experience, and therefore the experience is still worthy and wonderful, and fully deserving of my support.

Edited July 19, 2006 by jwillis35

[Lance]

It's been like this for as long as I can remember.

[Studio Tan]

big show in Indianapolis (a much improved version of the old DCI Midwest in my mind)

Nothing's an improvement in a dome.

Also, I miss the DeKalb show. Great stadium for drum corps, as even the lowest seats were still fairly elevated, so you could get a pretty good idea of the drill and still get your face blown off.

[willyc]

#2a Until someone...Hop, Fielder...Gibbs...and mostly including Dan Acheson himself...steps up and says "This is where we are going. This is how we want to get there. These are the tools we need to use, and why we need to use them.", we'll still have a debate that takes place with only a few misquotes from directors as fodder, and our own conjecture as the rest.

I wonder, if, as a part of the "where we are going" piece, how many of the anti-amp people would be at least somewhat satisfied if corps were penalized (in GE?) for amp problems?

Don't mean to say that it completely addresses the issue, just that it seems to have gotten a free pass where any other elements of a show are subject to judging.

BTW, I'd rather not see amps, but certainly am against amped vocals. Some corps use them judiciously to amp the pit, and I don't know if I'm against this.

I also don't think that this will mean that those 3-4,000 will stop going to shows either - IMHO only.