Attention Anti-Ampers

[Lancerlady]

Lancerlady, tell me more about yoru experience presenting the petition. How did the BoD react?

Well, Matt, mailed me the on line petition, and David sent me the signed Petition or maybe he mailed them to Matt who mailed them to me. I can't remember..lol. I was with David while trying to get some of the signed ones in Denver.

But I met with Dan Acheson and Jeff Fiedler before hand. Jeff was the one who helped us get in to the BOD meeting btw for those who didn't know. Mr. Acheson was very open with me about it. They even allowed me to use their copy machine to make copies of the Petition. I didn't think I was going to get a shot at handing out copies. But, I stood up and told them I was not a "representative of anyone in particular" that I was there to present the Petition to Repeal amplification because it was something that I agreed with and was there presenting it because I lived in Orlando... :P Anyway, I showed up professional with a brief case in hand, the Petition was very thick with so many signatures they had to take notice. I handed out copies of the Petition to all the BOD members, they listened to me. Mr. Hopkins was cordial with me. Actually all of the directors were very cordial with me. I told them how many signatures we obtained and how we obtained them and that we hoped that they would take our Petition into consideration for a vote. I wasn't there to debate or argue with them, I was just there to present it and was very lucky to have been given the opportunity for that. They all at least read it and looked at it.

Afterwards, several directors came up to me and thanked me for presenting the Petition. Glassmen, Bluecoats and Phantom directors especially. They told me it took alot of guts for me to get up there like that. I was nervous, but I have met alot of those people before thanks to George B. so I had that going for me.

Anyway....I was also there as a DCP reporter at the time covering the meetings so I was allowed to remain in the rest of the meeting. I do believe that because of the Petition they re thought their plans to get rid of retreats all together and at least have the "O Canada, America" part of it.

I think Glassmen are still the only top 12 corps that doesn't use amplification..right?

Edited December 1, 2006 by Lancerlady

[Jeff Ream]

This is not a thread for argument or debate about amplification.

I remember reading a thread dealing with this topic a few months back, but I can't seem to find it. Nevertheless, what can we, the people who would like to ban the use of vocal amplification in drum corps, do, constructively, in order to allow our goal to be met? I know very little of the inner workings of DCI and its Board of Directors, so this is why I'm proposing this discussion. There IS a way for us to propose the DCI the possibility of change, and there is also a way, no matter how improbable it might be, for us to cause this change to occur.

So where do we start? There have already been, I believe, multiple petitions, but it seems their effect has had little to no importance. But how are rule changes in DCI proposed...and what are the exact steps we should take in order to get this to happen?

Where do we start?

cash. dont spend any on DCI. when enough people stop spending on DCI, then they will get it. nothing else will work, they just don't care. they feel we can be replaced easily. you'll notice a majority of the anti ampers were those fans who kept dci alive in the mid 90's. take us away, and dci loses half it's base

[Jeff Ream]

A noble suggestion. Impractical, but noble. Do you really think more than handful of people would be up for that? But you're right, money does speak loudest of all.

well as show design seems to be complained about more and more, it could happen

[Hrothgar15]

cash. dont spend any on DCI. when enough people stop spending on DCI, then they will get it. nothing else will work, they just don't care. they feel we can be replaced easily. you'll notice a majority of the anti ampers were those fans who kept dci alive in the mid 90's. take us away, and dci loses half it's base

Even if 1000 people did this (which is very unrealistic), would it even have an effect?

[Jeff Ream]

I think the most practical way of doing it would be to find someone who knows a director, and ask if that director would put forward a rule change that prohibits vocal amplification.

If you take this seriously, I would suggest you make a "bullhorn" exception. Allow someone to use a bullhorn just in case you have a Magic 97 situation. Bullhorns aren't conducive to 525,600 songs.

Have that rule presented at the Winter meetings, and cross your fingers.

been done. no one would bite.

[Jeff Ream]

It sounds like people choosing not to spend money on something they no longer like to me. And it is the best way to get their point across, IMO.

[drumcat]

Well, what's the merit of allowing vocals themselves? I could give you all the diatribe of how vocals that are unamped are more of an effect than a voice, and that drum corps at its core is about expression through movement and instrumental music... I'd have a good argument, especially since so many corps have not jumped on this bandwagon. Many added amps, but few went amped vocals.

If these merits were debated, then what's the point?

[Jeff Ream]

The number one way to let corps and DCI know what you think? Write a letter.

Don't be lazy and email, don't be lazy and call on the phone, don't be lazy and chat online about how you hate amps. Write a good old fashioned letter. Write to the BofD of your fav corps, write DCI, write your corps director. Let them know that you don't like amped voice, give them a reasoned opinion. Let them know that you don't intend to support your corps financially if they amp voice. Tell them what you love about their corps, let them know you care.

I know I might get flamed for saying this, but letter still mean something. It means you care enough to sit down and right. It shows you put some real effort into it and you mean business.

Oh yea, when you do support a corps financially let them know it. Write a letter and say "I bought $144 worth of stuff from you......in part because you don't amp voice so keep up the good work".

Businesses, drumcorps, DCI will respond to reasoned requests suggestions. They will tend to ignore shouts from the stands, mean emails and online petitions filled with fake names.

ok, let's clear up some common misinformation here.

the original petition followed a huge round of emails, letters, phone calls, etc. the first petition, both online and gathered in person were scrubbed for accuracy. if a name even looked remotely fake, boom, it was gone. why? we wanted it to look good.

the 2nd petition died out because of a few trolls who spammed it.

but the first petition was monitored very closely, because we wanted it to be taken very seriously...and to a point it was as DCI allowed it to be presented at the BOD meeting that year.

[Jeff Ream]

I usually just get up and go to the bathroom or get a hotdog during those shows. I don't really want to boycott all shows since there is a ton still out there I do enjoy just a few I don't care for.

One thing I do not agree with though is being a ####### jerk. Like I saw a few do at finals. Even if you didn't really like a certain corp's show with the lounge act don't be mean. I heard some guys from the upper deck at Madison scream something very mean during the moaning part of her singing. Not cool. I heard a group of kids from corps that didn't make finals setting to my right chanting "Not Drum Corps!" over and over as they left the field out that tunnel in the SE endzone due to props, etc. I also saw a few rows down low stand up and turn their back as they marched by. There is a line. Try not to cross it... <**>

That being said just get up and walk away. And empty seat during that show kinda puts the point across. And if your spending money like I was at the concessions or where ever your helping out the show... :P

agree, being an idiot in the stands is horrible.

the problem with getting up is you still paid...and when you send your ticket order in, yo cant say "i only want my money going to the following corps:...."

[Jeff Ream]

Yes -- and then you must follow thru. If you tell Corps X that you will not support them because of this issue, then make sure that you do not attend shows that they participate in or buy their souvies, etc. A letter with no follow-up action (i.e., monetary penalty) will be meaningless. As I stated in my above post -- only when (or if) enough people withhold enough money and (as jonnyboy correctly states) explains why they have done so, will the corps and/or DCI take notice. If there aren't enough people to follow thru with this, then I would suggest that the issue isn't as polarizing or overwhelming to the activity as presented and the marketplace will have spoken.

if you go to a show, you still support corps x. you cant request on your ticket order that your money not go to them