stevedci Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 i think that the presumption of the opening post in this thread -- that alumni are what sustains DCI, may not be accurate.... i think an analysis of DCI's performance since 2002 would indicate otherwise - attendance wise and revenue wise. as for george citing demographics ---if you read dci's website and press material etc, you can see that DCI takes a very similar view of what their target marlet is --- bands kids and their band directors.... read the DCI web site.. look at their press releases... look at their strategic partners... DCI decided several years ago that their primary target markets were scholastic performing arts students, aged 13-22 and scholastic performing arts educators..... george's assumption that not having electronic instruments is somehow turning kids away is a little misguided. i think if you check w/ DCI, you'll find that last year, somewhere around 8,000 kids auditioned for division 1 corps. the fact that some corps are not full is not a fuinction of not enough kids. it may be because the opening are not in the right place, or it may be that the kids don't like the style, or it may be that the kids don't like the value propostion being offered by the corps -- cost + lost opportunity + educational experience + corps experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 i think that the presumption of the opening post in this thread -- that alumni are what sustains DCI, may not be accurate.... i think an analysis of DCI's performance since 2002 would indicate otherwise - attendance wise and revenue wise.as for george citing demographics ---if you read dci's website and press material etc, you can see that DCI takes a very similar view of what their target marlet is --- bands kids and their band directors.... read the DCI web site.. look at their press releases... look at their strategic partners... DCI decided several years ago that their primary target markets were scholastic performing arts students, aged 13-22 and scholastic performing arts educators..... george's assumption that not having electronic instruments is somehow turning kids away is a little misguided. i think if you check w/ DCI, you'll find that last year, somewhere around 8,000 kids auditioned for division 1 corps. the fact that some corps are not full is not a fuinction of not enough kids. it may be because the opening are not in the right place, or it may be that the kids don't like the style, or it may be that the kids don't like the value propostion being offered by the corps -- cost + lost opportunity + educational experience + corps experience. Why not try for both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Why not try for both? They do...witness the legacy DVD's, the Classic Countdown, the inclusion of alumni corps at champs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedci Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Why not try for both? target doesn't mean exclude...it means... target :-) simple numbers alumni of DCI era corps -- <200,000 scholastic performing arts kids (aged 13-22) - 3,000,000+ renweing each year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 They do...witness the legacy DVD's, the Classic Countdown, the inclusion of alumni corps at champs. Read what Hopkins says about whom to go for. It is clear that he wants to go for the current band kids without regard to the legacy fan. If they come, great. If not, he doesn't care. The things you mention are bones from the periphery. I am talking about current show design. I believe that it can be done. George says let's not think about them, but only the kids.George, what happens 10 years from now? Screw those kids and hope for the next generation of kids? Dangerous thinking if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 target doesn't mean exclude...it means... target :-)simple numbers alumni of DCI era corps -- <200,000 scholastic performing arts kids (aged 13-22) - 3,000,000+ renweing each year One part of the equation, alumni of DCI era corps = the ones willing to stick it out when the chips are down. Witness the lean years of the '90s. No legacy fans then would have meant the end of DCI. So, why would you not put some effort into them as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Read what Hopkins says about whom to go for. It is clear that he wants to go for the current band kids without regard to the legacy fan. If they come, great. If not, he doesn't care. The things you mention are bones from the periphery. I am talking about current show design. I believe that it can be done. George says let's not think about them, but only the kids. Show designs are all over the place, with something for just about everyone to grab onto. 2005, for example, had the great Cadet Zone show along with the wonderful Regiment Gershwin show, and my own favorite Scout's show ever, Carmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Show designs are all over the place, with something for just about everyone to grab onto.2005, for example, had the great Cadet Zone show along with the wonderful Regiment Gershwin show, and my own favorite Scout's show ever, Carmen. If everyone were like you, Mike, then they couldn't build stadiums big enough or schedule enough shows to meet audience demand. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I wish I was more like you. I really do. But the current product is significantly less appealing to me. I just believe that progress (change) could be, and could have been made without so much alienation of the legacy fans. Those 2 million kids are still out there, always will be. They do, in fact need to be a major target. But, I don't think the legacy fan should be relagated to a minor target, if one at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsFan27 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 target doesn't mean exclude...it means... target :-)simple numbers alumni of DCI era corps -- <200,000 scholastic performing arts kids (aged 13-22) - 3,000,000+ renweing each year Here's another facet left out of your equation. All of those alumni have put effort, dedication and money into drum corps. Each and every one. How many of the band kids have done the same? Is it 200,000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madscout96 Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 there are millions of kids playing baseball.there are 750 pro baseball players there are millions of kids playing football. there are 1700 pro football players. just because someone does it when they are young doesnt mean they will keep going. just because a kid does marching band doesnt mean they will do corps. hell, look at band programs in the schools. elementary enrollemnts are huge...numbers drop off at middle school....then drop off again going into High school. you CANT get every kid, and trying is wasted time. the market for the kids you want is there...go get em! D1 isnt full at every corps, and D2/3 needs all the help it can get...and, IMO they could help themselves a lot more there are more than 750 pro baseball players, if you count minor leagues. But even those kids who play baseball growing up and don't go pro, many of them might play rec league softball, and certain SUPPORT pro baseball by watching it on TV and buying tickets to games. I think Ideally we want kids who are in band to be interested in drum corps, have the desire to march, and then be a supporting fan later on whether they march or not. Read what Hopkins says about whom to go for. It is clear that he wants to go for the current band kids without regard to the legacy fan. If they come, great. If not, he doesn't care. The things you mention are bones from the periphery. I am talking about current show design. I believe that it can be done. George says let's not think about them, but only the kids.George, what happens 10 years from now? Screw those kids and hope for the next generation of kids? Dangerous thinking if you ask me. That's a good question I'd like to ask him. So we have to change what we are every 10 years or so, just to stay "cool"? We have to go after a new audience and blow off the old one? That's a tall order. Pro baseball (to use as an example again) generally doesn't do that. They keep the integrity of the game the same, and keep some uniforms from changing (see Tigers, Yankees, Cardinals, etc.) to remind older fans that it's still the same great game that they loved when they were younger. These older fans then get their kids interested by taking them to games and watching on TV. MLB goes after this newer audience by making TV broadcasts more interesting for them, putting ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds at the newer stadiums, and fluffy stuff like that, but the game remains unchanged! There was a huge story last week about how some of the balls used in 1998 may have been made slightly differently to allow for more home runs, and there was a huge stink over that and steroids. Baseball "legacy" fans want their game messed with alot less than drum corps is being messed with! But MLB probably knows that if the "legacy" fans aren't interested, they won't get their kids interested, and all the marketing in the world won't bring in 15,000 people per game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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