Update from DCI Meetings

[Matt_S]

Just joined the discussion. Glad to see electronics got 50% of the vote, that's a lot better than I was expecting. I'm looking forward to seeing it pass next year. Good news. :)

[oldtimedrummer]

But there is only one marching/music ensemble the caliber of the BD, with or without saxes, so why not add them?

Because it destroys the Genre of Drum Corps. Many of us prefer the Brass/percussion instrumentation that makes Drum Corps unique and different from Marching Band. "A genre is a division of a particular form of art or utterance according to criteria particular to that form."

Edited January 30, 2007 by oldtimedrummer

[shawn craig]

But there is only one marching/music ensemble the caliber of the BD, with or without saxes, so why not add them?

Why destroy the integraty of one of the best brass and percussion ensembles so it no longer exists?

[passionatedc]

No, she was the best there. She was flat out TOLD that. Why would you march somewhere when you were the best one there? How are you going to learn anything from that? It's not about marching with a champion, it's about marching somewhere where you'll be challenged.

I don't care if she was "the best there" or not. The fact is, she was NOT GOOD ENOUGH to make the corps she WANTED to march in. Therefore, she should be down on her friggen knees THANKING the good Lord above that she found a corps that she IS good enough to march in and take the opportunity to IMPROVE by GAINING EXPERIENCE in that corps so she CAN be good enough to make the corps of her choice in the future. Sitting at home all summer moping about not making the corps she wanted to be in while eating potato chips is certainly not going to "challenge her" either. And furthermore, it's likely that the corps she wanted to make will give her more of a benefit of the doubt next time if she is pro active and gains some drum corps experience. To say that she is not going to march the corps she DID make because "she is the best there and doesn't think she will be challenged" is the biggest cop out I can think of. Again, is she going to be more "challenged" marching with at least SOMEONE or sitting on her lazy hind end all summer doing nothing? Anyone with half of a brain should be able to answer that one pretty easily.

Edited January 30, 2007 by passionatedc

[SkyRyder_FMM]

As has been posted...DCI sold more tickets nationwide last year than ever. I think a broad revenue base of champs and regionals is the best way to fund DCI, as opposed to a one-shot deal. Factor in the $$ from the theaters showing 1/4-finals (I think I read something like 14K+ people) and the sale of "stuff" and the revenue stream is less dependent on any one thing. DCI seems to be on firmer financial ground recently as opposed to a decade ago or so, so whatever they are doing must be working.

IIRC, DCI was taking about the regionals and Championships - where they sell the tickets and benefit from the revenues. I don't think they reported it for the local contests.

What is the cost of renting the RCA Dome, Georgia Dome, Invesco, Alamo Dome (pro stadiums), vs. Whitewater, Bloomington, Birmingham, etc. (college stadiums)? Greater ticket sales does not necessarily equate profits. I think that is a different topic entirely.

Though the increase in attendence at regionals and Championships combined does at least on some level indicate there are new fans replacing some of the disgruntled fans.

[WWonka]

The total DCI audience around the country is where the focus should be, IMO. People attending the regionals are getting a near-champs experience. Of course DCI should always do what it can to maximize champs, but that is not as important (IMO) as maximizing the total audience nationwide.

I wonder if the loss of all the local shows is offset by the big regionals. I understand there are not enough corps left to do the amount of shows done a 10-15 years ago. But I would be willing to bet if you added up the attendance of the shows in say a season from 1986-93 and all of them today over a season that todays would still be smaller.

[Tom Brace]

Yep, it's always the corps' fault, it's never the BOD's fault. DCI can do no wrong.

Ummm...the BoD is the corps. directors, so yes, it's the corps fault.

Who do you think runs DCI? The member corps directors. It's the way it's been since the 1970s.

Some folks think Dan Acheson is like Chancellor Palpatine or something. He works and takes direction from the DCI BoD (all of them corps directors).

Now, it is a corps fault when it recruits members, promises them a summer tour, etc. and then fails to provide the means to make that happen. Corps management is to blame when a corps fails.

Look at Crossmen. Their move to Texas was extraordinarily risky. However, it appears that their new home is to date working out well for them. I expect improvement for them this year. Contrary, look at any of the current inactive corps situations. Now, it may not be easy to disect, but I'm sure one of the things you will find is that corps' management teams (directors, Board, etc.) lacked the necessary talent, knowledge or drive to successfully do their jobs.

I've worked with many non-profit organizations in many different areas including drum corps. There, frankly, is not a lot of difference out there. There are outstanding non-profits in every area, and there are poorly run non-profits as well.

How many drum corps have a contribution expectation for their Board members. I am on a non-profit currently where I am expected to commit $5K to the non-profit and personally raise an additional $50K just to retain my seat on the board. Talk about commitment. By the way, those figures are also adjusted as the number of years increase as well. Why do I belong to this Board? 1. They do great work sponsoring in-school clinics for children who would otherwise NOT get preventative health care. 2. It's pretty ###### cool to be able to tell people about this cool work and how I get to help and how they can help too.

So, let's pretend I was a corps Chairman of the Board. Aren't the values, work ethic, skills, attitude, empowerment we bestow on young people performing in this activity a wonderful community asset? Isn't it worth it for someone in my position to donate $5K if I wanted to be the Board Chairman? Wouldn't it also be expected of me...and my fellow Board members to go out and raise 10 times that amount to support these kids?

So, I mentioned, I've been on a Board in the drum corps activity. I left the Board not long after I joined. You know what we were debating? What freakin style of headgear the kids were wear and whether we could find used bibs from a neighboring corps that had gone defunct. Day to day operations oversight stuff. Little, stupid, shiny penney kind of stuff that was distrcting this Board from the big picture issues they should have been working on.

If they had focused their attention on raising money and trusted the corps director that they hired to do his job, there would have been money to not only get new bibs, but upgrade the pit keyboards and hire truck drivers instead of trying to find truck drivers. See...they were trying to help the corps director do his job instead of doing their own. I had little time to hang in when a Board was this dysfunctional. My discussions were about vision and what does this Board want this corps to be next year, five years, ten years from now. They really lacked the necessary vision and dedication to do their jobs successfully. Any thing I was talking about fell on deaf ears. It was a great preparation for my time posting on DCP actually.

[raphael18]

No, she was the best there. She was flat out TOLD that. Why would you march somewhere when you were the best one there? How are you going to learn anything from that? It's not about marching with a champion, it's about marching somewhere where you'll be challenged.

If your friend has never marched drum corps how will they know if they're going to be challenged? Honestly, what point of comparison is there? I was in a div 2/3 where the music was much eassier than what I had been playing in MB (though, I was a clarinet then), and I never worked so hard. The visual aspect alone is something that most people just aren't ready for their first year out.

You would be really suprissed at the number of people in the top 6 that marched in other corps first. If your friend didn't make the cut there is a reason, and based on what your saying - I think it was more attitude than anything. The staff doesn't just look at performing ability, but also whether or not they want to put up with you all summer. If you go in thinking you know everything and don't need help, then you are not a valuable member no matter how talented you are.

[Liam]

Any thing I was talking about fell on deaf ears. It was a great preparation for my time posting on DCP actually.

Just quoted the last part 'cause I thought it was funny :P ...

About your entire post though ... couldn't agree more. I forget what the initial discussion was why you posted this, but it doesn't really matter. You are 100% correct about the responsibilities of a board and where the fall-downs have occurred in this (and other) activities. I would add, though, that the DCI Board (Directors) are empowered to take oversight measures of members corps if they so choose. I believe they should do so to make sure that member corps don't fall into these traps that you mentioned. Minimum funding requirements, operational audits, safety and licensing oversight, etc are possible things. Much like the NYSE requires certain compliance to join, DCI could mandate similar for the overall health of the org. When corps fail , it hurts all of them in some way. I also believe that DCI should consider adding non-corps affiliates to their Board to make sure that they have a good perspective on growth and finances and all that other stuff that affiliated Board Members are sometimes too close to effectively manage. There's a reason why most big companies have outsiders on their boards and I think DCI is sophisticated enough as an organization to consdier this.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Liam

[Tom Brace]

Just quoted the last part 'cause I thought it was funny :P ...

About your entire post though ... couldn't agree more. I forget what the initial discussion was why you posted this, but it doesn't really matter. You are 100% correct about the responsibilities of a board and where the fall-downs have occurred in this (and other) activities. I would add, though, that the DCI Board (Directors) are empowered to take oversight measures of members corps if they so choose. I believe they should do so to make sure that member corps don't fall into these traps that you mentioned. Minimune funding requirements, operational audits, etc are possible things. Much like the NYSE requires certain compliance to join, DCI could mandate similar for the overall health of the org. When corps fail , it hurts all of them in some way. I also believe that DCI should consider adding non-corps affiliates to their Board to make sure that they have a good perspective on growth and finances and all that other stuff that affiliated Board Members are sometimes too close to effectively manage. There's a reason why most big companies have outsiders on their boards and I think DCI is sophisticated enough as an organization to consdier this.

YES YES YES!!!!

I've been on here asking for this kind of oversight since my very first post. DCI needs to save money on expensive hotel rooms in Atlanta, Pasadena, etc. and focus on how they hire an audit team. It could even be an external contractor...probably better if it was. Teams that would go to a couple of camps per corps, a couple of Board meetings. Also, would collect required documentation to determine the fiscal health of each corps BEFORE they go down the road in June. YES!

Now, that's going to happen about the same time that corps move back to G bugles, but it's still something DCI could do to get to the preventative side of the equation. Currently, they seem to just to react after problems occur.