Glassmen Inc. Announces Debt Crisis

Sorry for the delay! New job in Houston has me very busy. Here is the latest:

Marching bands have become a staple of the American sports arena. Nearly every educational institution in America has come to rely on their bands to create a game-winning edge. During my tenure as Drum Major for the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands we were also called upon as entertainment for numerous charity events, official school events and even professional football half-time performances.

Purdue's "Block P" formation in 1922

While fans and athletic directors only need us to play the National Anthem and fight song, the band members know the goal is to have a clean and precise half-time show. This unique American art form started when Purdue and the University of Illinois began marching artistic formations in 1907. Since then it has evolved into a competitive sport with thousands of marching band competitions happening every Saturday in fall across the country. Their goal? Impress a panel of judges similar to that of gymnastics or figure skating.

What they all look up to is Drum Corps International – the Major League of marching arts. Don’t call them bands - what they do is not your average half-time show! With origins in the military, drum corps are made of 150 pre-professional brass, percussion and dancers with all the energy of a professional sports team and the precision of a military honor guard. They rehearse on weekends and spend a month perfecting their show from 9AM to 9PM before touring the country during the summer in front of the most consistent judges in the world and entertaining for millions with theatrics that play out like Broadway musicals without words.

A member of the Cavaliers Drum Corps performs while upside down

Here is the problem – What used to be hundreds of military organizations is now private with only 24 remaining “world class corps” that operate as non-profits with no ties to the military. DCI pays the corps a small amount per performance, but it cannot even begin to pay for the gas of transporting 150 members and support staff 10,000 miles. While corps members used to be paid for their work and entertainment, the financial strain on corps has made this impossible. Ironically, most members pay thousands for the “privilege” to be part of a corps.

Just recently, Glassmen Inc. from Toledo, Ohio joined the ranks of corps that are falling behind financially

“David Stinson, our Interim Executive Director, has been going through our finances with a fine-toothed comb. Dave, who is working without pay through the end of this calendar year, has determined that we will receive $550,000 from members, DCI appearance fees, and fund-raisers, but our anticipated annual operating budget is over $850,000. This leaves us with a gap of $300,000.”

Glassmen's latest image on their website

This is unprecedented for an organization of its size and prestige. The Glassmen have been part of the elite “top 12 corps” 16 times and hold the record for the corps with the most years of continuous improvement with 10 years of continuous growth in scores at their final competition. They have been in existence since the 1960’s in some shape or form and it seems they may not even be able to tour this summer. This past summer, the Glassmen even absorbed some members from Teal Sound and the Racine Scouts who suspended their summer tours for financial reasons.

This shows a disheartening trend for arts organizations in general from a financial perspective. DCI has been battling the finances by hosting fewer events, increasing the maximum corps size to 150 (thus making fewer corps to support on purpose) and seeking corporate sponsorships. They have a marketing budget, but it is very limited - not to mention that most marketers jaws would drop after being told how limited of a budget they had and the number of events they had to push to elicit a customer response. Attendance based fields across the board have been hurt as the sedentary life style in America continues eating at the numbers: Fine Arts Performances, Broadway, Professional Skating, Pop Music, NASCAR and even the NFL are seeing declining numbers.

Of course, television and technology is part of the answer, but DCI only markets the Finals in Indianapolis. This year that included a showing in "select movie theaters across America" for a grand total of 49,781 views. This seems high, but is much fewer than the .58 nielson rating in 2005 when it was shown on ESPN 2 in approximately 824,000 homes. Too bad ESPN kept the contract but won't televise it due to poor ratings (ESPN likes to average above 1.12). 

This list of hundreds of “inactive” corps compiled by fans says it all: Live performances in America need some help.

Go see a concert this week or go to a game – do something! Performance in America depends on it.

I'm probably forgetting something, but that's it for now!

Best,

~Drew

If you are interested in helping “Save the Glassmen,” visit Glassmen.org or click here