To Randy- Could you please shed some light on the ?Parade of Dreams?

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Dirk

Member
Many guests may be asking for the Parade of Dreams music on CD in a shop - but most probably that is not enough, as the CMs in the shops sure have other things to do than count the number of guests who might have bought the CD.

The only way to make the management aware of the numbers of guests interested and therefore the stupid amount of money they are loosing right now (because these guests are normal guests, they won't order the CD through DelivEars when it is released, these sales are lost forever!): get guests to go to the City Hall and make the request in written form!!


What annoys me more than the fact that the music is not released so far are the two reasons that seem to be mentioned for it:

1. not enough sales - sure, if you wait long enough the sales are certainly getting smaller as the guests from the first year, when it was not released, could not buy the CD.

2. the excuse that tehy do not have the rights for a CD release and would have to renegotiate or repay the performers. Well, if this is true this indicates grave mistakes by the management responsible for the recording contracts. It is not as if the idea of CD releases came up only yesterday but the recordings are rather new. So some manager decided to go the cheap way here, because most probably his department doesn't get any money if a CD is released. While it fits the profit center concept and most probably helps the career of that manager it HARMS the company over all. Tokyo and Paris think of this before they record a new soundtrack for a parade or show, why can't the US parks. Are their managers really that stupid?


Yours
Dirk
 
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SharonKurland

Active Member
> Well, if this is true this indicates grave mistakes by the
> management responsible for the recording contracts. It
> is not as if the idea of CD releases came up only yesterday
> but the recordings are rather new. So some manager
> decided to go the cheap way here, because most probably
> his department doesn't get any money if a CD is released.
> While it fits the profit center concept and most probably
> helps the career of that manager it HARMS the company
> over all. Tokyo and Paris think of this before they record a
> new soundtrack for a parade or show, why can't the US
> parks. Are their managers really that stupid?

I'm sure it has nothing to do with stupidity...it has the same flavor of self-centered, penny-pinching short-sightedness that's been plaguing Disney for the past 12+ years.

-Sharon-
Orlando FL
 
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Dirk

Member
OT - "stupidity" discussion

Sharon,

as far as the single manager is concerned - yes, it has nothing to do with stupidity. As far as the overall company is concerned - I think it is stupidity, a stupidity often found in many, many companies in Europe as well as in the US. To me it seems as if they misunderstand the concept of synergy.

Since the introduction of the profit center system each manager gets rewarded only and exclusively if he manages to cut his costs as far as possible and improve the profitability NOT of the company but of his department / profit center. This system unfortunately is not really helping any synergy concept. A synergy concept is based on the fact that one department creates something / holds some rights / ... and another department is able to use the smae asset to further the business. Unfortunately synergy options as e.g. the release by WDR (one TWDC "department") of a CD with the soundtrack of a parade by DL (another TWDC "department") are lost due to the profit center implementation if the profit center idea is really pushed.

Why? To stay in the example. In the past, before each profit center / department was forced to maximize its OWN profit the repsonsible department for the parade's soundtrack might(!) have gotten the full rights for a CD release when recording the soundtrack. It then would have talked to someone at WDR about a release or to someone at park merchandising. The manager of the "parade soundtrack department" might even got a promotion for pushing such a great synergy pushing project, that improves sales at WDR and park merchandising. But his department would have had to pay for the rights for the CD release before hand.

Now with the profit center concept being pushed really hard the same manager is risking some serious trouble if he buys the rights before hand (even so that would be easier and maybe cheaper), because it increases his costs and there is no guarantee that he can get money form another department as maybe the CD project will not get off the ground due to a change in the parade soundtrack or whatever.

In the end what I want to showcase with this oversymplified example is: while a profit center system is helpful to keep costs in balance and give each manager of a small department more responsibility, it is very difficult to balance such system with a synergy concept. Right now at TWDC I think this balance is off. The profit of each department is so much pushed, that synergy effects are missed or actually "deleted". The fact that the management is unable to see the bigger picture and the risk that a "group" as TWDC is getting itself in by loosing out on synergy, the one thing that always was putting it ahead of competition, that is what I call stupidity.


Yours
Dirk
 
X-S Tech

X-S Tech

Active Member
Let me preface this by saying that this is not an attempt to curb anyone's free speech or anything, merely an observation on a trend I've observed. Ahem...

I'll agree that if any of the parades in the last couple of years at any park has the potential for high sales, it's probably these 2 what with the 50th tie in.... but, I laugh everytime I hear someone say "management is so stupid because they didn't capatalize on this opportunity", meanwhile they did a bunch of other things that are great and are well recieved. Being around DL a lot and talking to others, mostly AP's who get into the collecting more than I do, I hear this all the time. They think of some idea, mind you they are good ideas, either merchandise, new attraction or show, that they have come up with, that the Park did not think of, and instantly DL personel are labeled stupid for not capitalizing on this great idea, some of which the guest has just thought. I hear guests complaining to CM's all the time, "Gee Pocahontas really gets the shaft around here. You guys don't have anything from Pocahontas! All your merchandise is the same." It's their favorite movie, so if DL doesn't have any merch representing it, obviously someone must be asleep at the wheel. All this does is show how narrow minded and self involved this person is. There are 40+ animated films, but DL should equally represent the minor hits and the runaway blockbusters? Nobody can do everything. I too would like to see this music released, but there are several possible reasons why this may not have happened yet, only one of which is mental deficiancy.
 
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Howard Hawks

Member
I'll agree that if any of the parades in the last couple of years at any park has the potential for high sales, it's probably these 2 what with the 50th tie in...
Click to expand...
You raise some very interesting issues.

However, when all is said and done, the sad fact remains that the company couldn't move enough units of parade music to make it worth the trouble.

The average visitor to the park just doesn't care about such material, no matter how many anecdotal "I overheard three people ask about it during the ten hours I camped out in the Wonderland Music Store!" tales folks insist on dragging into the discussion.

While I certainly understand the frustration of those who would enjoy a Parade of Dreams release, I don't believe they are looking at the hard realities of the situation.

Personally, I think the general public is so over-saturated with Disney product that any unique park release stands little chance of catching their collective eye.

However, if the company were to consider making such material available for purchase via a paid online music service...


HWH
 
X-S Tech

X-S Tech

Active Member
The best solution would probably have been to put it on one a disc of other material. I don't suppose, with DL planning a second push for the 50th next year, that they plan to put out another album...probably not.
 
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disneyboi81

New Member
Randy,

Can you please give us an update on the possible CD release of this parade? I just returned from my homecoming to DL and have to say that this is the best parade music. I shed a tear here's walt's speech mixed into the "Welcome." Please release this music in some kind of way!!!! Thanks for all your hard work!!
 
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peterpan

New Member
Hi all

I have just returned home aftera long holiday in america, and loved the Parade of dreams music every single bit. even the pre show parde, the one that features Mary Poppins etc and they do that dance to the song that says "The happest palce on earth" anyway i was very disapppointed to find out that they did not sell that music on a cd anywhere and i had to settle with a Jump 5 version, after the person in the shop even said that it is crazy that they don't cell the music everones just heard they are loosing money big time!!!!!!

I live in Australia and its unlikely that i will be going back to Disnleyland any time soon , even if the Parade of dreams music is released there is no way of me getting this music unless i can buy it over the web. If anyone knows a place or anything where i can get this please help.

lets hope that it is released soon.
 
X-S Tech

X-S Tech

Active Member
The CM even said that they thought it should be sold?!! Well there you go then.

Not to say that this music shouldn't be released, but the fact that the CM at the music store agreed with you doesn't mean a whole lot. Cm's are told to empathize with guests, and the best way to do that, when a guest can't find what they want is to say, "I totally agree. I think so too,". You could say that they should make Black Hole action figures of V.I.N.C.E.N.T. and that the company is losing money every day that they delay and the CM's still gonna be on your side.
 
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