It’s commonly understood that phone use at live events is a big problem. High-profile DJs have been talking about the issue since at least 2015. And both Annie Mac and The Warehouse Project founder Sacha Lord publicly railed against over-filming earlier this year, saying, in essence, that it kills the vibe. A host of think-pieces and opinion columns have also been published on the subject, with some suggesting the mass implementation of Berghain’s infamous no-photo policy as a way to protect the night.
But for the first time, we now have hard data showing exactly what the British gig-going public thinks about using phones to film and photograph at live events. DJ Mag took this topic more seriously, read the full article here.
First, let’s look at how unpopular filming is. The wide majority of those surveyed — 70 percent — said they find it irritating when others take pictures or video during a show. An even greater majority — 81 percent — said they understood why an artist might not like videoing and photographing at the event. And as many artists have stated, they usually don’t.
“Do I find myself playing to a forest of phones waving in the air?” asks stalwart German DJ and producer Anja Schneider. ”Of course, and for me that’s a problem because you can’t see the people, you can’t see the vibe. You can’t see people’s faces.”
