Filming at Gigs: Good or Bad?

[Postman Dave]

Many musicians say they are frustrated with fans filming gigs on their smartphones.

Jack White and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have put up signs at their concerts asking people to leave their mobiles in their pockets.

Felix from The Maccabees told Newsbeat he thinks it ruins the experience.

"People just seem to be totally obsessed with preserving all these things that you can't even hear or see," he says.

"I think that is a negative for live music."

Alt-J, who formed in 2007, say it happens a lot at their gigs.

"I really want to say on stage sometimes, this is our last song, just put down your phones and enjoy it and remember it," says Gus from the band.

"I'm not even sure what people do with that footage, it probably looks and sounds really rubbish."

Music fans like 18-year-old Kate Nightingale and her friend Caroline Day say they both film at gigs because they don't want to forget the experience.

The footage they have shot on their smartphones sounds very distorted but they insist they will watch it again.

"Memories, so you don't forget the good times," says Kate outside an A$AP Rocky gig in London.

"It is a bit annoying though sometimes when there is loads in front of your face and you can't see."

Alt-J wants fans to put down their phones and enjoy the gig

New apps have been developed primarily to enhance the live music experience with the hope it will encourage fans to put their phones away for some of the gig.

Alt-J helped launch Soundhalo, which allows music lovers to download the track they have just seen live on stage to their phone within minutes.

Fans don't even have to hold their phones in the air at all to make use of this app.

"From a punters perspective it's really about making that live experience more fun," explains Liza Boston, co-creator of Soundhalo.

"It's also about supporting your artist, we have a royalty model."

There are other companies tapping in to the live music footage market.

Dublin based 45 Sound have worked with more than 200 artists, they sync fan footage with quality audio from the gig.

Cathal Furey who set up the company says it requires fans to get their phones out but only for one track.

"What the band will do is choose one song from their set that they will work with their fans to fan shoot a live video of," he explains.

"It's a way of artists saying guys we understand you'd like to film some of it but lets work together."

BBC Newsbeat

Personally, I hate the fuckers who hold their phones up in front of me. One, they're so obsessed with saving the moment they forget to live it, and two, the quality of the footage saved plus the youtube "hits" cannot be worth it.

 

[Mitch Buchannon]

It's disrespectful to the audience and to the artists. The only acceptable filming would be if it is for a documentary or a concert film. Anything else is just bullshit.

 

[Fuji Vice]

In all honesty, I think anyone who films a concert with their phone is a moron, but if they want to do it then it's perfectly fine by me. I'll enjoy the show and keep the memories in my head, while they can go home and watch their CAM quality video with tinny sound.