How Smartphones Have Affected Music Festivals for the Worse

Picture this. You're finally at your favorite artist's concert and it seems like you’ll remember this moment for the rest of your life. Recording it wouldn’t be so terrible, right? Wrong.

Within the past decade, our smartphones have given us the ability to do almost anything. We can record videos, play games, take notes, listen to music, etc. The only problem is that the disturbance of smartphones is taking away from the experience of live music, and the concept of putting 30 videos of Drake on your Snapchat story just doesn’t seem right.

Although, in our world now, it would seem odd not to pull out your phone and record who’s on stage. There’s a sense of an altered reality by viewing these moments through a screen as if you’re not actually seeing the performance with your own eyes. This has become a problem at music festivals.

Source: Milwuakee Independent

Many artists have taken notice of this problematic trend and have decided to strive for change. For example, the rapper Logic made his security collect fan’s phones before entering the venue to prevent people from recording. Other musicians such as Beyoncé and Bruno Mars have called out fans who want to desperately film them during their shows.

Adele asks fan to put their phone away during live show.

The ongoing problems with live concerts have increased, and video recording seems to be the biggest dilemma. Who knows? Your favorite singer might not want to perform anymore due to seeing cameras in the air instead of their fans’ faces. 

This troubling pattern has even affected many beloved music festivals like the enormous Coachella event that takes place every spring. Fans are taking a step away from this event and other festivals around the world by staying home instead: the culprit is social media.

Instead of spending the money on 3-day passes to music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Governor’s Ball, fans would rather stay home and watch videos of the performances on their friends’ stories. It is now more convenient to view live music without having to pay or move a muscle. Not to mention, live music festivals already took a major hit due to COVID-19, and social media is not helping them recover.

Source: The Guardian

The idea of bringing your device to a concert without posting photos or videos would be absurd, and everyone knows this plan is a stretch, but the outcome would be more rewarding than you think. Before you head out the door to go see a live show, silence your notifications and keep your phone in your pocket to experience what “live” actually means. You won’t regret it.  Plus, the artist will definitely appreciate it.

Are you seeing any live shows this year? Leave a comment below.