Kendrick Lamar has joined an ever-growing list of musicians who have banned attendees from taking photos at their shows.
He’s also banning professional photographers from taking pictures at his show, except for a few official photogs that have been approved.
via The Guardian:
After Jack White, the former White Stripes frontman, decided last month to stop the use of smartphones at gigs, hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar, who launched his European tour in Dublin last week, is the latest high-profile performer to attempt to take charge of his image in the face of modern technology.
The Grammy-award winning rapper, who has collaborated on the soundtrack of the new Black Panther Marvel film, is not even letting professional photographers into the auditorium for this leg of his tour.
While the rapper’s management did allow a few official photographers into the North American dates of his show, showcasing songs from his latest album Damn, Lamar’s fresh concern to limit the market is an attempt to protect his valuable “brand” and ensure the appetite for tickets remains keen. A large part of the income of the music industry, even for best-selling artists, relies on the profits made by concert tours.
And this pushback against technology is not just a feature of pop culture. Last week the admired operatic countertenor Rupert Enticknap, acclaimed for his role as Rosencrantz in Glyndebourne’s hit opera Hamlet, stopped a performance because of mobile phone activity. “Tonight, first time I’ve stopped a concert and asked very politely for the person filming with their smartphone to kindly STOP. Thank you,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
We can’t say we’re surprised more artists are taking this approach. We’ve watched a few ‘live’ shows via Periscope and Instagram Live — and we know you have too.
