Fans watching Sabrina Carpenter headline British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park on Saturday and Sunday night may have collectively missed more than 2.3 million minutes of the performance, new data from Compare and Recycle revealed.
On average, pop fans can be expected to watch over 18 minutes of a show through the screens of their phones.
Couple that with the 130,000 attendees in Hyde Park over the weekend and the number of people actively experiencing the concert through videos, which one in four people say they are unlikely to ever watch back, the collective numbers reach 2.3 million.
In total, that adds up to more than 2.37 million minutes of the show being recorded, which equates to more than 4.5 years of non-stop Sabrina Carpenter performances in phone footage alone.
Compare and Recycle head of marketing Antonia Hristov said: “Not only is a huge amount of phone storage wasted on never-to-be-rewatched footage, but many fans are also missing out on the very experiences they came for.”
Musicians such as Jack White, Bob Dylan, and Carpenter herself have expressed their interest in the idea of totally phone-free shows, which would aim to encourage attendees to enjoy the experience as it happens and not in preparation for future reflection.
This is an ongoing narrative which has only become harder for musicians and performers to push back against since the smartphone has become a more and more indisposable part of people’s lives.
They are not the only ones, as 36% of pop listeners said they support banning mobile phones at live events to bring back an authentic concert experience.
In April this year, Swedish heavy metal band Ghost banned smartphone usage at their run of UK gigs and fans actively celebrated the decision.
This makes sense, given well over a third of people find it annoying when other people film at live music events.
Hristov said: “Recording a clip or two of your favourite track is fine.
“But for the sake of your memories, and your phone’s storage, consider enjoying the rest of the night through your eyes and ears, not your screen.”
Featured image: Provided with press release
