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Music Biz Drops Concert Camera Bans

Bands give up trying to control images

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 11, 2009 1:22 AM CST

(Newser) – As camera phones held aloft become as common as lighters in the air used to be at rock-and-roll concerts, the music industry is starting to give in to reality and drop camera bans. Most bands are allowed to choose their own photo policy, and a growing number are letting fans capture gigs with any kind of camera they want. Others, including U2, allow point-and-shoot cameras only, and reserve digital SLRs for the professionals, reports CNET News.

"It's an acknowledgment of the way technology is changing, and how much digital cameras have become a part of our lives," said the creative director for Nine Inch Nails, which has an open-camera policy. "Not only is it impossible to keep cameras out of shows, but it's fighting an increasingly uphill battle against what is now a cultural norm: people freely documenting their lives and sharing it with friends and family."

Hands and cameras are held in the air at a Nine Inch Nails concert in Orlando.
Hands and cameras are held in the air at a Nine Inch Nails concert in Orlando.   (?marfis75)
Fans photograph Nine Inch Nails on stage in Cleveland.
Fans photograph Nine Inch Nails on stage in Cleveland.   (©Daryl Fritz)
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We've found that fans are still eager to purchase reasonably-priced professional prints, often taken at angles or distances that only someone working for the band would have access to. - Rob Sheridan, creative director
for Nine Inch Nails

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 3 comments
Blackbird
Nov 11, 2009 12:39 PM CST
I pretty much quit going to concerts. If I can't sit in the first twenty rows, I'll skip it.
Jojo
Nov 11, 2009 8:49 AM CST
The music biz is about 10 years behind technology and social norms, whether it was the no camera policy when everyone on Earth has a cellphone and has been taking pictures for the last 10 years, or the inability to find a way to distribute music digitally that doesnt screw the artists until iTunes became popular. Maybe next they can do something about Ticketmaster and the fact you cannot get a good seat for popular bands even if you are the first in line or on the phone because all the good seats are sold to premium ticket sellers.
drlarrymitchell
Nov 11, 2009 8:16 AM CST
I wonder what Axl Rose thinks about this.

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