With his status as an all-around performer increasing with each project, it appears Kendrick Lamar wants fans to witness it for themselves; not from a video. Lamar, per The Guardian, will not allow fans to record him in concert any longer. Lamar joins a list of performers who are attempting to take charge of their image. Jack White, Guns N’ Roses, Jarvis Cocker, and Alicia Keys have all banned cell phone use at their concerts. For Lamar, it appears that he wants to retain his high demand in which fans would have to see it, to believe it.
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 bestselling artists, relies on the profits made by concert tours.
Because of the emergence of streaming, artists have come to depend on their touring as reliable income. If artists such as Lamar of high caliber did continue to let fans record, it would eventually take away from the experience. Lamar just launched the European leg of The Damn Tour, last week.
To read more about Lamar and his strategy of anti-cell phones, click here.
