70% of ravers hate phones on the dancefloor, study finds

70% of ravers hate phones on the dancefloor according to a new study, confirming what we all knew anyway. 

According to ComRes research commissioned by Eventbrite, the vast majority of British adults find it irritating when other people are taking pictures or recording videos during live performances. 69% would support 'more than minimal action' to minimise the disruption devices cause. 

Tellingly, though, around half of all respondents also admitted they take pictures or clips when attending gigs and clubs, rising to 62% for those aged 18-24 and 35-44. This is despite 65% believing that doing so could make them feel as though they are missing out on the experience. 

Some UK clubs are trying to combat the problem individually. London's 24-hour FOLD, for example, has a no-photo policy, similar to venues in Berlin which have long adopted this approach. 

"Capturing a video or picture moment from a show is clearly important to a lot of event attendees, but it can also cause annoyance to others particularly if phones are held up excessively. We should look to strike a balance to ensure that both viewpoints are respected," said Greg Marshall, General Manager of the Association for Electronic Music. 

"As a DJ I want to entertain people," added Anja Schneider, one of the organisation's ambassador-DJs, who just premiered one of her latest tracks. "I build a set, maybe it’s an all-nighter, or an after-party slot. 

"You can’t then condense that down into a little piece of video filmed on a phone— three minutes or twenty seconds or whatever. Do I find myself playing to a forest of phones waving in the air? Of course, and for me that’s a problem because you can’t see the people, you can’t see the vibe. You can’t see people’s faces.”