At first I thought, "bummer," and although I would love to have pics from that night, I think audience participation was much higher than it would've been if everyone had their phones out.
This pouch would've been great, because I had to leave my phone in the office a half mile away as I walked to the venue.
Honestly, when I hear this, I think, "Why?" You want block the views of the people behind you and watch Prince on a 3x5in screen when he's physically right in front of you just so you have some grainy, poorly-lit photos of your own instead of looking at the professional photos of Prince that are available online? It harms the experience of other fans. It harms your own experience. It harms the performer's bottom line. There's literally no upside to this.
Practice some immediacy.
I do think most people place a higher value on photos they took themselves - that much is obvious.
Moreover, by asking people to put their phone under a lock, the venue implies that they view every attendee as a thief. That sure as hell won't go down well with some and they will find a way to record and post to YouTube purely out of spite.
My first thought was "I almost want to go to his show and leak the video". But then I realized, that's probably exactly what he wants. Free publicity for announcing this scheme. Free publicity when the video leaks. Free publicity when Twitter discusses it. Free publicity when he "gets mad". Free publicity as analysts analyze what it all means.
Brilliant. I haven't heard from Dave Chappelle in years, but here he is on the front page of a startup-oriented news site.
Also good marketing from that startup that makes the pouches.
Even if video leaks, he's at least ensured he has a 100% engaged audience not chatting or checking Instagram or commenting on HN or whatever.
Eh, at least that doesn't block my view when I'm standing behind you.
Anyone who spends a few minutes on Twitter these days can see how terrifying a public shaming can be, so I can see this practice being a strong motivator. I'm not sure it's better than Ansari's method, though.
i once saw mitch hedberg do a 10$ show nearly from a notepad and made it part of the joke, taking notes on audience reaction then noting the reaction to the notes
at the ucb show there was a comedian i was unaware i was familiar with named josh fadem, he did a bit on werner herzog pitching a hidden camera show that i laughed over for three comedians after fadem's set
i wanted to remember the nuance of the bit and scoured the internet but was unable to find anything substantial, i did find this(o) early in development version of the joke but it pales in comparison to the complexity and construction of the one i saw him do live
i really wish someone had a phone on him that night
(o) https://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/WernerHerzogsRealityShow
There is a different joy in knowing you experienced something no one else will.
Why not broadcast the material via wifi directly to the audience's devices, and have audience listening with headphones? What if audience member doesn't own a device? There would be spare devices at box office that would be provided / rented. It would certainly change the ambiance of the performance since the acoustics of the venue wouldn't be heard, but it wouldn't prevent people from (for example) hearing the laughter of the crowd around them.
I think if the app was designed right, it could possibly stop people from recording. Not that it would technically be possible to prevent people from recording, but since you control the stream of data to the device you can embed "watermarks" in real time during the performance. So if someone did try to record it would be theoretically possible to trace back to precisely which user / device was responsible for leaking the performance.
EDIT: On second thought, perhaps it would be safe enough to allow the user to retain a copy (with watermarks included), accessible via the app they used to listen to the performance live.
That said I'm not sure just how much of a point there is to this. I saw Chapelle a year or so back, and he was very agro about calling out people using phones (even to just check a text message) and having them tossed out. That really ruined the show, not the interruption itself but his jackass attitude. It's like media companies fighting new technology, adapt or die. Contrast this with Weird Al where he embraces phones and goes through the venue taking selfies.
And why not, you could even add back the acoustic effects into the stream so people still feel like they're listening to the performance in a big hall (or wherever the venue might be).
EDIT: And I think the solution doesn't necessarily fight back against new technology. Rather I think this embraces new technology. Sure it does take steps to protect the content, but that's only because these days it's so easy for anyone with a phone to distribute live shows in pretty much real time if they want to. If comedy becomes a lost art and is no longer interesting to people as a form of entertainment then perhaps another form of entertainment will take its place. But if that doesn't happen I can't see how a popular form of entertainment can "adapt" into something that is "different than it used to be" in order to prevent piracy.
I already think artists have more or less warmed up to the idea that they need to incorporate more live shows into their regimen to make a living at it. But then all of a sudden it's easy to pirate that content as well. It certainly feels like a problem that needs to be addressed. Before long if recorded entertainment isn't making any money, and now live entertainment can't be expected to make any money, what's left besides looking in the classifieds for something else entirely?
What's the point of going to a live show if you're just going to watch/listen to it from a device.
Live a little, enjoy the moment. Put down your phone, the twittersphere will go on without you. Or stay home and make more room for those of us that show up for the performance rather than the social cred (ie bragging rights) of going to a show.
But keep in mind that's not really the point. The thread has to do with ways to protect a comedian's content (especially live shows) from piracy. The point of the article was to show an example of how technology can be used to help protect a comedian's (or perhaps other performers') live shows.
Performers can spend their entire lives building up the skills they use to put on 5 minute, 15 minute, 30 minute, etc. shows. How else can a performer recoup that time invested if they can't expect to perform the routine many times and be paid each time? The issue with piracy of live shows is many (perhaps most) people will no longer be interested in paying to see a show they've already seen for free online. Or at the very least they'll be disappointed because they've seen exactly the same act before online for free.
one in which comedians can breathe a little bit easier
knowing their bluest material won't wind up online
before last call
walt whitman made a legacy from releasing 'blue' material, perhaps most notable in his second addition of leaves of grass which he affectionately called 'my blue book'(o)
it was the edition that he carried in his pocket to do edits and addendums
this fear of showing development is odd to me and seemingly harmful to future generations
mathematicians are often teased for it, being accused of hiding mountains of failures while presenting discoveries, seemingly conjured like magicians
expression is hard work(i), why would anyone additionally expel one's limited effort to make it appear easy?
(o) http://www.whitmanarchive.org/published/1860-Blue_book/image...
i was only able to find a paid link: 1.99$ from amazon video even if you're a prime subscriber; season 1 episode 11, froot loops for dinner, follows a comedian working material like a comedian
(i) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CJNQVA/ref=atv_feed_cat...
my ignorance revealed my bias
still, why hide your material even if it's blue? it's still your material
..or is the argument we need to protect the children?
The company that does this will probably lose a few percent of their cases per use, but, like 3D glasses, most people will return them at the drop-off bins.
[1] https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/jamming-cell-phones-and-gps... [2] http://www.tbo.com/news/business/fcc-seffner-man-was-using-c...
2) Someone who wants to record the show could easily do it even with these checks. I expect there's another motive.
3) Dave Chappelle has had some difficulty with audience interaction in the past, and this may be a way to keep the audience more focused on the material and performer, increasing their enjoyment of the show.
I hope he's as funny as he used to be.
I've had close friends try to show me crappy recordings of live music shows on their mobile phone. No thank you, next time send an invite so I can see it live.
3. Audience interaction is probably a lot more difficult when every numbskull with a smartphone is simultaneously trying to record the show.
Short story, enjoy the damn show and stop trying to rebroadcast crap quality copies of the real thing.
I recently had the privilege of seeing Bill Burr live at a crappy little venue. The show was even better than I imagined, with tons of new material.
10/10 I'd pony up the cash to see him next time he's in town.
I play chess and phones are banned from events (they sometimes have metal detectors at the door of large tournaments). Which causes a problem if you don't have a nearby car or hotel room to leave them in. Although recently they have tweaked the rules to allow phones to be in your bag (turned off).
Just because you can doesn't mean you should...
The point being. I don't see it as socially acceptable for audience members to ruin the experience for others because they feel entitled to record/distribute their viewing experience.
A lot of people act as though, 'if isn't posted on facebook/twitter/etc' it didn't happen. I personally think the opposite, I'd rather devote my energy to being present in the moment with the people around me. Endlessly sharing de-values the experience for me personally.
Maybe there's a compromise. Offer an option for people who attend events to promote their public personal. Create like a public/press box where they can do as they like without taking away from the experience of others.
The show was absolutely more enjoyable. I don't personally care if people check their phones and record live shows, but I absolutely despise when my view is obstructed by someone waving their device around trying to get a shot. I'm here to watch a relatively expensive live show, not watch other people record it.
As a potential downside, the opening comedian hadn't showed up, which left us sitting and watching / listening to the DJ for 2 hours before Dave Chapelle hit the stage. The DJ did an excellent job keeping the crowd entertained, but there were a few lulls where I would have loved to pop into HN or Reddit or something since it was literally idle time.
Sure, there was plenty of interaction, chatting, some dancing, and other fun with people around us. And maybe there was more than there would have been otherwise. But I still felt a bit like I was being punished. I know perfectly well how to balance being social with staring at a screen, and I'd rather not have that option taken from me. There were three times in that two hours that a quick google or calendar lookup would have enlightened rather than hindered the moment.
Who knows the consequence for someone who is "on-call"? I haven't been on call in a few years, but I'd hate to have to miss a great show because of it.
All in all, I'd say it was well implemented and an interesting exercise that might be a bit hard to swallow depending on the show, the venue, and our various communication needs. I was happy to do it for one of my all-time favorite comedians. It's not likely I would have participated for a smaller show.
Edit: sidebar - in the article it says...
Simply leave the designated zone (and head, say, to the lobby bar), and, as you move past several strategically placed stations, the pouches can now magically be unlocked.