Are Smarthphones Ruining the Concert Experience?

09/07/2013

Madonna performs at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Hello again and welcome to As It Is. I’m June Simms in Washington.

Pop star Madonna received the Top Touring Artist Award from Billboard Magazine earlier this year. Those performances helped her make her one of the highest paid celebrities in the world. Today we will tell you who else made Forbes latest list of top earners.

Also, music lovers often like to share pictures and videos from the concerts they attend. You can find many of these images on YouTube. But, as Christopher Cruise reports, not everyone is happy about it.

Are Smartphones Ruining Concerts

?

Smartphones are ruining the concert-going experience. So says Andy Greene of Rolling Stone magazine. He says he realized what a problem smartphones were becoming during a concert by singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

“I’m in the first row of the balcony. And I look down at the orchestra and it was like looking at the stars; almost every seat was sort of lit up by a screen and people were staring at their screens. And I just wanted to scream ‘Do you realize you’re watching one of the greatest songwriters ever perform some of the greatest songs ever? And it’s just such a rare, unique treat, it’s a gift we’re all here experiencing this, and you’re not even watching it. You’re all on your freaking cell phones!”