As Drake embarks on a series of highly anticipated UK shows, including a headline slot at Wireless Festival and follow-up performances in Birmingham and Manchester, new research from Compare and Recycle reveals fans are set to spend a staggering 5.6 million minutes recording his concerts on their phones.

Despite this, nearly a third of attendees (30%) admit they’ll never actually rewatch the footage. The majority (76%) say their main motivation for filming is simply to share clips on social media, not to relive the experience.

Interestingly, in an effort to be more present during live events, nearly one in three fans (29%) say they would support a ban on mobile phones and recording devices at concerts to eliminate their digital distractions.

The Numbers Behind the Screen Time

With around 240,000 people expected to attend his UK shows, Compare and Recycle’s research indicates that the average attendee is expected to film over 23 minutes of the show.

Whilst this might not seem like a lot on its own, the collective impact is enormous, adding up to over 5.6 million minutes of footage that will sit on phones – the equivalent of more than 10 years of non-stop Drake performances.

It’s not just memories being captured; there’s a hefty digital cost too. With a standard HD smartphone video consuming around 100MB per minute, the collective footage from his UK performances is expected to occupy nearly 574.424 GB of storage. That’s enough to fill more than 4,373 smartphones with 128GB of space, all for videos many fans may never watch again.

The Cost of Capturing the Moment

Despite so many people filming the gig, the study found that one in three (30%) say they never watch back the videos they take at live music events, meaning over 1.67 million minutes of Drake’s performances will be sitting unseen in ‘wasted’ storage.

Filming the gig has a big impact on their experience, with more than one in two (58%) saying they’ve missed parts of a performance because they’ve been too busy recording, and almost a third (29%) find it annoying when other people film at live music events.

A Shift Towards Screen-Free Shows?

“While it’s tempting to record moments from live music events on your smartphone, our new research highlights a growing concern amongst concert-goers about doing so,” says Antonia Hristov, Head of Marketing at Compare and Recycle.

“Not only is a huge amount of phone storage wasted on never-to-be-rewatched footage, but many fans are also missing out on the very experiences they came for. Artists like Chris Martin and Bob Dylan have already championed phone-free shows, and we may see more acts follow suit.

“Recording a clip or two of your favourite track is fine. But for the sake of your memories, and your phone’s storage, consider enjoying the rest of the night through your eyes and ears, not your screen.”