Nina, Top Suzara, and Thor Dulay believe clearer rules are needed when it comes to concertgoers recording, uploading, and monetizing entire live performances online.
Ahead of ‘NINA XX: The Repeat’ on September 24 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, the three singers weighed in on concert etiquette in the digital age, saying they appreciate fans sharing short clips but draw the line at recordings of an entire show.
“If you want to post snippets of the concert, that’s fine,” Suzara told the media. “We’re actually grateful as artists. But to post the whole show takes away the whole experience if you’re going to monetize it.”
For Suzara, buying a concert ticket does not automatically give an audience member the right to record and distribute the entire performance.
“I think even if you paid the ticket for show, it doesn’t entitle you to record it and load it as yours,” he said.
He also pointed out that concerts depend on the interaction between the performers and their audience—something that can be diminished when viewers spend the entire show documenting it on their phones.
“What we want to do is perform for you. But we also want you to be part of the evening. It’s hard to react to somebody who’s just documenting the entirety of the concert with no interaction.”
Suzara also noted that copyrighted music could create additional issues when full performances are uploaded online.
Dulay shared a similar view, particularly when an entire performance is made available online.
“The audience spent to watch the concert,” he said. “If they post about the entire performance, ibang usapan na ‘yun. Naghirap ang artists and production for the show. The audience should respect that.”
For the singers, there is an important distinction between posting a short video as a souvenir or promotional clip and making substantial portions—or even the entirety—of a paid concert freely available online.
Nina acknowledged that short clips can actually help promote a show and allow fans to share their experience.
“There are people who saved their hard-earned money just to watch the show,” Nina said. “Snippets are fine because it would also promote our show. They are proud that they watched the show. Pero kawawa naman ‘yung nagbayad.”
The Soul Siren said she would prefer audiences to put their phones away during the performance and experience the concert in person.
“There’s nothing like watching the concert physically. You can see the artists in person. You can even smell us and see us splashing in front of you,” she quipped.
Nina suggested that a “no phones during the performance” policy could potentially become a rule at concerts.
“‘No phones during the performance’ can perhaps be made as a rule in every concert,” she said. “If the producer wants to upload the show after the concert, then the audience can watch it in the correct account where the show can be accessed.”
“Huwag pangunahan ng audience. So they can experience the totality of the show. If you want to have evidence that you watched the show, you can take pictures maybe even with the artists after the concert.”
Suzara agreed that concert producers need to clearly establish what audiences are and are not allowed to do.
“I think it’s a matter of setting rules and making the audience observe those rules,” he said.
“Once you bought the ticket does not give you the right to record the show and upload the videos on your social media account and monetize it. There should be a rule that the audience needs to follow.”
‘NINA XX: The Repeat’ director Calvin Murphy Neria also looked at the issue from the production side, particularly because the upcoming show follows the first “NINA XX” concert staged in May.
“When the audience can watch the concert online, they might not come and watch it live anymore,” Neria said.
He questioned why restrictions commonly observed in theater and cinema could not similarly be applied to concerts.
“If the audience watching the movies or theater productions like ‘Les Miz’ or ‘West Side Story’ can observe the no-recording policy, why can’t they do it in the concert?”
Neria also cited a recent post by Ice Seguerra about concert recordings, describing it as a “wake-up call” for people working behind live productions.
“There must be a regulation when it comes to recording the concert,” he said.
“There are people who don’t realize that productions spend a lot of money investing in shows to mount for entertainment to flourish so we will not be compared to foreign shows. We want to be at par to foreign shows even the K-pop concerts.”
“I hope what Ice Seguerra did will eventually educate the viewing audience and concert-goers. It’s about time.”
While the concert carries ‘The Repeat’ in its title, Neria said the September production will feature major changes from the May show.
According to the director, around 80 percent of the songs will be different, including “Nina Live!” tracks that were not performed during the first concert.
“I will study the repertoire. This will be a different show. Eighty percent of the songs will be different,” Neria said.
The new guest lineup includes Christian Bautista, Top Suzara, and Thor Dulay, with different production numbers planned for each artist. Nina and Dulay are also set to collaborate on ‘The Closer I Get to You.’
‘NINA XX: The Repeat,’ which continues the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nina’s successful ‘Nina Live!’ album, happens September 24 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. The concert is mounted by Echo Jham Entertainment Productions in collaboration with Synth X, with plans also being considered to bring the production to the provinces and overseas.