Apple has just patented a new technology that, when beamed from a stage, will disable the camera and video functions in cellphones pointed at the stage. Point the camera away from the stage, and concert-goers can photograph their friends and the crowd—just not with the act in the background.

This innovation comes from the same folks who blanket billboards, TV and magazines with images entitled “Shot on an iPhone,” and the company which  wouldn’t release information from the San Bernadino shooter’s cell phone but subsequently asked Homeland Security to explain how they finally cracked the phone so Apple could improve the phone’s security. Ah, the irony.

The blocking technology will also be useful in preventing the capture of visual data in sensitive areas such as classified facilities, banks and bathrooms, but hundreds of thousands of music fans will be heartbroken that they will have to rely on their memory rather than a blurry video of a concert they only saw on their phone screen in anyway.

The ripple effect may be a boon for concert photographers and decent images of performances, however.  We’ll see. Or not.