Take That's Gary Barlow on the music industry: 'Phones and selfies have changed everything'

LONDON - Singer and songwriter Gary Barlow said the biggest change in the music industry in his career has been the arrival of smartphones and the craze around selfies.

Speaking at Advertising Week Europe, the lead vocalist of Take That said he's a big fan of the social media because it has allowed him to directly interact with his audience.

"Everyone wants a selfie, it's a good thing. The alternative is no-one cares," Barlow said.

Barlow has become an avid user of Instagram, where he shares a behind-the-scenes look at his life.

The singer also spoke about the growth of vinyl and said the band's label, Universal Music, has released a limited run of vinyl records for the group's album "Wonderwall." Vinyl sales grew by 62% in the UK in 2016.

"People aren't playing vinyl, they collect it," he said. "Live is more important than records."

Barlow also spoke about the importance of live streaming for the artists: "With things like Facebook Live I'm hoping people get to see how excited we are still are about what we do."