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The Serious Issue of Hearing Loss for Musicians and Festival-Goers.

Andy Robertson

A subject that is often ignored and receives little publicity is the impact on hearing that musicians and music festival-goers suffer. Hearing loss can take many forms and can affect people later in life but because of the gradual onset is not taken seriously so what actions can vulnerable people take to protect their hearing.


The volume levels at music festivals can reach in excess of 110 decibels which is considerably higher that the generally accepted level at which hearing can be damaged of about 85 decibels. Research* suggest that over half of festival-goers can suffer from hearing complaints after a festival. It’s not just the festival-goers that suffer as musicians are constantly exposed to high volume music, they are almost four times as likely to develop noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) as the general public. The research** reveals that they are 57% more likely to develop tinnitus due to repeated exposure to loud noise. Some time ago a survey conducted among 2,700 festival-goers by the Royal National Institute For The Deaf (RNID) found that over half felt loud music had damaged their ears. The results showed that over 80% had experienced the warning signs of damage, such as dulled hearing or ringing in the ears, but only 17% had ever taken steps to protect their hearing. This prompted the RNID to launch their ‘Don’t Lose The Music’ Campaign.

Positive Action for Festival-goers. 
For festival-goers simple actions can include staying further away from PA systems and taking regular breaks to limit exposure. In a large festival crowd staying away from the PA system and taking regular breaks may not be practical so alternative remedies could include some kind of hearing protection. The most basic form of protection is the use of foam earplugs but these often block out too much sound making everything sound muffled. The alternative is to get some custom-made earplugs.

Positive Action for Musicians.
As musicians are more likely to be exposed to loud music it is essential that they get regular hearing tests. Any tests should target the range of 125 to 20,000 hertz, as the very high frequencies often show a loss first. The test can reveal any missing frequencies which can be essential to the creation and production of quality music. There have been great advances in technology that can help musicians who can now use in-ear monitors and equalizers to adjust for missing frequency bands because they allow musicians to hear the music mix directly in their ears. As with festival-goers musicians would also benefit from having custom made earplugs which can lower sound more smoothly across frequencies and reduce decibel levels maintaining the quality of speech and music.

Festival Pro supports any initiatives that raise awareness of hearing loss for musicians and festival-goers. For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.  

* data from Alpine Hearing Protection study
**BMJ-British Medical Journal. "Professional musicians run almost four-fold risk of noise induced deafness." Science Daily, 30 April 2014.

Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels

Andy Robertson
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