Read quotes from some well known musicians and DJs here.
Since I was 16 I have been going out almost every Friday and Saturday night. The music in the clubs I used to go to in Sheffield was really loud – so loud in fact that you couldn’t hear people talking (or shouting) above the music. The first time I went out, I remember going home in a taxi and not being able to hear properly. Over time this got worse, so that my hearing wouldn’t return to normal for a couple of days. Nowadays I have a permanent mild hearing loss and a mild ringing sensation in my ears all the time. Surely the musicians and bands want us to be able to enjoy the music both now and in the future? If that’s the case they should tell the fans how best to protect their hearing in the long term.
Alice (20) lives in Sheffield and regularly goes to clubs and gigs
My tinnitus was caused by the cumulative effects of clubbing, working in a recording studio and DJing. Many clubs do not have effective monitors and soundproofing in DJ booths meaning that everything has to be turned up louder in close quarters. I now have a constant ringing in my ears, which, if I am not careful, will get worse especially if I continue to expose myself to loud noise. This could lead to hearing loss which will obviously affect my ability to carry on producing and DJing.
Producers can very often spend long periods of time - sometimes all day - listening to tracks at high volume as this gives them an idea of how it will sound in a club. This should be done as little as possible! It is really easy for DJs to get into the habit of practicing at high volumes and this doesn’t need to be the case. Often you become a better DJ by learning at lower monitor volumes. And producers should learn to use equipment at a reduced volume as much as they can.
Alex (27) lives in London and runs a record label
I have been working in the media and covering loud music events for the last few years. During this time, I’ve noticed my hearing has suffered from a gradual decline in sensitivity. I work as a journalist and write a lot of music reviews. This means going to music events quite frequently and this has had a noticeable impact on my hearing. Sometimes, I find my ears still ringing some days after an event!
I went to a gig that lasted an hour and a half. Ordinarily, I would have taken my earplugs but on that occasion I couldn¹t find them so I went without them. When I got home - a quiet environment I noticed that my hearing had been really affected. The next morning I woke feeling as though my ears were filled with water and the ringing that I could hear in them was not only constant, but also louder than ever before, so much so that it affected some of my conversations with people during the course of the day. It was seven days before my hearing returned to ‘normal’ but, sadly, now even normal is not what my hearing once was.
Going to gigs has had a lasting effect on my hearing. I now notice a partial difference in hearing from one ear to the other and the impact really comes into its own when I¹m in a room or club trying to have a conversation with someone else: when there¹s lots of background noise I can find myself constantly asking people to repeat what they¹ve said, which can be very frustrating.
You only ever feel the impact of something like hearing loss after it’s happened to YOU. It¹s only then that you’re able to understand just how much you take this body sense for granted but by then, of course, it’s usually too late!
Glynn is from Cardiff and manages a youth communications company
I damaged my hearing through DJing and standing right next to the speakers in clubs for long periods of time. I always wear earplugs now. People need to understand that if they don’t look after their ears they could end up with tinnitus like me, or even worse, they could lose their hearing. For anyone who enjoys music that’s a scary thought.
Howard (24) is a DJ and also runs drum and bass nights
One night in particular I was DJing in a club where the sound system was particularly loud, that night I went home with a ringing sensation so bad that it took my ears several days to get back to normal. In one ear, the ringing has never completely stopped.
Nowadays I am very sensitive to loud music (particularly high / treble frequencies) and the mild tinnitus I have normally increases dramatically if I expose myself to loud music. This can cause some problems for me as I work in a recording studio. I very rarely DJ these days, but if I do I am careful to wear earplugs.
I would like to see more responsibility placed on nightclub owners and sound equipment manufacturers/installers to ensure that sound systems are designed and set up to minimize the risk of hearing damage to clubbers.
Simon (24) is from Cheshire and works as a sound designer and composer
I have severe tinnitus and it makes communication very difficult. I constantly have to ask a person to repeat themselves which is very frustrating. Having a constant fussy buzzing noise in my head has become very difficult to live with, the fear of going completely deaf and never djing or listening to music again is causing me great depression. I would not wish what I have on the next generation of music lovers especially when it could be preventable.
Larry (33) is from London and is a DJ and club promoter
I've experienced deafness on two occasions in my life. The first time was caused by an ear infection, the second occasion was more recent and followed a trip to a newly-reopened club in Brighton where Judge Jules was playing. The music didn't seem particularly loud but people had to shout in my ear in order to be heard, which might perhaps have given me some warning.
When I left the club I was partially deaf, as though my head had been wrapped in cotton wool. That has never happened to me before: previously a mild ringing in the ears is the worst I've experienced after a night of clubbing. Alarmingly the partial deafness lasted for the next day or so before my hearing returned to a level that seemed normal.
But the ringing in my ears, although it reduced in volume, didn't disappear. Over a month later, I still have tinnitus. It's not loud enough to affect me during the day, but I hear it at night and in the morning, when the world is relatively quiet. I don't know if this will stay with me for the rest of my life, or if it'll clear up after a few more months. But I now carry a set of earplugs with me wherever I go, attached to my key-ring. And I don't use MP3 players. I won't take the risk of permanently losing my hearing or exacerbating the tinnitus.
Alex (35) lives in Brighton and is a journalist and editor