If turning up Black Sabbath to full blast on an iPod can cause
hearing damage, imagine what moshing front and center next to a
cranked-up amplifier could do to one’s ears.
This spring, in response to concerns about the capability of an
iPod’s high volume levels to permanently damage hearing,
Apple Computer created a free downloadable software update allowing
users to set their own maximum volume limit for the popular MP3
player.
According to Alison Grimes, the manager of the UCLA Audiology
Center, this is a good precaution. But there are numerous factors
of hearing damage that many people aren’t aware of,
especially live music.
“Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent,” Grimes
said. “The effect on people’s hearing of high intensity
volumes of anything ““ whether it’s an iPod, a
jackhammer or a gunshot ““ has the potential to damage
people’s hearing permanently. The louder the sound, the
shorter amount of time the ear can tolerate it.”
Live performances, particularly at small Los Angeles venues such
as the Troubadour in Hollywood or the Cooperage at UCLA, are more
likely to induce hearing damage than concertgoers may think. Since
the sound is contained in an enclosed space and the speakers are
set right next to standing space by the stage, people are
constantly at risk for hearing loss.
Troubadour booking agent Brian Smith, who said he has never
heard complaints from people who have gone to shows at the
Troubadour, notes there are ways to gauge sound levels in
venues.
“Each venue has a different set-up,” Smith said.
“It’s attuned to the sound system. There’s a set
volume for the size of the venue and how many people are in it.
People are natural sound absorbers, so if there are 100 people or
500 people in the room, you’ll have to change the sound
accordingly.”
On-campus concerts deal with these issues as well. Many indoor
rock and hip-hop performances sponsored by the Campus Events
Commission have been held at the Cooperage in Ackerman Union or at
Bradley International Hall, both of which are small spaces for a
show. Third-year English student Eric Chao, this year’s
Campus Events concert director, said he had never heard noise
complaints, but said the Cooperage has left his ears ringing
before.
“I feel like it’s a lot more noticeable at the Coop
but it’s more the nature of venues of that size,” Chao
said. “The band will play at the volume the band will play,
and … there could be more potential for ear damage.”
One victim is third-year theater student Blake Stokes, who
frequents small venues in Los Angeles, attending on average four to
five concerts a month.
“I’ve been going to concerts for six years, so I
can’t tell the difference anymore because my ears are
probably shot by now,” Stokes said. “It think
it’s years of going to shows combined with playing drums all
sort of blocked up to give me stuffy ears.”
A stuffy or cottony feeling in the ears is an indication of
temporary threshold shift, meaning the ears are temporarily damaged
from exposure to loud sounds. Typically, the ringing subsides and
hearing goes back to “normal” after a day or two,
according to Grimes.
“The danger is if you do that over and over again,
temporary threshold shift turns into permanent threshold shift,
meaning it doesn’t really come back to normal,” Grimes
said.
Luckily, there is a simple yet often-overlooked way to prevent
hearing loss that even the trendiest L.A. scenesters can partake
in.
“Use earplugs,” Grimes said. “If you put the
earplug in your ear correctly, really in your ear canal, you should
be protected. You can use custom-made earplugs, but they
don’t necessarily give better ear protection than a carefully
placed over-the-counter earplug.”
Venues all over Los Angeles offer one-dollar earplugs at the bar
or by merchandise booths. For people who can’t help but
listen to their favorite music at full blast, earplugs might not be
appealing. However, using earplugs can ensure that they can keep
rocking out as long as their ears can handle it.
“It’s up to the person going to protect their own
health instead of forcing the artist or the club to baby-sit
people,” Stokes said.