Protect Your Hearing Month

Musicians and fans
at risk for hearing loss

Professional musicians are four times more likely to suffer noise-induced hearing loss than non-musicians.

About 60 percent of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s inductees have impaired hearing. Even show band and symphony orchestra musicians acquire hearing loss. Also at risk are DJs, those who work at nightclubs, exercise or dance studios, and bars or restaurants where loud music is played nonstop.

The danger of hearing impairment is always present for musicians, because the sound pressure of an amplified rock band regularly reaches 120 to 130 decibels (dB), and a large concert orchestra may reach 112 dB. Both are far above the 85 dB maximum noise exposure limit for a workplace established by OSHA. The sound is the equivalent of a jet repeatedly taking off.

The two most significant factors related to music-induced hearing loss are loudness and the length of exposure.

In-ear monitors protect against increased hearing loss, provide improved sound and the ability to hear a custom mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for either live or recording performances. The most effective ones are high-quality silicone or acrylic mold, custom-fitted for an individual’s ear canals, and reduce noise by 25 dB.

Musicians who don’t need amplified playback may benefit from custom-fitted musicians’ earplugs. These non-electrical earplugs are vented and filtered to allow even distribution of sounds, without compromising the overall musical experience, and reduce volume, without distorting sounds. Ordinary earplugs cut off high-frequency sounds, making voices muffled and the timbre of music dull.

Most current musician hearing aids use digital technology, directional microphones to focus (or direct) one microphone towards the sound source while the other decreases background noise, and can be individualized and programmed for each ear, with user-controlled preferences.