Electronic dance music fans are more likely to wear hearing protection at live events than fans of other genres, according to a new study published in The Laryngoscope, the leading medical journal for advances in the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck disorders.
Conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, the study found that 70% of EDM attendees used hearing protection compared to 59% of other concertgoers. EDM fans are also nearly twice as likely to use high-fidelity earplugs, which preserve sound quality while reducing volume.
The study, however, signals an inflection point for rave culture. It claims that electronic music fans attend more live events for longer durations, reporting greater post-event tinnitus and trouble hearing others due to prolonged exposure.
Tinnitus, a chronic condition for which there is currently no cure, is the perception of sounds—like ringing, buzzing or hissing—in the ears or head without an external source. It’s rampant among electronic music producers, including superstars like Martin Garrix, Thomas Bangalter of Dank Punk, and Alesso, the lattermost of whom recently suffered so much that he had to cancel performances en masse for the first time in 14 years of touring.
According to the study, EDM events regularly feature sound levels reaching 136 decibels, well above OSHA’s 85-decibel threshold where hearing damage begins. To that end, attendees were more concerned about hearing damage and believed more strongly in the effectiveness of protection, while fans of other genres viewed hearing protection “as unnecessary or harmful to music quality.”
The research also highlights the effectiveness of hearing protection at live shows. With the exception of ear ringing, symptoms after use were “significantly lower” among attendees of EDM events. The study also suggests that EDM fans often learned about hearing protection through social media and peer recommendations, suggesting the community’s interconnected nature helps spread safety practices.
You can read the full study, titled “Safe Sound: Highlighting Electronic Dance Music Attendees’ Unique Hearing Protection Practices,” here.
