$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
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Capitol Hill is a neighborhood of music. A Seattle City Council member wants to help protect your ears.
A bill discussed Wednesday morning by Councilmember Dan Strauss and his Finance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee would create new regulations requiring designated “loud music venues” to “offer patrons hearing protection with a noise reduction rating of at least 20 decibels, for free or for sale on the premises.”
“If hearing protection is offered for sale, at least one option must be offered for $1.00 or less,” a presentation (PDF) on the proposal reads.
Under the proposal, venues would be required to post signs about the available protection.
Violations would be met by a 30-day order to comply and then a $50 citation “for each week of noncompliance.”
Rolled wads of toilet paper will not count.
Strauss is emphasizing the prevalence of hearing loss and lack of awareness in the bill.
One challenge for the proposal is defining what, exactly, qualifies as a “loud music venue.” Under the legislation as proposed, the bill would apply to already defined “music venues” plus “venues licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on premises, which contain a dance floor or other place primarily designated for dancing, and have a maximum occupancy of over 500” and “venues that host live music or dance at least 20 times per year and have a maximum occupancy over 5,000” plus all-ages dance venues.
Under the current proposal, the new law would go into effect to start 2026.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
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If you’re attending a concert and ignorant of the potential loudness, you have bigger problems than down the road hearing loss. We don’t need a law for this. Is Dan Strauss bored?
hubris of youth should not keep a known issue from being mitigated partially by having options to remedy the issue at a reasonable cost
Not everyone has earplugs on them at all times–this is a super reasonable piece of legislation in my book.
Good. They also need to do this for sporting venues (e.g. seahawks, huskies, etc) — I went once, forgot my earplugs, and they didn’t even have any that time :/
Husky basketball games have been very loud from the music that has been played. It was more of an issue early in the season but still would be interested in how loud they are continuing to play recorded music. I think that the noise issue far exceeds “loud music venues”.
Wholly support this! Hearing loss is no joke, and while it would be awesome if everyone came prepared every time they went to a venue, that simply isn’t a realistic expectation.
Like cigarette packages .. big warning on email and -E-ticket ***this event will exceed xxx decibel level** Consider ear protection?
I have come prepared to 99.7-% of any large venue noise events – it’s part of my buy ticket, know noise level process. Parents bring muffs for littles to sporting events. I floss, to consider longevity of teeth, and thought longitudinally ear health even at 18. I can’t pack a purse larger than a cell phone for any public event. Venue small purse/plastic clear required, venue bring earplugs. Venue guidance, support and education , encouragement to provide and issue small grant will do far more than strong handed, can enforce law.
This is feel good, do nothing, legislation. No teeth. No real enforcement. Who will and how, will the Finance and Administrative Services issue warning and citation? No earplugs, one contacts FAS and they send someone to establishment to confirm no earplugs present and issues guidance with a warning?
Where is the new funding and revenue source coming to support this initiative? Who will track and administer the log of noncompliant establishments? Is this a new position or will the new work have to be approved by the Union to add to an existing position? Either likely require approval from a source greater than a paper suggestion. 5 years and no plugs, no payment on citation – revoke business license? We have many rcw’s with ‘shall’ with absolutely no enforcement behind the measure.
Seattle Animal Control isn’t staffed to check for pet licenses with dogs running off leash in parks .. and Seattle will now go hard core for earplugs? One can’t technically smoke or deal fentanyl, and camp in a city park – we have dealing and chop shop encampments on the hill now, right now – does anyone think this legislation for music venues and earplugs would ever be actually enforced? Ever?
my old self – tissue in ears, bring my own, guest services in many many venues have earplugs if I forget even since 2000. Showbox, Paramount, even El Corazon has had earplugs.
Absolutely support an effort to encourage music venues and even give small grant to provide ear plugs. Great public health initiative. Can we also enforce and have actual efforts for no fenty dealing at the Capitol Hill library, at the stairs? Care team, spf anyone?
This is beyond stupid. Mankind has been going to The Who concerts for generations. There’s “loud” everywhere. Phones are used to communicate. When people look it up? There’s a warning. Nobody should be forced to sell something or be penalised. Sounds like a scam to me.
Yes, and famously the people who went to those concerts are hearing GREAT now right? lmao
What? You’ll need to speak up
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/the_whos_pete_townshend_explains_how_severe_hearing_damage_made_writing_very_heavy_music_difficult_for_him.html
I am aware of Pete’s condition. A lot of rock artists are the same way. Thus I mention The Who. You got it.
That’s doing it all the time for decades directly in front of an amp. I lost some hearing doing construction. Running a cement mixer all day.
It doesn’t take decades of exposure in front of an amp.
“Meyer-Bisch [104] reported that young adults who attended at least one rock or pop concert per month had significantly poorer audiometric thresholds at frequencies ≥3 kHz relative to age-matched controls and were five times more likely to report chronic hearing problems, such as tinnitus.”
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/8/4236
“Rolled wads of toilet paper will not count.” Say what? The Peoples’ Free Plugs proudly rolled with The Man’s Shat Paper yield 20 dB or more of SPL attenuation any day. DYI forever, baby! Wipe your own sorry ass, Strauss !
The USMC uses ciggy butts. That’s all we used. We’d go to the range and get the foam ones. Before they were good foam ones. They just fell out all day. Butts stay in all day.
If it’s good enough for the Marines? It’s good enough for me.
As someone who has been fighting against noise, I find this almost silly. No one goes into a club without being aware of the noise levels. I think a more effective approach would be an awareness campaign about the implications of noise. Noise legislation needs to focus on noise that impacts those who do not consent to it.