Music sector struggles with ringing in the ears

Neil Young. Ozzy Osbourne. Chris Martin. Barbra Streisand. Huub van der Lubbe. Lars Ulrich. They have something in common: a constant ringing in their ears. Neil Young created the lighthearted Harvest Moon because his hearing could not tolerate any louder sound. Brian Johnson of AC/DC had to give up performing because of it, and for Huub van der Lubbe, too, quitting De Dijk was prompted by the relentless buzzing in his ear. What is it like to make music with such a ringing?

This week, the Health Council advised the State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport to reduce the maximum sound level of amplified music to 100 decibels. The previously agreed standard is 103 decibels, an average measured over a quarter of an hour. That reduction in decibels is no small step, as it is about half as quiet.

Sound barriers

Remko Edelaar, principal bassoonist in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and also a tax advisor, suffers from tinnitus. "As a bassoonist, you have a terrible position," he says: in front of the timpani, close to the brass section. Tinnitus, he says, is commonplace for wind players: "The vast majority" of his colleagues suffer from it. “That is precisely why we must look for solutions,” he says. He blames no one: colleagues are considerate of one another. Brass players warn of the loudest passages and hold back during rehearsals. Additionally, there are sound barriers within the orchestra and earplugs are provided that reduce noise by up to 25 decibels.

We all have severe hearing damage, but some of it can be remedied

“In 2012, my ringing became so severe that I was close to despair. The doctor said: deal with it, there isn't much that can be done. But I am now free of 95 percent of my symptoms thanks to massage sessions with Marieke Schut, who is an oboist in the Asko | Schonberg ensemble and also an osteopath. After a loud Sibelius symphony recently, the ringing was much worse again; after a treatment session with her, it was much less. Knowing that I can have something done about it in that way takes away a lot of worries. We all have severe hearing damage. But some of it has to do with muscles, and it can be remedied.” And some don't either. My colleague Marcel Geraeds, a clarinetist, is currently developing and testing VR therapy to make tinnitus associated with hearing damage—rather than muscle tension—more manageable.”

Symphonic climaxes

Audiologist and clinical physicist Jan de Laat from Leiden University served on the committee that drafted the Health Council's report. Over the past ten years, he has seen an increasing number of patients with hearing damage from the music sector in his consultation hours: DJs, sound engineers, and musicians—both from the amplified (pop) and unamplified (classical) sides. “Two million people play music in the Netherlands: fortunately, there is growing awareness of how important good hearing protection is,” says De Laat. “I also play the oboe in an orchestra myself and experience firsthand how intense sound can be. I have also had many orchestral musicians in my consultation hours over the past twenty years; the Rotterdam Philharmonic was known for playing loudly.” During symphonic climaxes, even an (unamplified) orchestra quickly reaches a sound level well above 80 decibels. "That is where the risk begins," says De Laat. This applies particularly to brass and woodwind players, percussionists, and the back rows of the string section, who sit right next to the wind players. "I estimate that ten to twenty percent of musicians currently use hearing protection; that could be better."

Composer Stephen Emmer, who wrote the television theme tunes for the NOS Journaal and RTL Nieuws, among others, has had tinnitus himself for ten years. "At first, I considered retraining because I simply couldn't concentrate," Emmer explains. "It was a constant buzzing, and when I was stressed, a high-pitched ringing would be added to it. That ringing has a certain pitch that clashed with the piece I was working on. It was simply out of tune. Fortunately, I have that ringing under control now, with the help of breathing techniques." How big is the problem? Emmer: "I asked a sound engineer if he knew anyone else with tinnitus. He said: ‘Who doesn’t?’ At least half of the professionals suffer from it, I estimate. They are often told that they just have to get used to it, but that is a real conversation killer."

Medical solution

Emmer has started a petition and founded a foundation, Artists Against Tinnitus, through which he requests the government, the medical sector, and the pharmaceutical industry to come up with a concrete medical solution within the foreseeable future. He believes that more people should be involved in the evaluation of the report than the parties currently invited, because, says Emmer, those are mostly parties with an economic interest. "I believe that artists should be heard as well. And the pharmaceutical industry also needs to conduct more research into tinnitus. When it comes to money, we as artists are certainly willing to contribute ideas, for example with a benefit concert." Concert halls, event organizers, and the hospitality industry have already indicated that they do not wish to comply with the new decibel standard. Hearing damage, according to trade association KHN for example, can also be sustained in the workplace or while listening to music via earbuds. On December 8, the House of Representatives will debate the Health Council's report.

Sign the Artists Against Tinnitus petition here

[NRC - Mischa Spel & Peter van der Ploeg]