Media composer Stephen Emmer has launched a platform for artists struggling with Tinnitus, or ringing of the ears. With the Artists against Tinnitus Foundation, he wants to put the subject on the map from the artist’s perspective and encourage further research.
“Artists were not yet heard by politicians about hearing damage. We first started a petition to make sure we could participate in the conversation at the state health department about the recently released hearing damage report. It did. Until then, only bookers sat there. concert organizers and representatives of venues at the table.
Now we from the Artists Against Tinnitus Foundation have offered to help think of solutions to the growing hearing damage problem from the perspective of artists.”
“Often there is still a misinterpretation of tinnitus. It is not only about how loud the sound is, but also how long you are exposed to loud sound. Artists could take this more into considration by adjusting the set duration, for example. There are also singing teachers who teach their students to sing softer while maintaining emotion. And in the United States you now see bands giving “low-volume concerts. 0p that way you not only give the ears of the concert-goer a rest, but also those of the artists. Such solutions are complementary to the measures that are now being taken against hearing damage such as earplugs and better education.”
“It was recently announced that half of the orchestra pit has hearing damage, which they often don’t come out about either because it’s quite a taboo subject. The musicians’ fear is that they will lose their jobs if they admit they have problems. In pop music, the problem is often even worse, people I speak to from the industry about tinnitus respond with: Well, who doesn’t have it?”
“We are starting a forum on our site where people from the music industry can exchange information about hearing damage. We are also organizing a lecture with musicians about hearing damage during the Intreeweek of the University of Amsterdam. We are also entering into a collaboration with the Oorfonds foundation. We want to make the subject more debatable and create solidarity among artists through activities.”
[Source: Entertainment Business – Editorial]
