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Background Recreational noise—specifically loud music experienced at music venues—has been recognized as a hazard for hearing damage and associated pathologies such as tinnitus. In Europe and other countries around the world, there is a range of regulatory and legislative approaches to managing the sound levels and minimizing the risk of hearing damage for those attending music venues. It is important to have an understanding of these different approaches to inform the development of future regulations and legislation. Methods In December 2018, an online search of legislative instruments was conducted, and we identified 18 items that were aimed at protecting the hearing of people attending entertainment venues. Results Twelve documents were from European jurisdictions and the remainder were from cities or states of North and South America. The regulatory measures included in the documents ranged from sound level limitations, real-time sound exposure monitoring, mandatory supply of protective devices, requirements for signage and warnings, loudspeaker placement restrictions and the provision of ‘quiet spaces’. Conclusions European countries are well advanced in terms of providing legislation and other regulatory documents aimed at protecting people at entertainment venues when compared with the rest of the world. Future research is required to assess the effectiveness of these regulatory measures in reducing the risk associated with sound exposure at music venues.

This paper considers existing regulations, practices, and preferences regarding the measurement, monitoring, and management of sound levels at live music events. It brings together a brief overview of current regulations with the outcomes of a recent international survey of live sound engineers and evaluation of three datasets of sound measurement at live music events. The paper reveals the benefit of a 15-min time frame for the definition of equivalent continuous sound level limits in comparison to longer or shorter time frames. The paper also reveals support from the live sound engineering community for the application of sound level limits and development of a global certification system for live sound engineers.

Music induced hearing disorders and noise pollution emerge on the crossroads of technology, culture, and society. This paper argues that multidisciplinary approaches are required to reduce hearing risks at music concerts and related problems of noise pollution. The paper segues from a broad to a narrow perspective looking at the interactions between stakeholders "on the floor." The paper argues that even though noise regulations and hearing risk mitigation policies may be different between nations and states, best practices originate from procedures and policies that are developed from an understanding of the multiple stakeholder perspective and that facilitate dialogues between the different agents involved.