Motion backing campaign to prevent tinnitus in clubs

Motion have partnered with a campaign aiming to tackle hearing loss within dance music.

The vision behind the All Ears campaign is to work with venues across the country to raise awareness around tinnitus. All Ears was founded by the people behind Watch The Hype and is supported by industry leader Alpine Hearing Protection.

Speaking on the issue the venue said, “We want to help increase awareness about the use of hearing protection at club nights and strongly support the All Ears campaign. Tinnitus is a big issue for many artists, industry members and regular clubbers and it’s easily avoidable with the right knowledge and protection. Look after your ears folks.”

In the New Year they will be offering some special party earplugs with an exclusive discount at selected shows. You can reserve a pair online, pick up and pay for them at the venue and protect your ears for the price of a few beers. With all this in mind we caught up with campaign co-founder John Carter to discuss the issue.

Tell us about the concept of All Ears?

All Ears began as a reaction to the lack of hearing damage awareness within the dance music community. Two out of the three of us who run the campaign have tinnitus, and our experiences in trying to understand how we can avoid the condition getting worse were surprisingly difficult.

Tell us about the Alpine Party Plug which you’re bringing into venues? 

Through our research, we found that there were a number of affordable earplugs on the market that are designed specifically for listening to live music. Our favourite of these is the Alpine Party Plug. The music still sounds great with them in, and you don’t wake up with ringing in your ears the next day. The majority of people have tried the free foam ones available at most venues and they ruin the sound of the music. Yes, they do protect you, and they are better than no protection, however do you really want it to sound like you’re underwater at a rave?

So I guess it’s a question of education really? 

We partnered with Alpine to create All Ears as we wanted to educate the dance music community about this issue, and provide a great product where you need it most. What makes us unique, and why we are successfully spreading awareness, is our presence inside the music venues. We provide an opportunity to discuss these issues with club goers in the place where the conversations should be happening. We are now partnered with fourteen venues across the UK and counting including Motion, Corsica Studios and Village Underground to name a few.

Do you feel there’s a stigma around people wearing earplugs?

There is definitely still a stigma around wearing earplugs. Well, now it’s more of a weariness and cautiousness in the majority of venues. Many people, especially younger crowds, think it’s not ‘cool’ to wear earplugs. But you know what really isn’t cool? Tinnitus. What’s great is that hearing protection is a main topic of conversation right now within the underground music scene. Resident Advisor’s informative article on the subject that went out in June has definitely helped boost the topic. We have already noticed an increase in awareness in the clubs we have partnered with even though it has only been two months since we launched the campaign. However, there is still a long way to go.

What other plans do you have to try and raise awareness around this issue?

In terms of venue-related awareness, we have some big news of a club partnership due in early 2018 that we’re itching to announce. Besides venues, we’re also in talks with multiple festivals about working together for the 2018 season, both in the UK and abroad.

Sounds very exciting, how about outside of gigs?

We’re working with record stores, music societies and universities to bring the topic of tinnitus to the forefront of discussion. We’ll also be hosting a talk at the Brighton Music Conference in April next year titled “How much is your hearing worth?” In addition to all this, All Ears would not be so impactful without the continued industry support ranging from artists to club goers. So far we’ve had support from the likes of Bicep, Throwing Shade, Ambivalent, Forest Swords, London’s Night Czar and many other tinnitus sufferers who are sharing their story in order to help others. This community is vital for awareness and we’ll continue to make it grow.

Find more information at: www.allearscampaign.com