Loud music is

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

that is played at a high

volume Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch) ...

, often to the point where it disturbs others and causes hearing damage. It may include music that is sung live, played with

musical instruments A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

, or with electronic media, such as

Radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...

, CD,

MP3 players A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. Normally they refer to small, Electric battery, batter ...

or even on phones and streaming services etc. Playing loud music that can be heard by others in nearby properties is considered rude by many societies, and may result in loss of

respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or deferential action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also th ...

and legal action under the

nuisance ordinance A nuisance ordinance, also referred to as a crime-free ordinance or a disorderly house ordinance, is a Local ordinance, local law usually passed on the town, city, or municipality level of government that aims to legally punish both landlords and ...

. In certain contained settings, such as

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s or

concerts A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

, music is often played very loudly, but is viewed as acceptable.

Overview

Criminal and civil

Disturbing the peace by playing loud music in the night is a criminal offense, typically a

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

. The exact definition of what constitutes a loud music violation varies by location, either at a certain

(measured in

decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...

s) or the distance from the source at which the music can be heard. The time of day is also often a factor in the law, with the restrictions in some places applying only to specified nighttime hours (e.g. 11 PM-7 AM). The amount of effort put forth by law enforcement members to deal with loud music also varies by location. The most common punishment for a conviction is a fine or some other small sanction. But on rare occasions, loud music may be grounds for imprisonment. In May 2008, a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating a court order not to play music that disturbed her neighbors eleven times. Police have also at times discovered other crimes, such as

illegal drug The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. An area has a prohibition of drugs when its government uses the for ...

usage, when investigating loud music complaints. Since mass transit agencies are frequently government-operated and/or subsidized, these rules can be legally enforced, and violations may result in

prosecution A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...

. In 2014, software engineer Michael Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder after fatally shooting 17-year-old Jordan Davis in an altercation over the loud music Davis was playing. In many settings, loud music is not tolerated by property owners, and may be grounds for certain civil actions, such as

eviction Eviction is the removal of a Tenement (law), tenant from leasehold estate, rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosure, foreclosed by a mortgagee (often ...

from rented property. Property owners at locations where patrons temporarily visit, such as

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

campground Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

s, or businesses, may order those who play loud music to leave the property.

David Grissom David Grissom is an American guitarist who has played and toured with several of America's leading bands and recording artists. He is best known for his work with John Mellencamp. He has released four solo albums: ''Loud Music'', ''10,000 Feet ...

declared that “loud music is a forty-dollar fine,” the lead single from the 2008 album

Loud Music Loud music is music that is played at a high Loudness, volume, often to the point where it disturbs others and causes hearing damage. It may include music that is sung live, played with musical instruments, or with electronic media, such as Radi ...

, specifically citing experiences in municipalities such as

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, Amarillo,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Health

Continual exposure to loud music may result in

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...

. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (

NIOSH The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, ) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury, illness, disability, and death. It ...

) has developed a set of recommendations aimed at protecting the hearing health of musicians and those who work in music and entertainment venues. Depending on the music sound levels and duration of exposure, as well as hearing protection used if any, the risk of hearing damage can vary significantly. Music played at 85 decibels, or level of sounds, for prolonged periods of times can cause hearing damage, for instance, sound levels at some rock concerts can reach 110-120 A-weighted decibels, and at those levels, the maximum daily limit set by most standards and regulations can be reached in less than one minute of exposure. Continual exposure to loud music can also lead to

tinnitus Tinnitus is a condition when a person hears a ringing sound or a different variety of sound when no corresponding external sound is present and other people cannot hear it. Nearly everyone experiences faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely ...

. It is predicted that exposure to loud music will cause as many as 50 million Americans to suffer hearing loss by 2050.

Heavy drinking

A study conducted by French scientists have shown that loud music leads to more alcohol consumption in less time. Over three consecutive Saturday evenings researchers observed customers of two bars situated in a medium-sized city in the west of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Participants included forty males aged between 18 and 25, who were unaware that they were subjects of research. The study featured only those who ordered a glass of draft beer (25 cl. or 8 oz.). The lead researcher, Nicolas Guéguen, said that each year more than 70,000 people in France die from an increased level of alcohol consumption, which can also leads to fatal car accidents.

Lethal disputes

Loud music has in some instances provoked lethal responses. In 2012, Michael Dunn shot and murdered Jordan Davis, a Black teenager, over loud music being played in a gas station parking lot. In 2023, a

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

woman allegedly stabbed her neighbor over the loud music that was disturbing her. In 2024, a man in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

who had shot and killed his roommate over loud music was found guilty of the killing which had occurred in November 2022.

References

{{Reflist, 2 Anti-social behaviour

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...