Petition: Stop the loudness wars

Hi,

I’m trying to start a petition to try and get record labels to stop the loudness wars and also to release High Definition music downloads (24 Bit) of popular mainstream music that people actually want to listen.

The loudness war is where record labels turn the volume of a recording up to grab the listener’s attention upon first hearing. They make both the loud and quiet passages loud, so that there is very little difference between them in terms of dynamic range – The music has become compressed and often distorted.

While this is fine for radio broadcasts, it also means that listening to such music can often become tiring and many people experience listeners fatigue. When music isn’t compressed it actually increases people’s enjoyment and they also hear the music the way the artist originally intended.

You only have to speak to a handful of people to quickly find out that many are not fussed with music and could quiet easily take it or leave it. This is a direct reflection on the quality of records available today, the high levels of compression used is making music unlistenable and unenjoyable.

It’s not realistic to expect this situation to change overnight but an increasing number of music lovers are getting fed up and want to access music that hasn’t been heavily compressed. If you are one of those persons, sign my petition!

While many would like to see a fundamental change within the industry so that no record is heavily compressed, this is not realistic as no doubt the record labels / retailers would argue that many people prefer the music “louder” (Even though we may fundamentally disagree). It’s also It’s not realistic to expect an uncompressed CD to be brought to market alongside the “normal” version.

Instead the petition focus is for record labels and retailers to offer uncompressed downloads alongside the “mainstream offering” in the download market in both 16 Bit & 24 Bit format. This would differentiate uncompressed music in the market place and would also attract many people as they seek the “best”. It would also have the benefit of reintroducing people to music the way it’s meant to sound.

16 Bit (CD) recordings have been available for 30 years now and instead of sound quality improving, it has at best stagnated and in terms of downloads has managed to go backwards. It’s about time the industry took a leap forward and offered quality 24 Bit recordings. The playback technology is readily available, even modestly priced equipment and portables such as the iPod can support 24 Bit playback, so there is no reason why it shouldn’t happen.

If you want change then please show your support and sign the petition:

Petition Link: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-loudness-wars-and-release-high-definition-music-downloads

There is also a Facebook Group, intended to act as a focal point for anyone who shares the above views and wishes to get involved:

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/463034807076103/