partnership with Good News for safe hearing

Staefa, Switzerland, April 21, 2015

According to the latest figures from the WHO, some 1.1 billion young people across the world are putting themselves at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. The Hear the World Foundation wants to help put a stop to this and has therefore signed up to be a prevention partner of Switzerland’s leading concert promoter Good News. Under this groundbreaking partnership, the foundation is to provide fans with free noise protection ear-plugs at all Good News concerts. The Hear the World Foundation will also be present at venues, raising awareness of the dangers posed by excessively loud music and encouraging concertgoers to protect their hearing. 

As a prevention partner, the Hear the World Foundation will be promoting its extensive hearing protection campaign at all Good News events, reaching some 500,000 concertgoers every year. As well as free hearing protection, selected lyrics from songs by famous Hear the World ambassadors will form the main element of the campaign encouraging concertgoers to protect their hearing. 

Partnership to begin at Unheilig concert in Zurich

The highly promising partnership will be launched at the Unheilig concert on April 25 in Zurich’s Hallenstadion stadium. Unheilig singer “Der Graf” is both a trained acoustician and a Hear the World ambassador and began supporting the foundation in 2012. “I know from my own experience how important good hearing is for our quality of life,” he says. “Many people fail to appreciate that hearing loss affects people of all ages, not just the elderly. I support Hear the World as an ambassador because I want to get even more people enthusiastic about hearing, which is a fascinating subject. After all, we know that music is one of the greatest gifts in our lives – and we need good hearing in order to experience it.”

Working together to enable people to enjoy music without any restrictions

The Hear the World Foundation is a Swiss nonprofit foundation set up in 2006 by Sonova, the leading manufacturer of hearing solutions. The foundation works to prevent hearing loss and supports people, particularly children, who are in need. Lukas Braunschweiler, CEO of Sonova and President of the Hear the World Foundation Board explains: “Our partnership with Good News marks a further milestone for our foundation and exemplifies the preventative work that we have been doing for many years. We want as many concertgoers as possible to protect their hearing. Here is something that few people know – noise-related hearing loss is irreversible.” Good News CEO Gérard Jenni adds: “In the Hear the World Foundation, we have found a partner that is an excellent fit for Good News. Both of us have the same aim – enabling people to enjoy music without any restrictions. We are looking forward to experiencing many concerts together.”

Good News is the market leader in the Swiss concert industry. Highlights this year include the Foo Fighters in St. Gallen, the Sonisphere Festival featuring Muse in Biel/Bienne, Die Toten Hosen in Zurich, and the Rock the Ring Festival in Hinwil, which includes acts such as Billy Idol and Toto.

Key tips for protecting yourself against noise-related hearing loss:

• Do not turn music up too loud: noise levels below 85 dB are considered safe for our hearing. If you listen to music through audio devices, do not turn it up any louder than 60 percent of the maximum volume.
• Listen to music through headphones that fit well and block out background noise, as this will enable you to enjoy music at a low volume even in noisy surroundings.
• Wear earplugs at concerts and clubs and in other noisy environments. They can reduce the noise level by 5 to 45 dB. 
• Use smartphone apps to measure the level of background noise.
• Keeping at a sufficient distance from the source of the noise helps to prevent hearing damage.
• To give your ears a rest, make a conscious effort to take breaks from listening and turn off all noise sources.  
• Have your hearing regularly checked by a hearing care professional.