9 ms·

I've always wondered why bars crank up the music so high to the extent you're yelling to convey conversation to the person next to you. One of my friends hypot

I've always wondered why bars crank up the music so high to the extent you're yelling to convey conversation to the person next to you. One of my friends hypothesized that it was done to focus patrons on drinking and not chatter, but socializing is a big part of the bar scene... Anyone know?

djb_hackernews 12y ago
It's the same reason most bars are set up to be cramped spaces, it forces people to be closer together which makes people uncomfortable which makes them drink more.
- sukilot 12y ago
  They are cramped because a lot of people want to be there. If people were uncomfortable they would stop going.
  - djb_hackernews 12y ago
    I agree it's not intuitive and obviously bars taking advantage of this trick need to actually have the foot traffic. Volume (as in volume of business) based bars are specifically designed to get more people closer together. Next time you are at one ask yourself if they are being the most efficient with the space.
superme 12y ago
They do it on purpose. The less patrons talk to each other the more alcohol they drink. That's why the music volume is increased as the night progresses. They get them into the establishment, customers start drinking, eventually it gets to a point where they can't hear each other so they just focus on drinking. Not all places do this, just the places that are strongly focused on the profits.
- sukilot 12y ago
  Why would such a bar have any repeat customers? The music is loud at a bar because the people are loud because the bar is crowded. If bars wanted to sell more drinks, they would have more bartenders to reduce the wait times.
  - superme 12y ago
    There you go: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jul/19/medicalresearch.fooddrinks http://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jul/19/medicalresear... It mainly happens in busy city bars/pubs, where repeat customers aren't so important.
ashark 12y ago
Relatedly, does anyone know why so many bars with live acts crank the volume up so high that it becomes extremely loud white noise with thumping bass under it? It really sucks if you want to hear the music, and the point at which it's ears-ringing-the-next-day and clothes-vibrating loud but you can still at least tell when a key change happens is usually well under where they set it. I love small venues, but I hate how bad the music sounds at so many of them. Does anyone actually prefer this?
- KeytarHero 12y ago
  At small venues it's often just because the band is playing loudly. Some drummers play pretty loudly, some guitarists play amps that sound better with the volume cranked, and then singers are going to want the vocals louder in the monitors so they can actually hear themselves over the loud drums & guitar. If stage volume is loud, the sound guy is likely going to push the volume even louder, both so that he has some level of control over it, and because sound coming off the mains is going to sound a lot clearer than if you're hearing everything off the stage monitors and then reflected off the back wall (yes, even if that means things are louder, they can still be clearer).
  - ashark 12y ago
    Interesting. I find it hard to imagine that the reflected sound from the wall could be worse than the ear-against-tv-speaker-volume-at-full-tuned-to-static effect that ~2/3 of small venues I've been to end up with, but that does explain the motivation for it, at least.
    - KeytarHero 12y ago
      Well, in most cases the stage volume is already in so-loud-you-lose-clarity territory, so the clarity you gain from the sound guy turning up the mains a bit is worth the clarity you lose due to the extra volume. We're not talking massive increases in volume here.
- grandalf 12y ago
  I have a few theories: - The people deciding already have significant hearing loss and don't realize - People who are into venue sound stuff tend to like music very very loud - The majority of customers are actually relieved not to have the burden of needing to carry on a conversation (b/c doing so is impossible). Not sure which of the above it is. A similar mystery is why it's considered OK for motorcycles to be extremely loud, even with modified mufflers designed to make them louder. I don't buy the safety argument, since the same could apply to any motor vehicle or pedestrian.
scott_s 12y ago
Have you ever been in a bar at closing, when they turn the music off and the lights back on? It's a stark moment: Oh, right. This is reality. I can't say that the sibling comments are wrong, but I don't think that's the real reason. Bars (clubs, really) do it because it fosters a feeling of unreality. It makes being at the bar different, and you feel different, and it's (supposed) to be special - it's a party. People show up because it does not feel like normal life. Personally, the practice drives me crazy. As I intimated above, bars that do this are really clubs at night. I prefer places where a group of people can sit around a table and actually talk over some drinks.
dikaiosune 12y ago
A different perspective from some of the siblings: it keeps conversations fairly localized and thus a bit private. Beyond a few feet, and even with shouting it will distort and muffle the actual contents of speech in my experience.
sliverstorm 12y ago
My personal theory is privacy. With a crashing din of music, your voice carries about 1-2 feet, which makes it easy to ensure only the right person or people hear you talking. It allows you to be in a social setting while keeping your conversation private.
omegant 12y ago
A very good private party DJ(He plays for artist and actors) told me that if you want people to dance, the volume must be very high. As it was my party I told him to do it as he saw fit and indeed almost all the people (200) danced. Then one neighbour complained and he lowered the volume (just for a while ;) ) and most people stopped dancing almost immediately. When he boosted the volume again, they all jumped to dance. It was amazing. Edit: Typo. Reply to the comment below: I understand your comment, but the party was in a former s.XIX coastal battery fortress,(now an environmental Hotel). This fortress is excavated on the stone , below the ground level (You don´t see it till you are literally falling in the ditch). The place where the Party took place was 10 meters below the ground level, behind a fortress wall, a 6m high ditch and 1.5 km away from the nearest buildings, separated by rolling hills and Mediterranean woods. No, sorry but I certainly was not that worried of the volume and the neighbours.
- leephillips 12y ago
  Glad you didn't let consideration for the rights and comfort of the people who live around you interfere with your need to party as you saw fit.
  - GrinningFool 12y ago
    You had me up until "rights". Consideration (or lack thereof) for their comfort - and just for them as individuals- yes definitely. For their rights? that's a lot less clear.
    - arrrg 12y ago
      Well, in my country people do have the right to sleep unimpeded (between 10pm and 6am). One that is regularly enforced, actually, so it’s not just on the books. Is that such an outlandish concept?
      - GrinningFool 12y ago
        Interesting. Here in the States, that's usually a regulation at the municipal level if it exists at all. Even in that context, it's not defined as a right - just a law to be completed with.
toothbrush 12y ago
I recently saw this pop by in the news: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20080718/loud-bar-music-makes-you-drink-more http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20080718/l... -- the bottom line is either what you suggest, or that loud music intrinsically motivates drinking. The authors don't know.
- rottyguy 12y ago
  Thanks. I get the feeling that loud music + yelling = increase in adrenaline = drinking more. I also like the privacy angle and perhaps stressed out vocal cords = more soothing drink. I figured it had to be "sales" related since socially, it made no sense (also bias the fact that I am old :-)
DanBC 12y ago
In England this is part of the "Vertical Drinking Establishment". You reduce the numbers of chairs and tables. That means that you fit more people in and they have to hold their drinks. Holding a drink means you drink it quicker. They turn up the volume so you chat less, which also means you drink faster.

djb_hackernews 12y ago

It's the same reason most bars are set up to be cramped spaces, it forces people to be closer together which makes people uncomfortable which makes them drink more.

sukilot 12y ago
They are cramped because a lot of people want to be there. If people were uncomfortable they would stop going.
- djb_hackernews 12y ago
  I agree it's not intuitive and obviously bars taking advantage of this trick need to actually have the foot traffic. Volume (as in volume of business) based bars are specifically designed to get more people closer together. Next time you are at one ask yourself if they are being the most efficient with the space.

superme 12y ago

They do it on purpose. The less patrons talk to each other the more alcohol they drink. That's why the music volume is increased as the night progresses. They get them into the establishment, customers start drinking, eventually it gets to a point where they can't hear each other so they just focus on drinking. Not all places do this, just the places that are strongly focused on the profits.

sukilot 12y ago
Why would such a bar have any repeat customers? The music is loud at a bar because the people are loud because the bar is crowded. If bars wanted to sell more drinks, they would have more bartenders to reduce the wait times.
- superme 12y ago
  There you go: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jul/19/medicalresearch.fooddrinks http://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jul/19/medicalresear... It mainly happens in busy city bars/pubs, where repeat customers aren't so important.

ashark 12y ago

Relatedly, does anyone know why so many bars with live acts crank the volume up so high that it becomes extremely loud white noise with thumping bass under it? It really sucks if you want to hear the music, and the point at which it's ears-ringing-the-next-day and clothes-vibrating loud but you can still at least tell when a key change happens is usually well under where they set it. I love small venues, but I hate how bad the music sounds at so many of them. Does anyone actually prefer this?

KeytarHero 12y ago
At small venues it's often just because the band is playing loudly. Some drummers play pretty loudly, some guitarists play amps that sound better with the volume cranked, and then singers are going to want the vocals louder in the monitors so they can actually hear themselves over the loud drums & guitar. If stage volume is loud, the sound guy is likely going to push the volume even louder, both so that he has some level of control over it, and because sound coming off the mains is going to sound a lot clearer than if you're hearing everything off the stage monitors and then reflected off the back wall (yes, even if that means things are louder, they can still be clearer).
- ashark 12y ago
  Interesting. I find it hard to imagine that the reflected sound from the wall could be worse than the ear-against-tv-speaker-volume-at-full-tuned-to-static effect that ~2/3 of small venues I've been to end up with, but that does explain the motivation for it, at least.
  - KeytarHero 12y ago
    Well, in most cases the stage volume is already in so-loud-you-lose-clarity territory, so the clarity you gain from the sound guy turning up the mains a bit is worth the clarity you lose due to the extra volume. We're not talking massive increases in volume here.
grandalf 12y ago
I have a few theories: - The people deciding already have significant hearing loss and don't realize - People who are into venue sound stuff tend to like music very very loud - The majority of customers are actually relieved not to have the burden of needing to carry on a conversation (b/c doing so is impossible). Not sure which of the above it is. A similar mystery is why it's considered OK for motorcycles to be extremely loud, even with modified mufflers designed to make them louder. I don't buy the safety argument, since the same could apply to any motor vehicle or pedestrian.

scott_s 12y ago

Have you ever been in a bar at closing, when they turn the music off and the lights back on? It's a stark moment: Oh, right. This is reality. I can't say that the sibling comments are wrong, but I don't think that's the real reason. Bars (clubs, really) do it because it fosters a feeling of unreality. It makes being at the bar different, and you feel different, and it's (supposed) to be special - it's a party. People show up because it does not feel like normal life. Personally, the practice drives me crazy. As I intimated above, bars that do this are really clubs at night. I prefer places where a group of people can sit around a table and actually talk over some drinks.

dikaiosune 12y ago

A different perspective from some of the siblings: it keeps conversations fairly localized and thus a bit private. Beyond a few feet, and even with shouting it will distort and muffle the actual contents of speech in my experience.

sliverstorm 12y ago

My personal theory is privacy. With a crashing din of music, your voice carries about 1-2 feet, which makes it easy to ensure only the right person or people hear you talking. It allows you to be in a social setting while keeping your conversation private.

omegant 12y ago

A very good private party DJ(He plays for artist and actors) told me that if you want people to dance, the volume must be very high. As it was my party I told him to do it as he saw fit and indeed almost all the people (200) danced. Then one neighbour complained and he lowered the volume (just for a while ;) ) and most people stopped dancing almost immediately. When he boosted the volume again, they all jumped to dance. It was amazing. Edit: Typo. Reply to the comment below: I understand your comment, but the party was in a former s.XIX coastal battery fortress,(now an environmental Hotel). This fortress is excavated on the stone , below the ground level (You don´t see it till you are literally falling in the ditch). The place where the Party took place was 10 meters below the ground level, behind a fortress wall, a 6m high ditch and 1.5 km away from the nearest buildings, separated by rolling hills and Mediterranean woods. No, sorry but I certainly was not that worried of the volume and the neighbours.

leephillips 12y ago
Glad you didn't let consideration for the rights and comfort of the people who live around you interfere with your need to party as you saw fit.
- GrinningFool 12y ago
  You had me up until "rights". Consideration (or lack thereof) for their comfort - and just for them as individuals- yes definitely. For their rights? that's a lot less clear.
  - arrrg 12y ago
    Well, in my country people do have the right to sleep unimpeded (between 10pm and 6am). One that is regularly enforced, actually, so it’s not just on the books. Is that such an outlandish concept?
    - GrinningFool 12y ago
      Interesting. Here in the States, that's usually a regulation at the municipal level if it exists at all. Even in that context, it's not defined as a right - just a law to be completed with.

toothbrush 12y ago

I recently saw this pop by in the news: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20080718/loud-bar-music-makes-you-drink-more http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20080718/l... -- the bottom line is either what you suggest, or that loud music intrinsically motivates drinking. The authors don't know.

rottyguy 12y ago
Thanks. I get the feeling that loud music + yelling = increase in adrenaline = drinking more. I also like the privacy angle and perhaps stressed out vocal cords = more soothing drink. I figured it had to be "sales" related since socially, it made no sense (also bias the fact that I am old :-)

DanBC 12y ago

In England this is part of the "Vertical Drinking Establishment". You reduce the numbers of chairs and tables. That means that you fit more people in and they have to hold their drinks. Holding a drink means you drink it quicker. They turn up the volume so you chat less, which also means you drink faster.