Petition: Stop the Loudness Wars and release High Definition Music Downloads

sometimesuk

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Moderators - I know this is similar to another post I have mae but I needed to change the title, as the petiton emphasis has changed.

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[/b] the “mainstream offering” in the download market[/b] 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:[/b] http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-loudness-wars-and-release-high-definition-music-downloads[/b]

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:[/b] http://www.facebook.com/groups/463034807076103/[/b]

[/b]

I have been asked by a few people what my objective is with the petition and what I’m I going to do with it, for clarification my broad intentions are below. Bear in mind, it’s still very early days, which is why I intent to use the facebook group as a place to take on board peoples suggestions and advice.

Objective:[/b] To raise the issue of compression and availability of high quality downloads with major record labels and online retailers

When: [/b]Once I / others (facebook group) believe that the petition has reached its peak, or has reached a number that I believe would warrant notice, ideally between 2000 – 3000 people.

How[/b]: By letter to each of the major record labels and online retailers. The letter would bring to their attention the petition and ask them to take into consideration our views and ask them for comments (future plans etc).

I plan on using the facebook group to communicate draft versions of any final letter, to accompany the petition letter for people to comment on and who to write to. I will them email all those who signed the petition before it gets sent for comment.

Last thing, the petition has started to get a lot more notice thanks to this link. It would be nice to have a few more names from the UK and europe on there and a similar "News article" on the What hifi site!

http://www.stereophile.com/content/petition-better-sound
 

andyjm

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There may be some hope here. The national broadcasters are fed up with listeners (and viewers) complaining that the loudness of adverts and different channels is all over the map. Typically levels are set using a reference 1Khz tone recorded at the start of the programme / advert, or using PPMs (peak programme meters) on the programme material iteslf.

It this technique that gets fooled by compressing the music. The same piece of music with the same PPM level will sound louder compressed. The EBU is proposing a move to a measurement technique that mirrors the way the ear works, so the same piece of music will sound the same volume no matter how much it is compressed.

While this doesn't fix the downloaded music issue, it does mean there is no incentive to compress music for radio or TV. For those interested:

http://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf
 

Electro

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Mar 30, 2011
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Signed :)

There is an organisation that I have signed up for that was set up to combat the loudness war .

Here is a link if you are interested .

http://turnmeup.org/index.shtml

There is a lot of interesting info on this site .
 

sometimesuk

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Sep 25, 2008
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Everyone.

The petiton now has 700+ signatures and is slowly growing. Most of the support is coming internationally.

It would be nice to see a few more names from people in the UK.

Playing a well recorded / non compressed album is actually one of the easiest ways to upgrade your hifi! We just need to make sure that the material is available.

If you havent already dont so, please show your support. Thanks

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

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