Why so LOUD? Does Noise = $$$?

9/19/2005 5:34:00 AM

At some clubs, there's a big effort to get everybody to make a lot of NOISE. Not just appreciation for the girl dancing onstage. More like a constant din, like the 4th quarter of a tight football game. The DJ's always yelling stuff like, "Come on, people, it's Friday night! Let's hear some noise!"

My question is why? Do clubs make more money when it's noisy? Do the girls? Because it doesn't necessarily look like it. The girl onstage may make more tips, but I can't believe more guys want to get dances when it's like that. I sure don't. I usually leave. Do that many guys agree to go to the VIP room just to escape the ruckus? Mostly, the club just seems to fill up with young guys standing around holding a beer pumping their fist and whooping it up, not spending. So, the club sells more beer.

The thing is, not all clubs do this. I know of a few that are wildly successful without always playing the noise card. So what's going on? And do you feel like spending more when it's LOUD?

14 comments

Latest

casualguy

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19 years ago

I believe you can tune out noises sometimes. To my great surprise I actually slept through an ear piercing fire alarm in college one time. I could hear those fire alarms 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile away on campus and they hurt your teeth standing in the same hallway. Therefore I was really surprised when I didn't even wake up one time. I guess I was dead tired. We had over 430 firealarms in my dorm building the first semester so I was pretty used to them. Perhaps 4 or 5 had a good reason for going off. The rest were pranksters and malfunctions.

Speaking of ear plugs, I have found that different sizes fit differently and don't block out sound as well as others. I was surprised that I could actually hear dancers more easily wearing the ear plugs. If the music volume hurts, you definitely need to be wearing ear plugs because I believe that is a sign that your hearing is getting damaged. You don't get your hearing back after you lose it.

casualguy

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19 years ago

shadowcat: I believe it. I ate some food at a strip club once and got sleepy afterwards and apparently dozed off while sitting in a chair until a bouncer asked if I was ok which immediately woke me up. The music level wasn't nearly as loud as your favorite club but it was still turned up.

minnow

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19 years ago

RE: Earplugs; No problem hearing conversation, if anything, better w. earplugs. EP's good thing even if noise isn't painful. If you don't like em, you've only blown $3-$5, less than many cc's , drinks, & lame lds. Keeping your hearing: Priceless..

lasvegasescorts

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19 years ago

I hate music that is too loud that you have to screm to talk to a dancer that is 6" away and hate DJ's that talk thru the song to page the next girls to be on stage when you are sitting in the private section or VIP area..

FONDL

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19 years ago

I wouldn't go to a club where I felt I needed ear plugs. If the music is so loud that it's annoying, I vote with my feet and go somewhere else.

chandler

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19 years ago

I've got a question for those who have worn earplugs to spare their eardrums. Are you able to hear conversation? Or do you have to take them out?

chandler

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19 years ago

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE loud music. Rap, R&B, dance music, rock. I've got the damaged hearing to prove my love. I'm not too crazy about it in strip clubs, but even that* doesn't bother me nearly as much as the DJ literally screaming into the microphone, urging scores of people, who thankfully don't have microphones, to make as much noise as possible. And hate this "party energy" they're shooting for, if all that means is hordes of beer swilling college boys stumbling into furniture, howling bug-eyed at the girl I'm sitting with. If I were to get a dance, it would most likely suck, because she'd be swept up by the "energy" to give me a slam bang style pummeling, which a 17yo may enjoy, but not me. So, I can see how the club makes more on beer and cover charges, but I still question whether the girls make as much.

*Shadowcat's club might be a different story

FONDL

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19 years ago

One of the things that always puzzles me is loud music in fancy GCs. Here you are in a really plush club and everything about the place exudes somebbody's idea of extra fancy and refined. Except one thing, the loud ghetto music blaring away. I can understand that in a low-brow dive but to do it in a GC makes absolutely no sense. The plush furniture is arranged for conversation and you can't hear a word. The girls are trying to sell themselves and you can't hear a word. The average customer age is 60 and they're playing music for teenagers. What are these people thinking?

tropicalH2O

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19 years ago

I work part time at 2 clubs in San Diego. One club never plays the music too loud and the other club often has the music too loud with so much bass that you can feel it in the walls and it hurts my ears and makes me feel physically and psychologically uncomfortable. Several customers have complained about the noise level and I once told the manager and the dj that the customers requested that the volume be turned down. I was told by both employees that the owner preferred loud music because it creates a festive environment. Loud AC/DC music was played 24/7 to prisoners of war in Iraq to break them. Loud music is very offensive especially if it's some really depressing suicide, violently descriptive, or rap crap. I prefer to work the day shift to avoid the louder music which seems to get louder on the night shift. I should adopt the idea of ear plugs, I have some silicone ones that I wear when I go to concerts. -T

minnow

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19 years ago

GUYS: DYAF!! Make it SOP to wear earplugs anytime you visit SC. Foam, non-foam, whatever works. I've been doing it for several yrs ever since former coworker who played part-time in rock band lost his hearing. Even moderate places are loud over time. FONDL; I'm with you on perception that too many dj's like to hear themselves talk, otoh; "do you have $1 for the jukebox" gets old after a while,and smacks of panhandling. Haven't been to manyof those clubs lately. CHANDLER; Of all the chains, Mens Club & PT's seem to have the less blabby dj's. Certain DVu, and some Southern Clubs have the "I want to hear some f***ing noise" cheerleaders. The former announces dancers names, occ. plug couch dances , or upcoming specials, but, FTMP, knows when to STFU!!

casualguy

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19 years ago

It's not just sickening, it's painful and will likely cause hearing damage at the volume I heard in shadowcat's favorite club. If OSHA fined strip clubs, they would have a party at clubs like that. I even thought the volume was a bit too loud even when I wore ear plugs but it may have been within a more tolerable level. I usually drink a lot more at other clubs where I can sit back and relax. I can't do too much relaxing when my ears hurt. When a club is too crowded to have seats available and the noise is so loud it can cause hearing damage, it turns me off the club big time even if the dancers give the best value dances for the majority of the area.

FunSeeker

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19 years ago

I'll avoid any club plays too loud music. If I happened to be there, and if the music is very loud, I leave such clubs as soon as possible. It's just not worth it. Hard to make any conversation. Just sickening.

FONDL

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19 years ago

I think a lot of DJs feel it's their job to try to create a lively party atmosphere. It probably never occurs to them to wonder if that's what the customers want. It's the same reason that they play the music too loud. Personally I prefer places without DJs, they almost always talk too much.

AbbieNormal

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19 years ago

I do know that an old bar trick is to have the sound system loud so that conversation is tougher. People drink more and faster when they can't converse as easily.

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