Unplugs Wants to Make Earplugs a Concert Essential
Save the tickets. Coordinate the group chat. Check the setlist (even if you swear you want to be surprised). Fans have their pre-show rituals. Unplugs wants hearing protection to become one of them.
The brand is bringing its transparent earplugs to 60 Live Nation venues across the U.S., putting them within reach of fans as they arrive for a show. The launch coincides with October’s National Protect Your Hearing Month, but the idea is built for every concert night.
Three in four fans say hearing protection should be an essential part of the concert experience. Among fans who have used earplugs at live music events, nearly 60% have taken them out to talk with friends or other fans.
A little click. A useful difference.
Unplugs has a mechanical switch that lets you change how much sound comes through without removing the earplugs. In the closed setting, acoustic filters reduce volume while maintaining sound clarity. In the open setting, more sound passes through, making conversation easier.
So when your friend needs to explain why the next song is their song, there’s a setting for that.
No batteries. No app. Your phone already has enough to do between holding your ticket and finding the group.
Made by someone who knows the experience
For founder Tom Worcester, hearing protection has been part of life since long before his first festival job. He’s worn hearing aids since he was four.
Working in the festival industry later brought the idea into focus: fans wanted to protect their hearing while staying connected to the music and the people around them.
Worcester reunited with his childhood audiologist, Dr. Natan Bauman, and Bauman’s co-inventor, Ralph Campagna, to bring their mechanical earplug technology to concert fans.
“We thought hearing protection has had it backwards this whole time. Fans deserve to protect their hearing without sacrificing the experience they came for,” said Worcester. “Unplugs gives them the freedom to enjoy the music, connect with friends, and stay in the moment.”
Add them to your show-night checklist
Fans can purchase Unplugs through a mix of vending machines, sound guides, and merch and guest services stands, depending on the venue.
“More fans are thinking about their hearing, but they still want to hear the music and talk to their friends,” said Tom Allison, SVP of New Ventures at Live Nation. “Unplugs gives them another choice built around how they actually experience a show, and we can make that choice available right where they need it.”
Complimentary foam earplugs will also continue to be available at participating venues.
Pick the show. Rally the friends. Pack the earplugs.
Learn more at unplugshearing.com.
