Is there anything worse than settling in on the sand for a beach day and hearing someone else's terrible playlist blasting out from a nearby speaker? Ok, so maybe we're being a tad dramatic but it's still not an ideal situation. And apparently, we're not alone: according to Spotify, 78 per cent of Australians think playing “loud or offensive music” at the beach should be banned, with 57 per cent of us thinking fines or penalties should be applied to annoyingly noisy beachgoers.
The concept of imposing a fine for playing music too loudly at the beach isn’t new, with countries across Europe introducing beachside etiquette rules, and some (such as Portugal) introducing fines of up to €36,000. Portugal’s approach might be a little draconian, but it looks like Aussies aren’t opposed to a degree of regulation around the soundtrack to our days on the sand.
Spotify’s recent survey found that, on average, 62 per cent of Aussies are happy with other beachgoers playing their tunes as long as their playlist is kept at a reasonable volume. Here in Victoria, half of us don't even play music on the beach – but when we do, 42 per cent are considerate of the surroundings. However, when the volume goes up (or “offensive” songs are added to the mix), 78 per cent of Victorians are in support of a ban or fine.
So, when we do decide to whip out the UE Boom, what's on the playlist? The top ten summer beach songs in Victoria include 'Brazil' by Declan McKenna, 'Cruel Summer' by Taylor Swift, 'Lost' by Frank Ocean', 'Summer' by Calvin Harris and 'Booster Seat' by Spacey Jane.
Spotify has cited the creation of new playlists on the platform with “beach” or “summer” in their title as evidence that bringing a speaker to Australian shores isn’t going anywhere. We're not sure that's conclusive, but regardless, our headphones are coming with us to St Kilda Beach.