If you’ve ever found yourself situated infuriatingly close to purveyors of an offensively terrible beach playlist, the results from this survey should be music to your ears (pun intended). 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 NSW, we’re apparently a pretty relaxed bunch – with 60 per cent of us reportedly “happy to listen to communal music at the beach”. However, when the volume goes up (or “offensive” songs are added to the mix), 78 per cent of Aussies are in support of a ban. As a happy medium, 51 per cent of us think there should be designated quiet zones on our beaches – so we can listen to the sound of the ocean in peace.
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 Clovelly.