beerock

I noticed on one of my favorite sites today (http://last.fm) that they have disabled any volume controls for their ads in their player. Meaning, you cannot mute, turn down or turn up the volume when an ad plays; you must use your computer volume/mute to control the sound level. This is obviously a way to help ensure advertisers their ads are being consumed.

This has always been a controversy in TV advertising. Whenever a new President is elected, they overturn the FCC laws governing the volume of TV ads. Republicans allow any level it seems, while Dems require the ads to be the same volume level as the broadcast station.

Are we now in a new era of digital advertising, where we must succumb to ad volume levels without any regulation? It certainly seems so.

Awesome, I can already predict what is going to happen: I’ll be listening to some music on a low volume in site player, but my computer volume will be loud, then the ad starts, BLASTING the crap out of my eardrums. Sigh.

Note: Last.fm is owned by CBS Interactive Music Group if that explains anything.

Golf umbrellas when it rains while walking the sidewalks of NYC.