Cha-ching!

An Oregon woman is suing Justin Bieber for $9.2 million in damages, claiming permanent hearing loss after she attended his 2010 concert here in Portland.

Seriously? A Justin Bieber concert? I’m sorry, I agree that “baby, baby, baby, oooh,” undoubtedly assaults the ears, but on a whole different level than what Stacey Wilson Betts alleges.

Betts says she has severe tinnitus after escorting her teenage daughter to the concert. Wink, wink. Don’t all the middle-aged women at Bieber concerts have a daughter? Really, though, has the woman never heard of earplugs? She should have known that animal-like shrieks erupting from the throats of frenetic teenage girls are enough to send anyone to the doctor.

According to her suit, when Bieber climbed into a heart-shaped gondola and floated over the crowd, he created such a frenzy that the sound exceeded safe decibel levels and she sustained permanent hearing loss. Bieber, his record label and the company that owns the arena where the concert took place are all named as defendants in the suit.

All jokes aside, it does raise a question about noise levels at concerts, specifically where the responsibility lies regarding concertgoers’ safety.

Millions of people attend concerts yearly, most far louder than the young pop star’s, and it’s a given that people wear earplugs these days. In fact, many venues hand them out when folks enter the place. Hard rock and heavy metal bands, especially, find that part of their image and brand involves being obnoxiously loud, and most die-hard fans wouldn’t have it any other way. But according to the Oregon Hearing Research Center, 10 million Americans suffer from hearing loss as a result of loud noise. Just because we like it doesn’t mean it’s good for us.

According to Guinness World Records, the heavy metal band Manowar is the loudest ever, reaching almost 130 decibels at a 1994 concert. When you compare that to the U.S. legal maximum of 110 decibels for public concerts, that’s a little scary. Guinness World Records no longer includes a loudest band category for fear that others will attempt to break the record. No doubt many have tried and succeeded—it’s become par for the course.

Back to responsibility. Who should be held accountable if the sound reaches ear-splitting levels? The water’s a bit muddy on this one. Very few suits like Betts’ make it to court, but a couple who sued the band Whitesnake, claiming permanent hearing problems after a concert, managed to win $40,000 in a 2010 appellate court settlement. The promoter and venue owner were also listed as defendants.

All parties involved in a concert experience should hold a measure of accountability: the venue for stipulating safe decibel levels and monitoring them throughout the event; the musicians for making sure their sound levels are safe; and the concertgoers for their own health.

Sure, the law indicates a limit, but it doesn’t seem to be regulated. It should be a requirement that venues hand out earplugs, regardless of the musical genre.

And there’s also this little thing called common sense. If you go out in the sun, you protect your skin with sunscreen and your eyes with sunglasses. It’s the same for your ears. If you choose to abstain from using earplugs, then so be it. But don’t blame the musician or the venue for your poor decision.

As for Ms. Betts—$9.2 million? There’s a very good reason why there’s no attorney listed to represent her. It’s a ridiculous claim. As much as I hate to say it, Bieber can’t be held responsible for his screaming fans. Maybe they should outlaw gondolas, though.