The Short Answer
Across 151 commercial releases, the median loudness range (LRA) is 8.4 LU and the median crest factor is 11.5 dB. Classical, metal, jazz, rock and gospel carry the widest dynamic range (10.2-13.8 LU median LRA); pop, latin and reggae carry the narrowest (3.8-6.4 LU).
But the more useful finding is which measurement actually tracks loudness. When we split the dataset into the quietest and loudest quarters by LUFS, crest factor dropped sharply between them (13.1 dB to 9.6 dB) while LRA barely moved (9.2 LU to 7.7 LU). Loud masters lose peak headroom long before they lose their loudness range. If you want to know how squashed a master is, crest factor is the more honest number.
Dynamic Range by Genre
Each row is the median of the releases we measured in that genre, sorted by loudness range (LRA, in loudness units) from widest to narrowest. Crest factor is peak-to-average level in decibels — higher means more headroom between transients and the overall level.
| Genre | Releases | Median LRA | Median crest factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 8 | 13.8 LU | 14.8 dB |
| Metal | 10 | 11.2 LU | 14.7 dB |
| Jazz | 9 | 10.6 LU | 12.5 dB |
| Rock | 8 | 10.3 LU | 11.7 dB |
| Gospel | 10 | 10.2 LU | 13.5 dB |
| Electronic | 10 | 8.9 LU | 10.4 dB |
| Folk | 9 | 8.5 LU | 11.9 dB |
| Hip-hop | 10 | 8.5 LU | 11.0 dB |
| Country | 10 | 8.3 LU | 11.8 dB |
| Bedroom pop | 8 | 8.1 LU | 11.8 dB |
| R&B | 8 | 7.2 LU | 11.8 dB |
| Acoustic | 8 | 7.2 LU | 12.1 dB |
| EDM | 10 | 7.1 LU | 10.2 dB |
| Indie | 8 | 7.0 LU | 9.8 dB |
| Latin | 10 | 6.4 LU | 11.4 dB |
| Pop | 10 | 6.4 LU | 10.6 dB |
| Reggae | 5 | 3.8 LU | 11.7 dB |
Samples are 5 to 10 releases per genre (reggae is the smallest at 5), so read each row as indicative, not definitive. The overall figures (151 releases) are more reliable than any single genre.
Four Things the Data Shows
1. Crest factor predicts a squashed master far better than LRA does. We checked how strongly each measurement correlates with overall loudness (LUFS) across all 151 releases. Crest factor had a strong negative correlation with loudness; LRA's correlation was weak, almost flat. Splitting the dataset into the quietest quarter (median -15 LUFS) and loudest quarter (median -7.8 LUFS) makes this concrete: crest factor fell from a median 13.1 dB to 9.6 dB, a real 3.5 dB loss of headroom, while LRA only moved from 9.2 LU to 7.7 LU. Two masters can share the same LRA and sound completely differently squashed.
2. Classical and metal sit at opposite reputations but the same end of the dynamic-range table. Classical has the widest median LRA (13.8 LU) and the highest crest factor (14.8 dB), which fits its reputation. Metal is a genuine surprise: it posts the second-highest median LRA (11.2 LU) and crest factor (14.7 dB) in the whole dataset, just behind classical. A genre known for being loud and "brickwalled" isn't, at least not in this sample — palm-muted riffs and dynamic arrangement give it more room than its reputation suggests.
3. Pop, latin and indie leave the least room. Pop and latin tie for the narrowest median LRA among the 16 genres with at least 8 releases (6.4 LU), and indie has the lowest median crest factor (9.8 dB) of any genre at that sample size. These are the genres where the mastering choices (not just the arrangement) are compressing the track hardest.
4. Reggae is the outlier, but it's also our smallest sample. At 3.8 LU median LRA, reggae looks like the most squashed genre by a wide margin — about a third of classical's. With only 5 releases measured, that's the thinnest sample in the dataset, so treat it as a signal to check more releases, not a settled fact.
What This Means for Your Master
- Watch crest factor, not just LRA, when you're worried about over-limiting. LRA tracks dynamics between sections of a song (verse to chorus); crest factor tracks how much transient headroom survives within every bar. Our data shows crest factor is the one that actually drops when a master gets loud.
- Dynamic genres don't need to sacrifice loudness for range. Metal's numbers show heavy, energetic music can carry real crest factor without sounding thin — the two aren't opposed.
- If your genre leans narrow (pop, latin, indie, EDM), decide on purpose. A tight LRA can be a stylistic choice for these genres, but it's worth confirming you're choosing it rather than losing it to over-limiting.
- A limiter that preserves crest factor at a given loudness is doing its job better than one that just hits a number. LuvLang's master chain runs up to 16 stages depending on tier (12 on Standard, 14 on Professional, 16 on Studio), including dynamics stages built to manage this tradeoff rather than brickwall straight through it.
Check your track free: measure its LUFS and true peak and see what Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and 5 more platforms will do to it. Open the free LUFS checker →
How We Measured
We analyzed 151 commercially released masters from our research library (released 2004 to 2024, most from 2018 on) across 17 genres, 5 to 10 per genre. Loudness range (LRA) and crest factor were computed per BS.1770-4 methodology, the same standard used for integrated LUFS measurement. Medians are reported rather than means because a handful of outlier releases can otherwise distort a 5-to-10-release sample. Genre medians with fewer than 5 releases were excluded; reggae, our smallest genre at exactly 5, is flagged above rather than dropped. Full loudness methodology and the genre-by-genre normalization data are in our 2026 loudness research and our earlier streaming loudness by genre article.
Using this data? You're welcome to cite it with a link to this page.