If you want your fans and friends and hopefull NEW fans to listen to your music (and buy it), then don't make it "as LOUD as possible". Make it as enjoyable as possible. The human ear enjoys dymanics. I'm sure you have many favorite records that have soft and loud parts...drama, anticipation, builds, crescendos and releases. Make your own recrods do that too! Only the amatuers over-compress their mixes in a futile attempt to get more attention. It may well be having the opposite effect.

Full article here: Loudness War versus Sales – The Truth

I will post several links on the subject over the next couple weeks. Here's #1

from: http://productionadvice.co.uk