The York Factory Whistle holds the world record for the loudest music without amplification from a non-musical instrument. Every Christmas Eve the whistle uses a compressor to create air pressure, then releases it through a series of tubes using a device much like a slide whistle. (Prior to 2010, the pressure was created using steam produced by a boiler.) The music has had a loudness of 140 dB and can be heard 10 to 12 miles away with proper weather conditions. Various Christmas music is played for a short time around midnight. It is thought that this annual tradition was started around 1925. Other sources put the tradition back to at least 1888. After the hosting New York Wire Cloth Company plant closed in 2013, Metso moved the whistle to their factory in York and the annual concert tradition has continued. Metso announced in August 2015 that it would close its York plant by the end of March 2016. As of December 2017, the building was still owned by Metso and the annual 25-minute York Factory Whistle Concert remained scheduled, along with two daytime rehearsal sessions. By December 2018, the hosting factory building was owned by 240 Arch LLC, and the air compressor (to be moved there for rehearsals and the concert) is trailer-mounted. Another early Christmas concert and Saturday-before practice were announced for 2019.