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What Makes Good Hold Music on a Phone Line

Hold music keeps callers on the line while they wait. Because phone audio only carries roughly 300 to 3,400 Hz, bass and treble disappear, so calm instrumentals at a steady volume that loop without a gap work best. Break in with a short spoken message every 30 to 45 seconds, and license any recorded music you play.

Callers judge a business by what they hear while they wait. Hold music done right keeps them on the line instead of hanging up.

Updated September 27, 2026

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Soft music under your voice greeting makes a small business sound established. It's included free with every greeting.

What is hold music actually for?

Hold music has one job: convince a waiting caller that the line is still connected and someone will be back. A silent hold is easy to mistake for a dropped call, and callers who think they've been disconnected hang up and call back, or don't call back at all.

It also fills the awkward quiet during a transfer or a queue, and gives a business a chance to sound put-together instead of leaving dead air.

What makes hold music sound right over a phone line?

Traditional phone audio only carries roughly 300 to 3,400 Hz. Deep bass and bright treble both fall outside that range, so a track that sounds full on headphones can sound thin, tinny, or muddy once it's compressed down to a phone line.

Calm instrumentals with a steady, even volume hold up best under that squeeze. Sudden loud passages or quiet, sparse sections both read badly on hold: the loud parts can clip, and the quiet parts can sound like the call dropped.

Should hold music include spoken messages?

Music alone can start to feel like elevator music after a minute or two. Breaking in every 30 to 45 seconds with one short, useful line gives callers a reason to keep waiting instead of a reason to hang up.

The line should tell them something they didn't already know, not repeat an apology.

  • "Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8 to 5."
  • "You can also reach us by text at this number."
  • "If you'd rather leave a message, press 2 at any time."
  • "We're currently helping other callers; your call will be answered in the order it was received."

Do you need a license to play hold music?

In the US, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC each collect fees on behalf of songwriters and publishers when their music is publicly performed, and each treats hold music as a public performance. ASCAP's licensing FAQ states plainly that transmitting music over your telephone lines while a caller is on hold is a public performance. BMI lists a specific license category for Businesses Using Music on Hold on its own licensing forms page, and SESAC names music on hold among the industry uses its performance license covers.

Some phone systems sidestep this by shipping their own default hold music. Microsoft says the default Music on Hold built into Microsoft Teams is free of any royalties payable by your organization. Check your own phone system's documentation before assuming a license is required, and see our royalty-free hold music page for more on what's genuinely free.

Can I add music to my voice greeting?

Every voice greeting we produce already includes a free choice of background music: Soft piano, Warm acoustic, Light corporate, Upbeat, or voice only, mixed under the voice and exported in the exact format your phone system needs.

Add music to your greeting

Every voice greeting includes a free choice of background music, mixed under the voice and exported in the format your phone system needs.

Add music to your greeting

Common questions

Do I need a license to play music while callers are on hold?

Generally yes. ASCAP's own licensing FAQ says that when you place a caller on hold and transmit music over your telephone lines, that is a public performance of the music, which needs permission from the rights holder or a license from a performing rights organization.

How long should a hold-music loop be before it repeats?

Long enough that a regular caller doesn't notice it looping, and mixed so the end meets the start with no click, pop, or gap in the volume.

How often should a spoken message interrupt the music?

About every 30 to 45 seconds, with one short, useful line, such as your hours or how to leave a message, rather than a generic apology repeated on a loop.

Does my phone system already include hold music?

Some do. Microsoft's own documentation for Microsoft Teams says its default Music on Hold is free of any royalties payable by your organization, and it plays automatically until an admin uploads something custom. Zoom Phone's support documentation describes a similar built-in default hold music setting.

Can I just play the radio or my own music collection on hold?

Playing a radio broadcast or your own music collection over your phone lines is still transmitting that music to the public, which is the same performance ASCAP's licensing FAQ describes, so check the broadcaster's terms and the performing rights organizations before doing this. See our royalty-free hold music page for what genuinely free options exist.

What if I don't want hold music at all?

Silence works technically, but callers often assume a silent line has disconnected and hang up. A short looped message, even without music behind it, at least confirms the call is still connected.

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