Skip to content

What Royalty-Free Hold Music Actually Means

Royalty-free means you pay once, or nothing, instead of ongoing royalties; it doesn't mean the music is free of every license term. Read the license before using a track for phone hold, since many royalty-free libraries exclude telephone or on-hold use. Genuinely free options include your phone system's own default hold music, if it ships with one.

Royalty-free doesn't mean license-free. Here's what the label actually covers, and what genuinely free hold-music options exist for a business phone line.

Updated September 27, 2026

Would you like music in your greeting?

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

What does royalty-free actually mean?

Royalty-free is a pricing model, not a copyright status. It means you pay the seller once, or nothing at all, instead of paying an ongoing royalty every time the track is used. The music is still copyrighted, and the license that comes with it still sets the terms of where and how you can use it.

That license can, and often does, carve out specific uses. A track licensed for a YouTube video or a podcast intro isn't automatically licensed for a business phone system, so the label "royalty-free" by itself doesn't answer the question of whether hold use is covered.

Can I use my own music collection, a streaming service, or the radio?

Playing music you already own, stream, or pick up over the radio sounds simple, but transmitting it to callers over your phone lines is a separate public performance from playing it for yourself in the office. ASCAP's licensing FAQ states that when you place a caller on hold and transmit music over your telephone lines, that is a public performance of the music.

A personal streaming subscription or a home radio license generally doesn't extend to that kind of business use. Check the specific terms of the service or broadcast, and check with the performing rights organizations, before using it as hold music.

What free hold-music options genuinely exist?

The most reliable free option is a default your phone system already ships with. Microsoft's documentation for Microsoft Teams says its built-in default Music on Hold is free of any royalties payable by your organization, and Zoom Phone's support documentation describes a similar default hold-music setting that plays automatically until you change it.

Beyond a built-in default, a royalty-free music library is only genuinely free for this use when its own license explicitly names phone, telephone, or on-hold use among what's covered. If a library's terms don't mention it, that's a question for the library, not an assumption to make.

How do you check a license covers on-hold use?

Open the actual license document for the specific track, not the marketplace's general FAQ page, and search it for telephone, on hold, IVR, or phone system. A general "for commercial use" line doesn't confirm phone use is included, since a license can cover a video or a podcast while staying silent on telephony.

If the license doesn't say either way, ask before you use it. The seller, or a performing rights organization such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, can tell you whether a given track or library is cleared for a business phone line.

What about music in my own 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. The tracks are royalty-free.

Add music to your greeting

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

Add music to your greeting

Common questions

Does royalty-free mean I can play the track on hold for free?

Not necessarily. Royalty-free usually means a one-time fee, or no fee, instead of ongoing royalties to the seller, but the license that comes with it can still exclude telephone or on-hold use. Check the license terms for that specific use before you use the track.

Can I play music from a streaming service or the radio while callers are on hold?

Playing a streaming subscription or a radio broadcast over your phone lines is a separate public performance from listening to it yourself. ASCAP's own licensing FAQ describes transmitting music over telephone lines this way as a public performance that needs permission, so check the streaming service's or broadcaster's terms and the performing rights organizations first.

Is there a genuinely free way to get hold music?

Some phone systems ship with their own default hold music at no extra cost. Microsoft's documentation for Microsoft Teams says its default Music on Hold is free of any royalties payable by your organization. Check whether your own phone system already includes a default before buying a track.

How do I check whether a license actually covers on-hold use?

Read the specific license that comes with the track, not just the marketplace's general terms, and look for words like telephone, on hold, or IVR. If it isn't mentioned, ask the seller or a performing rights organization such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC directly rather than assuming it's covered.

What's the difference between royalty-free and public domain music?

Royalty-free music is still under copyright and licensed to you under specific terms. Public domain music has no copyright at all, so there's no license to check, though genuinely public domain recordings are rare for recent music.

Sources