Go on, get your elevator music jokes out. We’ll wait (and chuckle). We’ve all poked fun at Muzak, but the importance of hold music and its multifaceted nature may surprise you. The main point behind call waiting music is to signal that the line is still open, but that’s not all it does. You can increase retention, reduce churn, and even influence your caller’s attitude with music.
Different types of music elicit different reactions in the human brain. Make sure you pick the right one for your business.
Music on Hold’s Accidental Origin
In 1962, inventor and entrepreneur Alfred Levy found a loose wire touching a metal girder at his factory. It amplified the broadcast signal from the radio station next door and transmitted the audio through the loose wire to calls on hold. Four years later he patented his work, and music on hold (MOH) was born.
Hold music gained mainstream popularity in the early aughts. As cell phone customization became more of a focus, ringback tones gained popularity. People carefully chose the song to play in lieu of ringtones for incoming calls. It was a chance to control the call experience and showcase your personality before you even said hello. By the time the first US national carrier offered ringback tones in 2004, it was a multibillion-dollar industry.
Business Benefits of Music on Hold
People don’t like going on hold, but you knew that. Think back a couple of decades to the dial-up era. You probably remember the time it took for AOL to connect—and the sounds that went with it. Now, a web page that takes more than a few seconds to load is inexcusable.
A music stream keeps your callers distracted from the wait, although it should not be considered a fix for long call queue times. And there are several other ways music shapes how customers perceive your business:
1. Reduces hang-ups and abandonment
Silence creates uncertainty. Callers are more likely to stay on the line when they hear music or messaging confirming they’re still connected.
2. Improves perceived wait time
The right audio can make waits feel shorter. Engaging music or informative messages give callers something to focus on, reducing frustration.
3. Reinforces your brand identity
Every touchpoint matters, including hold time. Music style, tone, and messaging all contribute to how your brand is perceived.
4. Creates marketing opportunities
Consider using this hold time, where you have your callers’ attention, to share information on your products or services, seasonal promotions, and FAQs or helpful tips.
5. Enhances professionalism
Dead air or poor-quality audio can feel broken or outdated. A polished hold experience signals that your business is attentive and up to date.
6. Sets expectations and reduces confusion
Informative messages (e.g., “Your call will be answered shortly”) reassures callers and prevents repeated hang-ups and redials.
Music Influences Mood—Certainly in Business Calling
Let’s drop some jargon: Caller retention. Customer satisfaction. Reducing churn. If you care about any of these, hold music should matter to you. Music affects mood. It can even have an effect on purchasing and decision-making behavior.
No one calls customer support to chit chat. They call because they have a problem and are likely irritated enough to get on the phone and ask about it. Odds are they’re not alone, so there’s a bit of a wait before your team can answer. If you were answering support calls, what would you want your frustrated customer listening to in the moments before you pick up?
The same goes with sales: You want your caller to be excited about talking to you.
You might be thinking, “Great, thanks for the info, I’ll go pick something neutral, like classical, or upbeat, like pop.” Slow your roll—there’s a lot more to this than just genre.
A phone line isn’t a state-of-the-art speaker system; its primary function is to make sure the call is connected. Volume changes, frequency, and distortion are all elements to consider when choosing music for call waiting.
The way we approach musical genres today is much more fluid, from both the musician and the listener’s perspectives. Thanks to the age of MP3 players and streaming services, we can group music by other metrics than language and style or what’s popular in our specific region.
Curation by context is the game of late. We choose music by our mood, by our activity, and by our audience. Spotify lets you browse by mood and events, showcasing playlists that cross multiple genres because music can’t be sorted into individual boxes.
Why wouldn’t you give the same attention to the tool that keeps your callers on the line?
How to Choose On Hold Music for Your Business
Picking the appropriate hold music is crucial. After all, there’s a reason elevator music is a running joke. We know that waiting is annoying and that music influences mood. Don’t just queue up some Mozart and call it a day; do strategize your musical picks.
1. Consider Genre
So how do you choose the right audio stream? Start with what’s appropriate for your business. A funeral home wouldn’t blast the Bee Gees. A sports arena isn’t going to stream some easy listening to the fans. Know your audience, understand their mind space, and pick your music accordingly.
Generic pop songs perform better than those with prosocial lyrics or instrumental music. It turns out people calling in with grievances don’t want to hear songs about helping the world, and stereotypical elevator music triggers anger when on hold for extended periods.
What sort of genre, tempo, or rhythm best exemplifies your brand? Lyrics or instrumental? Heavy bass or soft tones? Like ringback tones, this music is your caller’s introduction to your company. Make sure it’s on brand. A law firm probably doesn’t want the latest dance floor bass drop. A music agency, on the other hand, might want to feature some of their top artists and latest hits. Don’t take this to mean that traditionally serious industries can’t flex their personality—just acknowledge what’s appropriate in your domain.
2. Factor in Wait Time
You also need to factor in your average call hold time. If you know your callers will be listening for a while, choose something other than rock or alternative, which creates the perception of longer wait times.
Even if your wait time is short, don’t discount the power of hold music. OnSIP’s average wait time averaged 18 seconds last month, which is just long enough for the caller to notice that the instrumental music is pleasant, with enough character to prevent boredom, before our team picks up. When that’s the last thought in your caller’s head before speaking with your business, it’s likely to be a more pleasant conversation than it might have been otherwise.
3. Think About Quality
Finally, take into account the reduction in quality that goes hand in hand with music over the phone. The audio quality is worse than that from a CD. Yes, we just said CD. The public telephone network wasn’t built with HD voice in mind. Thankfully for OnSIP customers, we provide HD radio for VoIP music on hold. That said, your company might have top of the line audio quality, but if clients call in from an old landline or cell, they might hear some distortion.
The best music for this calling feature has few instruments and preferably only one. Simple music handles the change in quality better than a full orchestra arrangement. The latter gets distorted, particularly if it’s too loud for the phone to handle and clipping happens. No one wants to hear a dirge-like cacophony masquerading as “Pachelbel’s Canon in D.”
Music on Hold Best Practices
Use this checklist to make sure your call waiting music enhances the caller experience:
1. Match your brand personality
Your hold music should reflect your business. A law firm might choose calm, neutral tones, while a creative agency might opt for something more upbeat.
2. Avoid overly repetitive loops
Short tracks that repeat every 30–60 seconds can frustrate callers. Aim for longer loops or rotating playlists to reduce fatigue.
3. Balance volume levels
Music that’s too loud feels jarring; too quiet sounds broken. Ensure consistent, comfortable volume across all tracks.
4. Use licensed or royalty-free music
Don’t stream commercial music without proper rights. Use licensed, royalty-free, or original audio to avoid legal risk.
5. Consider adding voice messages
Break up music with brief business announcements—like business hours, promotions, or helpful tips—to keep callers engaged.
6. Optimize for average hold time
Review your VoIP phone system data. If your average hold time is 2 minutes, design your audio experience around that window with natural transitions.
7. Refresh content periodically
Even great music becomes stale over time. Rotate tracks to keep the experience feeling intentional.
How Often Should You Update Your Hold Music?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here’s how to thoughtfully consider how often and when you should refresh your hold audio streams:
Update based on call volume and exposure
- High call volume (support teams, call centers): refresh every 1–3 months
- Moderate volume: every 3–6 months
- Low volume: every 6–12 months may be sufficient
Frequent callers will notice repetition faster, so higher-volume environments need regular updates.
Refresh when your business changes
Your hold audio should always reflect current information so update your hold experience when you:
- Launch new products or services
- Run promotions or campaigns
- Change hours or policies
Watch for “listener fatigue” signals
If customers mention:
- Repetitive music
- Annoying loops
- Long-feeling wait times
…it’s a sign your audio streams need a refresh.
Use seasonal or rotating content
Consider rotating in holiday messaging, seasonal promotions, and different music styles. Doing so keeps the call feeling fresh without requiring a full overhaul each time.
OnSIP and Music on Hold: Play Anything!
OnSIP’s standard music on hold allows you to choose from three free channels: Jazz, Classical, and Elevator. If these sources aren’t the vibe you’re looking for, subscribe to our enhanced service. With this enabled, you have access to thousands of online radio stations.
If you still can’t find the right hold music or are lost among all the possibilities, you can create your own radio station that streams any music you’d like to your callers or upload your own MP3 files.
OnSIP’s enhanced MOH allows each user to select their own audio stream, so each caller gets different tunes depending on who put them on hold or which menu they came in through. (You can even change your waiting music for the holidays or for a special event!) Check out our Knowledgebase to review our music on hold options, as well as the specifics for setting up custom music.