Royalty Free On-hold Music
Having the right tracks to put your customers on hold is essential for both creating brand personality and shortening their wait-time while on the phone. Scroll down to learn every tip and trick on how to efficiently use Royalty Free On-hold music!
Intros & Outros
What is on hold music?
MOH or music on hold is a business decision to play recorded music for callers who have been placed on hold to fill the silence. Studies show that seventy percent of business calls go on hold, so the main point behind it is just to show that the line is still open, but of course, that is not all it does.
It was invented by accident when in 1962, Alfred Levy (inventor and entrepreneur) found a loose wire touching a metal truss in his factory. This wire was connected to the radio station next door and amplified the broadcast to the calls on hold. In 1966 he patented this invention, and music on hold was created.
Hold music gained popularity in the early 2000s, when cell phone customization started to grow and ringback tones were the main trend. People understood the power of choosing the song to play, how this affected the whole experience and showed your personality even before you picked up the phone. In 2004 the first US national carrier offered ringback tones and became a multibillion-dollar industry.
There are many proven benefits of playing on-hold music, it can increase the time a caller is online, prevent them from hanging up, reduce anxiety, and even influence their mood and attitude, just to name a few. I will mention the main benefits:
1. Music changes the perception of time.
Studies have shown that one of the main effects on the brain that comes when listening to music is the distortion of time, making it feel shorter or longer depending on the music chosen.
2. It creates your brand personality
Depending on the music you choose you can show the caller how the brand is, if it is super relaxed, serious, and fun, the genre and style can set different tones and portray the business personality even before you pick up. Imagine calling Mcdonald's and having to listen to a classical song while you are on hold, something would seem off, there would be a very big contradiction between what classical music evokes and the company's image. And the same would happen if when calling a funeral service the music on hold would be heavy metal. This brings us to the third point…
3. Music can influence mood
Research has shown that different styles, genres, volumes and tempos have different effects on humans. The right on-hold music can influence the attitude of the callers, help them relax, uplift their mood, make them more patient and make them feel generally better about the experience. We can't forget that nowadays waiting is annoying for everyone since we have become used to things happening in nanoseconds, if a website loads in more than 3 seconds we are out. The days of having to wait to make a call or connect to the internet with the weird noises in the background are over. So we should take into consideration that waiting is never a pleasant activity and that reducing stress and changing the mood is very important, which music has the power to do.
All the points mentioned above need to be taken into consideration when choosing the music, so it should match the brand personality, create the illusion that the time waiting is shorter and put the caller in the right mood. But there are some more elements to think about before choosing:
Match your audience to the music
It's not only about playing on-hold music that shows who you are as a brand, but also who your audience is. How old are they? What are their interests? What vibe do they have? Where are they from? This information will give you a clear direction on what mood, genre and style of music suit your audience more and makes them feel comfortable.Factor in the wait time
It is important to know the average time wait you will put your callers in. For example, if your callers will need to wait for a while, it is better to avoid genres such as rock or alternative which create the perception of a long time. But have in mind that even in short waiting periods on-hold music has great power, it can create a pleasant moment and prevent callers from boredom.Choose the right length and style of music.
This is key if you want to manage your caller's anxiety. Short tracks that repeat themselves over and over again will drive people crazy, and the same will happen with songs that have repetitive loops that go on and on. This can really make the caller feel irritated, more anxious, and feel that time is not passing.
And now we will explain the importance of the music being royalty free.
It is vital to take into consideration that using music that is not yours, or broadcast radio or Spotify music is illegal. Tracks have copyright and there is a need to pay the author to have the right to use them.
So we believe the best option is to get royalty free music, easy and simple. No PRO payments, no hidden fees, or copyright claims. Get a subscription and get access to our entire library.