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protect the copyright owners from unlawful, unpermitted use of their music titles in over-the-phone broadcast. Any person or business wishing to use current, popular, post 1900–1910, copyrighted music for MOH purposes may only lawfully do so by obtaining permission from the owner. Currently, performance rights societies such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC will sell blanket permission to use music titles in their catalog for MOH purposes. for an express annual fee, calculated by size and frequency of usage. Failure to obtain this paid permission is a violation of US copyright laws.
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telephonic MOH. The broadcaster may not promote such unlawful use and is not an owner who has any lawful right to grant MOH usage permission. They do not hold the ownership of the title and have no right to license use in any way. Those who plug radio broadcast into their telephone MOH without first obtaining paid permission through the owner's agents (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) may be in violation of copyright law and may be prosecuted under existing federal laws.
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radio station next door would transmit through the loose wire, and could be heard when calls were put on hold. Levy patented his work in 1966. While other advancements have come to change and enhance the technology, it was this initial patent creation that began the evolution for today's music on hold.
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MOH listeners could hear this music unless it was recorded, providing a delivery medium whereby the "music" becomes a "performance". As mentioned elsewhere, in countries such as the US, where said copyright laws are enforced, nearly every recording of a song title holds its own "mechanical copyright".
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Therefore, persons or businesses wishing to play music that falls "in the public domain" are still legally required to obtain permission to use the mechanical recording of this music, from the mechanical copyright holder. Where the use is of copyrighted music, the same applies. In all cases, before a
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For most of the 20th century, music was recorded in studios, produced by record company executives, producers, arrangers, and engineers who were hired to deliver the artist's finished recordings for mastering and duplication, for sale on various types of media: 78, 45, and 33 RPM vinyl; reel-to-reel;
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Among the best known due to its default presence on Cisco CallManager is "Opus Number One" by Tim
Carleton and high-school friend Darrick Deel, who recorded it on a four-track tape recorder in 1989. In a YouTube video, Tim mentioned the following on how he created the sound and why the stereo version
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format is used. In
Microsoft Teams Phone, as of June of 2024, streaming music on hold allows you to use a supported streaming service to play music to callers. The streaming partner gives you a URL to add to your TeamsCallingPolicy that is then used to play music. You can configure streaming Music on
655:
A second copyright exists when it comes to licensing use for telephonic MOH. A piece of music, as mentioned above, is copyrighted and may be licensed for use as a music title and is understood to be a combination of melody, harmony, and, where applicable, lyrics. However, neither radio listeners nor
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Music on hold was created by Alfred Levy, an inventor, factory owner, and entrepreneur. In 1962, Levy discovered a problem with the phone lines at his factory: a loose wire was touching a metal girder on the building. This made the building a giant receiver, so that the audio broadcast signal from a
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This same copyright protection is also true in the rebroadcast of any radio program. As mentioned earlier, the broadcaster has been assigned a narrow and specific usage license to air copyrighted song titles. This does not include permission to any person or business to re-broadcast that program on
364:
Commercial CDs eliminate the problems encountered with radio commercials, and they offer control over the selection of music; they do not, however, grant proper license for MOH use unless users first obtain permission from the song title copyright owner (when the song is not in the "public domain")
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The style of music played by MOH systems depends largely on the type of business offering the service. It is generally best to present music that will not be offensive to the audience, but that would also be of particular interest to the typical caller. A western apparel store may choose to play
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Radio stations typically do not license their music for MOH systems. In the United States, the radio broadcaster has no legal right to provide such a license as they, themselves, obtain a usage license from the music title owner for the right to broadcast said music for limited and personal use.
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All music written after this period, which is copyrighted under multiple acts of congress, is owned by the author(s) or their assignees. The use of this music is protected and controlled so that the owner may derive usage income. Specific to telephonic MOH (music-on-hold), the US laws currently
639:". Use of any said music prior to the creation of these copyright laws may be presumed to be free for use by all, although individual titles may have been later copyrighted through a change in the composition or arrangement. The use of copyrighted music is not for free use in the public domain.
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Newer technology allows MP3 files to be downloaded automatically from the internet so that messages (or interesting content in the form of news and weather, among many) can be changed daily. The new "online on hold" technology makes the older technology redundant since it requires no additional
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The reason was that I used an Alesis
Midiverb II or III, specifically the 3 tap pan, to hide the fact that I was playing this live on a DX7IIFD and the notes would either cut off when I'd play unison patches and run out of polyphony or when I'd change patches. Solution: Plug it in mono to the
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CDs (or other MOH formats, such as MP3 files) can be custom-created to suit the particular needs of a business. The announcements can be scripted to emphasize particular attributes of the business such as location, store hours, or special promotions or services. These are typically used for
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As of 2010, the music-on-hold/message-on-hold business was a 100+ million dollar industry with more than 300 different vendors to choose from producing custom content amounting to less than $ 1m in sales per company—including various manufacturers of specific-duty, message-on-hold devices.
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With the application of newer equipment, MoH devices can now interact with the caller. No additional programs are required on the platform, as all the logic is done with the MoH device. This can include services such as 'polling on hold', rating customer service officer anonymously, etc.
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are practiced, authors are granted copyright protection on their musical compositions. Such copyright protection has existed since just after the turn of the 20th century, and most music written before 1900–1910 from impressionism back to baroque and antiquity is said to be "in the
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Most radio stations (excluding those that are part of non-commercial educational radio networks) will play commercials, which may be offensive or annoying to the caller. Furthermore, it is possible that a competitor's commercial may be played, which would be counter-productive (see
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A CNN survey found that 70 percent of callers in the United States who hold the line in silence hang up within 60 seconds. Meanwhile, research by North
American Telecom found callers hearing music on hold will stay on the line 30 seconds longer than callers experiencing silence.
686:. They used the Capitol Records-owned recording of the Beatles' performance, but failed to obtain and pay for permission and use. Capitol Records sued and prevailed because Nike only had a license to use the title and did not have a license to use the mechanical recording.
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It is generally known within the on-hold industry that some performance rights societies, with regional offices and staff, both monitor and prosecute persons and businesses that infringe on the copyright of title holders in their libraries.
326:, there is no control over the specific songs that are played, some of which may be offensive to the callers, or depending on the music played, sound harsh in monaural sound. This kind of system is also vulnerable to interference.
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Programs available to non-profit organizations at no cost. Very few companies offer absolutely free programs. The programs are available in generic and custom formats, and are delivered at no cost to the requesting organization.
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with messages such as "Your call is important" or "Please stay on the line". Such off-the-shelf recordings may be generic or may be specific to individual industries, but will not be customized for individual companies.
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The musical source may be as simple as playing a local radio station through the MOH jack. This is unlawful without the express permission of the music title and mechanical copyright holders, or their representatives.
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8-track tape; cassette; and compact disc. To protect their investment, the record companies obtain a mechanical copyright in order to protect and control the recording with which they derive usage and sales income.
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based remote load units connect via the network to a remote IP address. Phone line based remote load systems allow for a connection via an analog telephone line and dialing the number belonging to the unit. For
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song title may be broadcast on a telephone MOH, said use must be approved and licensed from BOTH the "song title" copyright owner (if it is not in public domain) and the "mechanical" copyright owner.
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are both aggressive about this, from time to time. It is not known whether any record companies are currently or actively monitoring and prosecuting violators of their mechanical license.
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on the telephone equipment labeled "MOH". There are also some units with built-in message on hold capabilities and units designed for small businesses without an extensive phone system.
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optimized for spoken voice transmissions, which dramatically reduces the necessary bandwidth at the expense of making any non-spoken content, such as music on hold, sound distorted.
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Streaming MOH refers to a live music on hold stream (URL-based delivery) which can also include custom content. Streaming MOH can also refer to a streaming media server, as with
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A number of studies have been conducted, which highlight consumer perceptions of music on hold, reinforcing its use by businesses to improve standards of call handling.
968:"Cisco Unified Communications SRND Based on Cisco Unified CallManager 4.x – Music on Hold [Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CallManager)] – Cisco Systems"
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revealed 70% of consumers are put on hold for more than 50% of their calls. When put on hold, 73% of callers want to hear something other than beeps or silence.
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Owners of radio stations will usually air their broadcast signal as music on hold, using their main program signal, if there are several. Examples include
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A program loaded onto an existing computer and connected to the phone system can allow automatic content updates interspersed with company information.
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Re-broadcasting of a radio program over a phone system calls for licensing and copyright arrangements to be made for the owner of the MOH system.
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536:. When a need for default on hold music came up, he recalled the track he and Carleton had recorded and reached out to Carleton for approval.
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CDs are available that have been specifically recorded and licensed for MOH systems. These may contain only music, or may include periodic
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up-selling and cross-selling callers. Companies can either record the messages themselves, or hire a music on hold production company.
201:) is the business practice of playing recorded music to fill the silence that would be heard by telephone callers who have been placed
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tape players. In each case, the unit loads the media into a digital memory chip to prevent premature wearing of the mechanical parts.
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The trend toward hosted IP telephony for business phone systems is demanding changes in music on hold message technology.
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units allow an MP3 file to be received electronically, downloaded to a flash drive and connected to the player.
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As of 2011, technology allows productions to be downloaded or streamed via the
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Music on hold is sometimes referred to as phone on hold, message on hold, on hold messaging, or hold music.
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For those still uncertain of the difference between "song title" and "mechanical" copyrights, consider the
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1182:"Miles Teller and Wife Keleigh Give a 'Sneak Peek' at Their Home Life in Bud Light's Super Bowl Ad"
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Today, equipment that supports physical media usually plays CDs. Some older systems may still use
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Most MOH systems are integrated into a telephone system designed for businesses via an
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Through a reputable on hold company be fully licensed and legal for on hold playback
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A survey of more than 2,000 UK consumers commissioned by audio branding specialist
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hardware. All these systems allow analog-to-digital audio storage and playback.
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midiverb on one side, R8 on the other side, stereo into the tascam, and go.
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and the mechanical copyright owner, or bodies that represent them, such as
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597: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
205:. It is especially common in situations involving customer service.
1031:"Cisco Default Hold Music – [HQ Mono Audio] – Opus Number 1"
902:"Seventy per cent of consumers put on hold for longer than a minute"
484:. An athletic ticket office may choose to play the team or school's
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1122:"What Was The Song From The Miles Teller Bud Light Super Bowl Ad?"
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Hold if you have a subscription with a supported partner, such as
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Control length of programming based on average caller hold-time
1096:"Bud Light Dances Into Big Game With Miles and Keleigh Teller"
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Reduce hang-ups and make the business look more professional
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In general, custom music on hold allows an organisation to:
1180:
Caplan, Anna
Lazarus; Calderone, Ana (February 12, 2023).
1073:"The Story Behind the Song You'll Definitely Recognize"
464:"Opus Number One" redirects here. For other uses, see
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phone systems, MP3s are loaded without any equipment.
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Equipment that supports virtual media generally plays
476:. A Christian book store may choose to play popular
1167:"Everything You Need To Know About Music Licensing"
122:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
404:Use the on hold time to sell to a captive audience
876:"Google Patent for Telephone Hold Program System"
674:in 1987. Nike legally obtained permission to use
322:Although radio stations may provide the desired
247:files. Several types of units play these files.
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8:
539:The hold music was later featured in a 2023
1015:: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
732:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
377:Stock MOH CDs (with or without voice-overs)
373:. (See "Radio," above, for more details.)
752:Learn how and when to remove this message
613:Learn how and when to remove this message
182:Learn how and when to remove this message
80:Learn how and when to remove this message
236:(sometimes employing endless-loops), or
43:This article includes a list of general
904:. freshbusinessthinking.com. 2012-06-30
845:
1094:Gianatasio, David (February 2, 2023).
1008:
855:"Smithsonian recognizes Music on Hold"
1120:Williams, Aaron (February 13, 2023).
630:In the US, and other countries where
7:
1071:Gunasena, Nadee (February 3, 2014).
946:"The Importance of On-Hold Messages"
730:adding citations to reliable sources
595:adding citations to reliable sources
438:Unified Call Manager, in which case
120:adding citations to reliable sources
1146:Wheeler, Tom (November 19, 2013).
668:lawsuit for copyright infringement
480:. A university may choose to play
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49:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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1148:"The IP Transition: Starting Now"
993:"Music on Hold - Microsoft Teams"
926:. smallbusiness.co.uk. 2012-06-29
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532:in building the company's first
500:are common choices, as is fully
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1048:Glass, Ira (January 14, 2014).
924:"Customers perennially on hold"
582:needs additional citations for
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107:needs additional citations for
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857:. CallsonHold.com. 2005-01-01
543:commercial that aired during
878:. 2013-07-06. Archived from
828:commercial aired during the
354:Off-the-shelf commercial CDs
27:Telephone business practice
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682:" from the title's owner,
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528:Deel went on to work for
991:mkbond007 (2024-06-27).
832:telecast in 2023, actor
360:Commercial off-the-shelf
508:Cisco's Opus Number One
64:more precise citations.
1169:. Sound Communication.
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350:as the on-hold music.
1050:"Stuck in the Middle"
1037:. September 23, 2019.
451:Free on-hold programs
221:Equipment and formats
1052:. This American Life
726:improve this section
651:Mechanical copyright
591:improve this article
289:Consumer perceptions
116:improve this article
997:learn.microsoft.com
948:. Houston Chronicle
401:Control music genre
390:Custom-designed MOH
346:from Iceland using
820:In popular culture
513:is not very good:
488:. Light classics,
276:wireless telephony
804:Muzak Corporation
794:Notable companies
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880:the original
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834:Miles Teller
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678:song title "
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603:October 2021
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584:verification
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952:14 February
694:Enforcement
676:the Beatles
502:synthesized
490:smooth jazz
383:voice-overs
212:Development
62:introducing
1209:Categories
1077:Cisco Blog
1056:23 January
1002:2024-08-07
977:2016-01-15
930:2012-07-03
908:2012-07-03
886:2024-08-07
861:2012-07-03
840:References
680:Revolution
534:VoIP phone
494:bossa nova
486:fight song
278:relies on
227:audio jack
142:newspapers
45:references
18:Hold music
1131:April 16,
1105:April 18,
826:Bud Light
713:does not
541:Bud Light
1152:FCC Blog
1011:cite web
742:May 2020
670:against
521:—
466:Opus One
253:Ethernet
1035:YouTube
921:Article
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734:removed
719:sources
274:Modern
203:on hold
156:scholar
58:improve
1187:People
1126:UPROXX
777:Genres
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824:In a
767:ASCAP
530:Cisco
436:Cisco
371:ASCAP
348:Rás 1
313:Radio
280:lossy
163:JSTOR
149:books
1195:2023
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1107:2023
1058:2014
1017:link
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496:and
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