Since then, however, hold music’s ambitions have extended far beyond reassuring filler. Muzak, so synonymous with that filler, declined until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009. But in its place a host of companies have blossomed, suggesting that being put on hold is an opportunity not to be missed.
Among them is PHMG, born with a staff of two in Manchester in 1998, now with 32,000 clients in 54 countries and 680 staff. It offers not just hold music but what it calls a “complete caller experience”.
Doing this well, though, is not as easy as it sounds, according to Rob Wood, co-founder of Music Concierge, the 40-strong Hertfordshire based company which specialises in creating “sonic signatures” for hospitality and retail brands: “The most important thing to think about is ‘what is the objective of putting someone on hold?’. Usually there’s a call centre, and it has a certain capacity, so companies say we’re going to digitise and automate as much as possible. And we want that process to be as pleasant and non-stressful as possible for our customers.”
Not just any song will do. Far from it. Telephones deliver very low quality audio, through tinny speakers. Complex scores, or rich, layered orchestral music, can become harsh, scratchy, and indistinct – hence the prevalence of simple piano or electronic sounds.
Then there’s pace. “Ideally,” says Wood, “you want something fairly relaxed, to slow down, because people are stressed on hold. They don’t want to be on hold. They’re trying to get something done but they’re busy. So don’t overstimulate them.”
Classics of the genre include Opus No 1, composed in 1989 by schoolfriends Tim Carleton and Darrick Deel. It became Cisco’s hold music after Deel joined the IT giant, yet so perfectly do its simple electronic beats and melody exemplify hold music golden rules that it has since become celebrated far and wide.