In 2012, the Audio Marketing Association (Europe) conducted a survey with the OHMA (On Hold Marketing Association in the US), into On Hold Messaging and its effectiveness as a marketing tool. 1555 clients responded from a broad range of industries.
For a more modern example of a bad choice of hold music, let’s take an example I have to endure on a regular basis, Month of Sundays by Passenger. At CD quality it’s got lots of interesting stuff going on, which you’d imagine might be ideal to distract someone from the fact they’re being kept on hold for ages. However, playing it over the phone it’s simply too busy. As soon as the brass and backing vocals kick in it just sounds yuck.

When you begin to consider what callers on hold should hear while they wait, be sure to focus on your callers and their needs. Think about: Why are they calling? What would keep them interested and even inspired? Remember, on hold messages shouldn’t be a hard sell, but rather a soft sell or conversation with people who have reached out to you, and are in an excellent position to make buying decisions based on what they hear while on hold.
Of course you’ll wait. You don’t have a choice. While you are waiting, take the opportunity to wrap your phone in strips of masking tape to give it the look of Eddie Van Halen’s famous “Frankenstrat” guitar.