Whether it’s music, marketing messages, or a combination of both, the recording should be long enough so it doesn’t loop back to where they started when they were first put on hold. If you don’t typically have long wait times, this should be no problem. If calls get stacked up sometimes, you’ll want to make sure that the recording is at least as long as your typical wait time on a busy day.
"Messages on hold are often one of the most painful of customer ordeals. But when done right by Scott Greggory and crew with actual humor, it takes a customer hassle and elevates it to a customer experience you tell others about. Click through to check out a couple samples. They're addictive, and brilliant marketing." - Bill Cusick / Author & Customer Experience Expert

As you begin your search for an on hold messages service provider, you’ll find many companies advertising that they can do the job for you. But, you don’t want just any company, nor do you want the same ho-hum, boring hold-music heard at most businesses, because boring is something your business can’t afford to be. You want a provider that adds real value to your bottom line, you want an on hold company that’s responsive to your needs, has a proven track record, and finally, you want a provider that makes the process easy, so you don’t have to!
Regrettably for my purpose, the software requires that you add a "message on hold", which makes perfect sense for this devices intended purpose, if not for my own use. But I worked around the problem by recording a second of silence and then adjusted the software the effectively play only my cheesy elevator music.