Telephone On Hold Music & Liciencing

MotteDai

Hi guys

i think im in the right place,
We've just put in our new (secondhand) phone system, about 7 phones 4 users and 3 lines into the business.
I always prefer 'On Hold' tunes to be something more than deplorable .. doung de dung, dung dun ... in that 80's tetritris feel.. I like the radio plug in idea and playing some contempory music maybe.. however I have heard there could be licencing issues then?
- Can someone confirm this? Im pretty sure but even for the radio?
- What about playing some classical non copyrighted music?
- If there is a licience how much is it? minmanal (tens) or large (hundreds)?

Id appreciate anyone whose done similar to give me some adive?

MadsL

You need a licence from IMRO, yep even for the radio.

How Much Does An IMRO Licence Cost?
The level of royalties due is directly related to the level of music usage within the workplace taking into account the number of employees, televisions/videos and telephone lines etc. Thus smaller companies will typically be paying less than larger organisations but for as little as a few cents a day you can select from millions of musical works to enhance the way in which your business operates.

http://www.imro.ie/node/782

Playing the radio is a nightmare as you dont want your customers listening to other companies ads - especially not your competitors.

The music on hold adds about 30 sec to how long people will wait. A much better idea is information on hold where you talk to your customers "Did you know we are Ireland's oldest widget company" or "Ask your representive about our special offer"

A good friend of mine runs a business that offers and end to end service for information on hold (and he's good at this!) if you want to send me a PM I'll send you his number, or his website is www.silvertungmedia.com

He also can provide you with royalty-free music if you just want music and dont want to pay IMRO.

MotteDai

Cheers, thanks a million. Thats exactly what i was looking for. I had a look at what they do and they look like what we need so I'll get someone to give them a call.

antoinolachtnai

I know the company mentioned above and they are very good. Say I sent ya! The principal has a lot of experience in the world of radio and music.