Hold Music Rocks at InterCall June 3, 2009 @ 09:07 AM | By Cambria Vaccaro

Do you and your significant other have a special song? Is there something on your MP3 player that makes you push through those last five minutes on the treadmill? Music has a way of altering our moods and getting us through tough spots. That is why we have created the InterCall Lounge, which treats conferencing participants to songs from rising artists at leading labels.

Instead of standard hold music that makes you feel like you’re in a crowded elevator, we’ve got a variety of new songs to get you ready for your next meeting. If you like what you hear, you can download the song, and five other featured songs, free of charge.

Musical headliners include artists from top labels like Sony, EMI and Universal who will treat customers to a mix of musical stylings—from folk to pop to country. The early line-up includes Neko Case, Greg Laswell, Dave Mason, The Alternate Routes, Booker T (with Neil Young) and Trevor Gordon Hall. Each month, we’ll feature new music from six different artists.

So, for those of you who have been vocal about our hold music, we hear you loud and clear!  Now, we want to hear your feedback on the new tunes. Love it? Hate it? Use the comments section below and let us know.

Cambria Vaccaro is the Senior Director, Marketing Communications and our “Industry News” blogger.  Cambria has been in the conferencing industry for nearly fifteen years, and has seen it evolve from a traditional video bridging service to include cool web features and remote communication services.  She is an avid runner, cook, wife and mother of two gorgeous girls.

Comments

[Ian Sohn]

How many times have I sat on hold listening to awful muzak before a telco - more than I care to remember. This brings a huge smile to my face - it's such a fun and interesting initiative, and I can't wait to get on a call soon and hear some real music for a change.

Somewhat related ... I have a background in the music business and recently wrote a blog post about brands working with bands. It's a bit off topic, but my lessons at the end of the post are pretty relevant for a company, like yours, getting into the music arena. Here's a link: http://tinyurl.com/ne4yqg

[Michelle]

The music is better, but we still get a muzaky version which isn't bad. The problem is that it's a real sticky song and I'm trying to find out what it is and can't find it in your lounge.

[Cynthia McGowan]

heard some piano music Mar 25/11 that was really great, could not find it in your lounge, possibly volume 1-3 as only 4 is downloadable now. Like to find the artist.

[Jill Huselton]

You can contact our customer service department and they can find out what is playing on your conferencing bridge. In the U.S. call 800.374.2441 or in Canada call 877.333.2666.

[John]

I like the new stuff, but have to agree with the other commenter: Too MUZAK like. We need original tunes. Also, it seems that there are only 2 or 3 tunes that loop. So, more tunes, and use the original stuff.

Thanks for improving things, and wanting to improve still more. :-)

[Jill Huselton]

John, you might want to check with our customer service department to see if your company has signed up for InterCall Lounge as your hold music. You can hear what's playing now at http://lounge.intercall.com. They are all original songs from up and coming artists, so hopefully that is more in line with what you want to hear.

If you aren't on InterCall Lounge, just talk to your company's conferening admistrator. She can contact us to make the switch.

[Eytan]

The music is fine, but hasn't changed in what seems like years. As another poster said, there are only 2 or 3 songs that play over and over again. It's time to change the lineup and expand it significantly. Or perhaps let people choose what they want as their lineup?

[Jill Huselton]

We are actually getting ready to roll out new songs from the InterCall Lounge, so hopefully you are signed up for that and will hear the new selections soon. If you aren't on the InterCall Lounge, contact customer service and they can set your account up with it.

Also, you can submit your suggestions for the InterCall Lounge at http://lounge.intercall.com.

[Dustin]

Please give call-in users the option to disable this music. (perhaps some key-combo when waiting for a conference to start) -- I find the music nothing but low-quality and annoying. It's clear to me that this is just an attempt at another revenue stream. I do NOT want to be sold music while I wait. Thank you.

[Jill Huselton]

Great idea about allowing participants to turn the hold music on/off. I will submit that to our development team. Today, call leaders can choose to have the InterCall Lounge or standard hold music. You only need to contact customer service to make your request. Just so you know, downloads for the music on the InterCall Lounge are free.

[Dee]

For the love of god, please PLEASE tell me there is a way to turn off the infernal music! After hearing it many times every day for months and months, I'm ready to drive a rusty spike through my head (or yours). It's absolute torture. Make it stop. Please. If not, someone should lock you in a small, dark room, strap your hands to the chair, and force you to listen to that miserable, insipid crap for 24 hours a day until your ears bleed.

[Carla Solom]

Definitely don't want to torture you :) You can contact our customer service department and they can assist with any concerns/questions about how to turn the hold music on/off. In the U.S. call 800.374.2441 or in Canada call 877.333.2666.

[dave]

Please, make it stop.
Your Dev team should be forced to listen to that inane Static Waves song nonstop until they figure out a way to let your captive audience skip/turn the damned thing off.

[Carla Solomon]

We've heard your feedback, and coming soon is the ability for every person (regardless if leader or participant) to turn their music OFF via a simple command! Stay Tuned..

[Durin Gleaves]

Thank you!! I am going insane having to listen to the same two songs every time I'm waiting for a conference to start!