Music on Hold: Licensing & Rights
Every hold-music track that EMAK Telecom provides on its platform is either in the public domain or licensed by EMAK Telecom for use as music on hold. If your phone system uses one of the EMAK tracks listed in this article, you don’t need a separate music-on-hold license for that music.
This coverage does not extend to audio you upload yourself. See Audio you upload below.
If a licensing agency (such as Entandem, SOCAN or Re:Sound) contacts you about the music on your phone line, you can send them this article or use the response template below.
Why you might be contacted
In Canada, businesses that play music to the public, including callers on hold, may need licenses for:
- The composition (the written music): managed by SOCAN for public performance.
- The sound recording (a specific performance of that music): managed by Re:Sound for performers and record labels.
Entandem is a joint venture of SOCAN and Re:Sound. It issues these licenses to businesses and regularly contacts restaurants, shops and offices to confirm that the music they use is covered.
A license is only needed when the music is still under copyright and its rights holders collect through these organizations. What that means for you depends on where your hold music comes from:
| Your hold music | License needed? |
|---|---|
| EMAK hold music | No. Every EMAK track is public domain or licensed by EMAK. |
| Audio you upload | Your responsibility. You need the rights to anything you upload. |
EMAK hold music
Unless you’ve asked us to change it, your system plays the EMAK default hold music, a set of four classical guitar recordings.
EMAK offers 15 hold-music options to every customer, all listed below. You can also upload your own audio instead.
To confirm your setting, or to change your hold music, contact our support team. We’ll tell you exactly which track plays on each of your extensions and phone numbers.
Every EMAK track is either in the public domain or licensed by EMAK Telecom for use as music on hold, so you don’t need a separate license to use it. Select a certificate to see the license for that track.
| Track | License | Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Default (four classical guitar recordings) | Public domain | Public-domain notice |
| Spanish Guitar | Public domain | Public-domain notice |
| Always Innovating | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2021‑09‑13) | Always Innovating certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Brazil Piano Night | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑12‑15) | Brazil Piano Night certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Brighter Daylight | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2023‑12‑14) | Brighter Daylight certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Candy Jazz | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2019‑10‑25) | Candy Jazz certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Creative Innovations | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑10‑13) | Creative Innovations certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Happy Farm Days | Melody Loops #27629989446 (since 2024‑06‑27) | Happy Farm Days certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Inspiration Of My Life | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑12‑18) | Inspiration Of My Life certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Mexican Mariachi Fiesta | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2021‑09‑01) | Mexican Mariachi Fiesta certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Minimalist Approach | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑10‑16) | Minimalist Approach certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Sail Away | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2023‑01‑24) | Sail Away certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Tropical Summer | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑06‑09) | Tropical Summer certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| You Want The Sun | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑10‑16) | You Want The Sun certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
| Your Inspiration | Melody Loops #33891549577 (since 2020‑08‑26) | Your Inspiration certificate (PDF, opens in a new tab) |
Dates are the original purchase dates. Each certificate opens the most recent copy of the license issued by Melody Loops, under the same license number.
If a licensing agency asks for details
Public-domain tracks
The Default option plays these four classical guitar recordings in shuffle; the Spanish Guitar option plays only the Albéniz Leyenda recording. They come from the standard FreeSWITCH hold-music package and were originally published by Musopen, a non-profit that records and releases classical music free of copyright.
| Track | Composer (died) | Performer | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 – I. Preludio | J.S. Bach (1750) | Gordon Rowland | Default |
| Preludio in E Major | Manuel M. Ponce (1948) | Jeff Carter | Default |
| Suite Española, Op. 47 – Leyenda | Isaac Albéniz (1909) | Gordon Rowland | Default, Spanish Guitar |
| Danza Española, Op. 37, H. 142 – XII. Arabesca | Enrique Granados (1916) | William Riley | Default |
- Compositions: All four composers died long before the Canadian copyright term would reach them. The compositions are in the public domain, so SOCAN has no performance right to collect on.
- Recordings: The performers and Musopen released these recordings under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal dedication, waiving all copyright and related rights, and marked them with the Public Domain Mark 1.0. Re:Sound has no recording right to collect on.
Source of rights statement: FreeSWITCH music package copyright notice:
https://github.com/traviscross/freeswitch-sounds/blob/master/debian/freeswitch-music-default.copyright.tmpl
Rights statement (from the FreeSWITCH package copyright notice):
Copyright: None (Public Domain). License: CC0 or Public Domain.
Works contributed to the public domain by the performers and published by MUSOPEN under the Public Domain Mark 1.0. The copyright holder “voluntarily elects to apply CC0 to the Work and publicly distribute the Work” under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal dedication, waiving all copyright and related rights.
Licensed tracks
EMAK Telecom bought commercial royalty-free licenses for the 13 other tracks from Melody Loops LP (melodyloops.com). Each license is issued by name to EMAK Telecom, explicitly allows use as “phone on hold”, and states that the music may be used “without paying additional fees or royalties to author.” The license term is 99 years from the date of purchase. Some current certificates also mention YouTube Content ID registration; that applies to online videos only and has no effect on telephone music on hold.
Full Melody Loops End User License Agreement: https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/
The music plays from EMAK’s hosted phone platform as part of the phone service EMAK provides. The audio files aren’t given, sold or transferred to customers. This matches the Melody Loops license, which lets EMAK use the music in its service but doesn’t allow redistributing the audio. For the same reason, customers shouldn’t ask for copies of these audio files to use elsewhere, such as on websites, in videos or on in-store speakers.
Audio you upload
EMAK customers can upload their own hold music and recordings in the EMAK Web App. EMAK’s licenses and public-domain status apply only to EMAK’s own tracks listed above. Audio you upload isn’t covered by EMAK in any way.
If you upload audio to use as hold music, you are responsible for having the rights to use it as music on hold. If a licensing agency contacts you about uploaded audio, you’ll need to show your own license, or get a music-on-hold license from Entandem.
Audio that’s generally fine to upload
- Recordings you made yourself of music you wrote yourself, or of public-domain music you performed yourself.
- Royalty-free music you bought, where the license explicitly lists “on hold,” “telephone” or “IVR” (phone menu) use and names your business as the licensee. Keep a copy of the license.
- Professionally produced hold messages from an on-hold production company, where the contract covers the music.
- Voice-only greetings and announcements with no music.
Audio that requires a license
- Commercial songs from CDs, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. Buying or streaming a song doesn’t give you the right to play it to callers.
- Radio or internet radio streams.
- Music from other phone systems (for example, the Cisco “Opus Number One” track). It’s licensed for use on that vendor’s equipment only.
- “Free” music from websites that can’t show a license allowing hold use.
Using commercial music
You can play commercial music on hold, but you need your own license for it. In Canada, start with Entandem (entandemlicensing.com), which issues music-on-hold licenses on behalf of SOCAN and Re:Sound. Tell them you want a music-on-hold license and how many phone lines you have. The fee is usually a modest yearly amount based on your number of lines.
Uploading a song to a phone system also makes a copy of it, which may need separate permission from the music publisher (through CMRRA) or the record label.
If your hold music comes from a background music service, ask them for written confirmation that their license covers telephone music on hold.
Note: EMAK Telecom is not a licensing agency and doesn’t provide legal advice. Confirm your specific requirements with Entandem.
The simplest option is to use one of EMAK’s own tracks listed above, which need no license.
Recommendations
- Keep a copy of the license for every track you upload, and note which track it covers.
- If you’re unsure about a track, use one of EMAK’s licensed tracks instead. It costs nothing extra and you’re covered.
- EMAK may remove or replace uploaded audio when there’s a credible rights complaint about it.
Note: EMAK Telecom doesn’t review, verify or license audio uploaded by customers and makes no claims about its rights status.
Response template for licensing inquiries
If Entandem, SOCAN or Re:Sound contacts you about the music on your phone line, you can send them the reply below. Fill in the bracketed fields and cc [email protected] so we can follow up with the agency if needed. If you aren’t sure which track you’re using, ask our support team first.
Subject: Re: Music on hold – [Your business name]
Hello [Name],
Thank you for reaching out regarding the music used on our business telephone line.
Our telephone service, including music on hold, is provided and hosted by EMAK Telecom. The music our callers hear on hold is provided by EMAK Telecom from its licensed hold-music library, not supplied by us.
Track(s) in use: [e.g. EMAK default hold music – four public-domain classical guitar recordings (Bach, Ponce, Albéniz, Granados)] / [e.g. EMAK “Spanish Guitar” – Albéniz, Leyenda (public domain)] / [e.g. “Sail Away” by AG Music, Melody Loops license #33891549577]
Rights status:
– [For Default or Spanish Guitar] The compositions are in the public domain, and the recordings were released by Musopen under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 dedication and Public Domain Mark 1.0. No composition or sound-recording rights apply.
– [For Melody Loops tracks] The track is licensed to EMAK Telecom by Melody Loops LP under a royalty-free license that explicitly permits use as “phone on hold” without additional fees or royalties.Full documentation, including the full track list and copies of the license certificates, is available here: https://emak.tech/support/music-on-hold-licensing/
As the music on our line is either public domain or licensed through our provider for this use, we understand that no additional music-on-hold license is required. If you need further information, please contact EMAK Telecom directly at [email protected], cc’d on this email.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Business name]
[Phone]
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pay SOCAN, Re:Sound or Entandem for EMAK’s hold music?
Not for EMAK’s own tracks listed above. The Default and Spanish Guitar options are public domain, and the Melody Loops tracks are licensed to EMAK for hold use without royalties.
Does this cover the background music in my store or restaurant?
No. This article covers music on hold played through your EMAK phone system only. Background music on your premises is licensed separately, usually through your background music provider or directly with Entandem.
Can I download EMAK’s hold music for my website, videos or in-store speakers?
No. EMAK’s Melody Loops licenses cover use on the EMAK phone platform only and don’t allow redistribution.
Can I request a different EMAK track?
Yes. Contact our support team and choose any of EMAK’s tracks listed above. You can hear each one in our Music on Hold Samples article.
I uploaded my own music. Is it covered?
No. See Audio you upload.