Hold Music: An Institution No One Wants Around

You know how bad hold music can be. Maybe it's because you're waiting - sometimes in vain - just to talk to another human being about some problem you'd like to just have solved already. Maybe it's because the quality of the clips your ear gets blasted with sits somewhere between a water-damaged talking toy from your childhood and a mixtape of your older brother's from 20 years ago. Whatever it is, hold music is very often bad news for your sanity and musical taste.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the times you hear a song you like being mutilated. For 20 minutes.

Well, over on Neatorama, there's been a list compiled of some truly terrible hold music samples. Have a listen, but prepare to not enjoy them. Or at least, only enjoy them ironically, like aural trainwrecks.

I almost want to ask if there's some sort of cultural niche for hold music, like Muzak. But my kneejerk reaction is to say that there is not. Hold music doesn't really bring anything to the musical conversation. If you disagree, I'd love to hear a defense for it.

Until then, I'll be on the line, waiting.

Please kill me.