Custom Hold Music on Spruce: Upload and Configure Hold Music for Phone Numbers

Custom hold music in Spruce controls what callers hear while waiting on hold. Basic plan users can choose from preselected playlists, while Communicator plan users can upload custom audio files. This is ideal for branding or playing recorded announcements about practice hours and services. Hold music is managed per Spruce phone number via the web or desktop app. If you need to upgrade your plan, please do so using Spruce in a desktop web browser. Learn more.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Manage the Organization Default Playlist

All phone numbers across your organization will use the Organization Default Playlist by default. This is initially set to our Quiet Classical playlist, but administrators can update this playlist at any time. Updating your organization's default playlist will automatically change the hold music for all phone numbers using that playlist. Phone numbers using a different playlist will not be affected.

Follow these steps using Spruce on a desktop computer as an administrator to update the Organization Default Playlist:

1. Go to Settings > Phone System > Phone System Settings > Default Hold Music.
2. From here, you can listen to the playlist or select Edit to make changes.
3. Click the selection button next to Preselected Playlist and use the dropdown to choose which playlist you want. You can click the play button next to any song to listen to it.  
4. If you are on the Communicator plan, you can select the button next to Custom Playlist to upload your own hold music. Learn more about uploading custom audio.
5. Once you are finished, click the Save button to apply changes to your Organization Default Playlist. This will update the hold music for any phone number using this playlist.

Manage Hold Music for Your Spruce Phone Number

You can also customize hold music for individual phone numbers within your Spruce organization. If a teammate is set as the owner of a phone number, that teammate will be able to manage the hold music for their number. If a team is set as the owner of a phone number, everyone on the team will be able to manage the hold music for that number. 

Administrators can always manage the hold music for any phone number. Learn more about managing ownership of a phone number. 

Follow these steps using Spruce on a desktop computer to change the hold music for a Spruce phone number:

1. Go to Settings > Phone System > Phone Numbers > select the number you want to change the hold music for.
2. Scroll down to Advanced Call Handling and select Edit next to Hold Music.
3. By default, all phone numbers will be set to the Organization Default Playlist. This can only be edited by administrators. Learn more about updating this playlist.
4. Click the selection button next to Preselected Playlist and use the dropdown to choose which playlist you want. You can click the play button next to any song to listen to it.  
5. If you are on the Communicator plan, you can select the selection button next to Custom Playlist to upload your own hold music. Learn more about uploading custom audio.
6. Once you are finished, click the Save button to apply your custom hold music playlist to your phone number. 

Uploading Custom Hold Music Audio

While editing a custom hold music playlist, you can record or upload custom audio files. All audio files added to a hold music playlist will be saved under Settings > Audio Library. 

Follow these steps using Spruce on a desktop computer to upload custom hold music:

1. When editing the hold music for a Spruce number or your organization's default playlist, select Custom Playlist, then the Add Audio File button, and then use the Audio File dropdown to choose an existing recording or add a new one. 
2. If you’d like to upload a new audio file, select Add New Audio File, then Select Audio, and choose the file from your computer. You can upload audio files up to 100 MB in size. The accepted file types are .aac, .m4a, .mp3, .mp4, .ogg, .opus, .wav, and .webm.
3. If you’d like to record a new audio file directly from your computer, select Record Audio and press the red button to begin recording and the red stop button once you are finished. 
4. Give the audio file a name. You can also add an optional description.
5. Click Save to add your audio file to your custom hold music playlist.
6. You can add additional audio files by selecting the Add Audio File button again. 
7. If you add more than one audio file, you have the option to turn shuffle on or off. You can hover over a song and drag-and-drop the move icon to reorder the songs on your playlist. 

Hold Music FAQs

Can I upload my own hold music to Spruce?

Yes, on the Communicator plan. Basic plan users can select from preselected playlists; Communicator plan users can upload custom audio files for hold music in their organization settings. 

Where do I manage custom hold music in Spruce?

From the web or desktop app, go to Settings > Phone & SMS, select the phone number, and manage hold music for that line. Hold music is configured per phone number, not for the whole organization.

Can different Spruce phone numbers play different hold music?

Yes. Hold music is managed per phone number, so each line in your practice can have its own playlist or uploaded track.

How can I find and download audio files?

Any audio files you add to a custom hold music playlist will be saved in your Audio Library. Learn more about the Spruce Audio Library.

How does the shuffle option work?

When shuffle is turned on, the songs on your custom hold music playlist will play in a random order. When shuffle is turned off, songs will play in the order they are listed, starting from the top. You can also reorder the songs in your playlist using the steps above. 

How long can my custom playlist be?

You can add a maximum of 10 audio files to your custom hold music playlist. Any audio file you upload to Spruce can be up to 60 minutes long. 

What happens if the caller is on hold for longer than the length of my playlist?

If a caller is on hold longer than the total length of the playlist, it will automatically restart and continue looping until the call is picked back up. This ensures there is no silence during the hold time.

When creating a custom hold music playlist, can I upload any music I want?

You must have the legal right, including proper licensing, to use each audio file that you upload to Spruce for use as hold music, or for any other purpose. Using copyrighted material without permission may violate copyright law and is against the Spruce terms of service. For most hold-music purposes, we recommend purchasing and using royalty-free audio tracks or music that you've created or licensed specifically for business use.

Please note that this is not legal advice and is provided for general guidance only. Please consult with legal counsel to consider the specifics of your situation, and see the Spruce terms of service for more detail.