This morning I was on hold for 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 22 seconds. I have a few questions for you. My answers are at the bottom.

1. If the hold music loop takes 30.5 seconds, how many times did I listen to the music repeat before I spoke to a human being?
2. The music featured a soprano saxophone. Is there any instrument you would like listening to for over 1.5 hours, repeatedly?
3. Is there any music (genre, song, etc.) that you could listen to over and over again for X times (refer to #1 above)?
4. When was the last time you heard hold music you found agreeable?

Toby’s Answers:

1. 1:39:22 = 5962 seconds
   5962 divided by 30.5 = 195.5
   
   Therefore, I heard the same music loop repeated 195.5 times.

2. Even the most agreeable sounding instrument will grate on my nerves if repeated 195 times with no change in melody, dynamics, or tone.
3. My most favorite melody or song will grate on my nerves if repeated 195 times.
4. Never. The closest was a kind of radio show where songs were rotated through. But that experience was ruined by frequent interruptions either telling me “your call is important to us” and/or advertisements for goods or services. Give me good music, or give me silence!

The ReplyAll podcast had an early episode where they claimed to find the “Best Hold Music in the World”. Here’s the podcast:
ReplyAll #6 This Proves Everything + The Best Hold Music in the World

Oh, and the music is “Simplicity” by Macroform.