Comprehensive Guide 2026: Telephone Hold Music

Rights SACEM and SCPA for telephone hold music

Playing commercial music on a telephone hold line triggers two separate obligations: SACEM and SCPA. This guide explains who has to pay what, the official 2026 rates, the five most common pitfalls, the reporting procedure and the three legal ways to avoid paying anything.

What is SACEM? What is SCPA?

SACEM

Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers

Founded in 1850, SACEM is a private-law company responsible for collect and distribute copyright royalties musical works. It represents authors, composers and publishers: those who have written the lyrics and composed the music.

Whenever a work from its repertoire is broadcast in a professional context – including as hold music – its use triggers an annual royalty payment.

Head office: 225 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92528 Neuilly-sur-Seine
sacem.fr

SCPA

Civil Partnership of Associated Producers

The SCPA comprises the SCPP (Société Civile des Producteurs Phonographiques) and the SPPF (Société Civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France). It collects neighbouring rights on behalf of the performers and producers : those who recorded and financed the production of the work.

It manages the rights to more than 16 million music tracks for the telephone queuing services of 30,000 businesses in France, the French overseas departments and regions (DROM), and Monaco.

Head office: 14 Boulevard du Général Leclerc, 92527 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel: 01 41 43 74 80: scpa.fr

These two rights are cumulative and entirely independent from one another. Paying SACEM does not exempt you from SCPA. You are responsible for both declarations separately, and that is the company that broadcasts the music that needs to be declared: not the installer, nor the production studio. See the official service-public.fr information sheet.

What triggers both rights

✅All commercial music (well-known tracks available on streaming platforms) on hold: SACEM and SCPA royalties due
✅Music by an artist who died over 70 years ago (Beethoven, Vivaldi…) with a modern recording : SACEM exempt, SCPA due on the recording
✅Music broadcast on the radio (even France Info) as a call-back on the telephone: SACEM and SCPA fees due
✅Music certified royalty-free with a certificate issued in the service provider’s name: no SACEM or SCPA royalties

Official rates for 2026: SCPA and SACEM estimates

The fees are lump-sum and annual. They do not depend on the work itself, its duration or the number of tracks used. You can change the music as often as you like throughout the year at no extra cost.

SCPA 2026 fees: official scale (source: scpa.fr)

Inbound/mixed lines Employees (if lines are unknown) SCPA HT/year
1 to 5 lines 1 to 19 employees 38 €
6 to 10 lines 20 to 49 employees 74 €
11 to 15 lines 50 to 75 employees 111 €
16 to 20 lines 76 to 99 employees 148 €
21 to 30 lines 100 to 149 employees 204 €
Lines 31 to 40 150 to 199 employees 278 €
Lines 41 to 50 200 to 249 employees 352 €
51 lines 250 employees 357,55 €
More than 51 lines More than 250 employees €357.55 + €5.55 excl. VAT per additional line (or + €1.20 excl. VAT per additional employee)
Good to knowIf you install the music on your on-hold system yourself (without using a recording studio), the SCPA adds €8 excluding VAT to your flat-rate licence fee. This additional charge does not apply if your advert was produced by a production company.

SACEM 2026 rates: indicative estimates

The SACEM fee scale for telephone sound systems is calculated on the basis of €39.48 (excl. VAT) per block of 5 lines (standard rate), plus additional reproduction licence fees. The total SACEM charge starts at from €58.70 excluding VAT approximately 1 to 5 lines. The amounts below are estimates based on observed rates; please check on sacem.fr for your specific situation.

Inbound/mixed lines SACEM excluding VAT per annum (estimate) SCPA HT/year (official) Estimated total
1 to 5 lines from ~€58 to €95 38 € ~€96 to €133
6 to 10 lines ~€115 to €155 74 € ~€189 to €229
11 to 15 lines ~€170 to €200 111 € ~€281 to €311
16 to 20 lines ~€220 to €250 148 € ~€368 to €398
21 to 30 lines ~€300 to €350 204 € ~€504 to €554
31 to 50 lines ~€400 to €600 €278 to €352 ~€678 to €952
More than 50 lines Subject to SACEM quotation 357,55 € + On request
ImportantThese SACEM figures are for guidance only. The official SACEM tariff for on-hold music is a specific tariff published by SACEM. Please contact SACEM directly to find out the exact amount applicable to your situation.

How do you count your lines correctly?

The number of lines to be declared corresponds to inbound and mixed lines connected to your queueing system, i.e. the number of callers who can be placed on hold at the same time. Three rules to bear in mind:

✅Fax lines and dedicated lines : excluded from the calculation
✅SDA (Direct Selection on Arrival) and individual posts : excluding these, the number of incoming lines is much lower
✅Mobile phone lines : a mobile phone line counts as 0.3 lines in the SCPA calculation
Good to knowNot sure how many lines your system has? Ask your telecoms installer. This is the number of calls your switchboard can handle simultaneously. If your installer cannot provide this information, the number of employees at your organisation applies.

20% discount: declare before installation

SACEM grants a reduction of 20% to establishments that submit their returns before the set-up of their broadcasting system. In practical terms: if you register before installing your on-hold music, you’ll save a fifth of the annual bill, year after year. Confirmed by the official service-public.fr information sheet.

How do I register with SACEM and SCPA?

The two declarations are separate. SACEM may sometimes coordinate the SCPA procedures, but do not assume that one covers the other: check the terms and conditions with both organisations.

1
Count your incoming and mixed linesAsk your telecoms provider for the exact figure. This is the basis for calculating both charges. If this figure is not available, the number of employees applies. Please note: 1 mobile line = 0.3 lines.
2
Register with SACEM before broadcastingVisit sacem.fr or contact SACEM for background music. By declaring this before installation, you are eligible for the 20% discount. If you are using royalty-free music, please send your service provider’s certificate to SACEM.
3
Please register with the SCPA separatelyfile a claim online at scpa.fr or call 01 41 43 74 80 (Mon–Thu 8.30 am–12.30 pm and 1.30 pm–5.30 pm; Fri closes at 4.30 pm). If you are using royalty-free music, please send the certificate to the SCPA. This serves as your proof of exemption.
4
On the playlists, list the tracks playedPlease list the titles and artists of the music used during the year. This will ensure that royalties are distributed more accurately to the relevant songwriters and producers.
5
Renew annuallyRoyalties are payable annually. You will receive a reminder from SACEM and SCPA every calendar year. Please keep all your supporting documents in case of an audit.

How does the SCPA regulate businesses?

The SCPA and SACEM carry out checks by calling businesses at random and deliberately putting themselves on hold to identify the music being played. Their teams are able to identify a track within a few seconds. If you have not registered the music, you risk having your arrears increased for the entire period for which no declaration was made.

Good to knowAre you unsure what music is currently playing on your line? Call your own number from another phone and use the Shazam app whilst you’re waiting. If Shazam identifies the track, it is very likely to be part of the SACEM and SCPA repertoire.

The 5 most common pitfalls

Pitfall 1: «I use classical music, so I’m exempt»

Partly true, but not enough. Choosing Vivaldi or Beethoven is exempt from SACEM (the composer has been dead for more than 70 years). However, if the recording you are using was produced after 1956, the SCPA remains payable : the performers and the producer of this recording are protected for 70 years from the date of the phonogram’s first publication (Art. Article L.213-1 of the CPI). To be completely free, a recording must itself be in the public domain: either predating 1956 or explicitly released into the public domain by its performers.

Pitfall 2: «I’ve got the radio on in the background, so I’ve got nothing to do»

Wrong. Radio stations – even France Info or a public internet radio station – broadcast recordings from the SCPA’s catalogue. Capturing this stream via your telephone line constitutes a a new act of communication to the public, which is separate from what the radio station pays for its own rights. You must register with SACEM and SCPA separately. The same applies to television programmes played as background sound whilst on hold.

Pitfall 3: «My music is royalty-free, so I’m covered»

Not automatically. The term «royalty-free» means that you do not pay royalties to the platform, but it does not mean that SACEM and SCPA royalties are included. Some providers only waive SACEM fees but not SCPA fees. Others use tracks from the SACEM catalogue without making this clear. Only a written certificate in the holder’s name from your service provider, explicitly stating the exemption granted by the two organisations (SACEM and (SCPA) constitutes a document that is enforceable against third parties in the event of an audit.

Pitfall 4: «I already pay SACEM for the sound system in my shop»

This contract does not cover your time spent on hold. The playing of music in-store (background music in the premises) and the playing of music on hold are two legally distinct activities, subject to two different fee scales. Your SACEM licence for music played on the premises does not cover your telephone hold music. These are two separate declarations, with two separate calculations.

Pitfall 5: «My installer or design studio will take care of everything»

The responsibility lies entirely with you. Meanwhile, a production company is sorting out a phonographic reproduction right for each track produced for you, but this does not replace your declaration of broadcast. You are expected to be aware of your legal obligations. In the event of an SCPA or SACEM audit, you cannot hold either your installer or your studio liable. Ask them for the details of the tracks used and submit your declaration yourself.

3 legal ways to avoid paying SACEM or SCPA

SACEM and SCPA do not levy charges on music in general: they collect royalties on works by their repertoire. If what you are broadcasting does not fall within their remit, there is no licence fee and no obligation to register.

Option 1: the public domain in its entirety

Two conditions must be met simultaneously: (1) The author died before 1956 (70 years’ protection) AND (2) the recording was made before 1956 or has been explicitly released into the public domain by its performers. Free, for life, no paperwork required. Catalogue limited to early music.

Suitable for settings where subtle classical background music is acceptable: doctors’ surgeries, solicitors’ waiting rooms, chemists. Always check the recording date, not just the composition date.

Option 2: catalogue outside the management system with a personalised certificate

Some composers publish their music outside the scope of SACEM (Creative Commons licences, catalogues produced specifically for mobile phones). Prices observed: €130 to €500 (excl. VAT) per year depending on the platform, with a varied catalogue (lounge, instrumental jazz, soft electro, neutral pop, etc.).

The essential item: a written certificate in the holder’s name from your service provider, expressly stating that the entire catalogue is exempt from SACEM management and excluding SCPA management. Without this document, you will have no grounds for defence in the event of an inspection.

Good to knowSome IPBX manufacturers (Alcatel, Mitel, Unify, etc.) include royalty-free music on their equipment by default. If you use this default music, ask your installer for the manufacturer’s declaration of use : this is your proof of exemption.

Track 3: 100% music generated by artificial intelligence

A work composed entirely by an algorithm, without any identifiable human creative contribution, falls outside the scope of SACEM’s administration. SACEM administers copyright humans. This framework has become clearer with the The Darcos Private Member’s Bill passed in the Senate on 8 April 2026, which clarifies the legal status of works generated by AI.

ImportantAn important point regarding the SCPA: Whilst AI-generated music is composed without an identifiable human performer, the issue of SCPA royalties is legally more nuanced. The trend is towards exemption, but this remains a matter of debate. Ask your service provider for a certificate explicitly stating the exemption from two organisations, and to keep them up to date in line with regulatory changes.

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Annual savings vs commercial music

SACEM + SCPA: 1 to 5 lines~€96 to €133 per year
SACEM + SCPA: 6 to 10 lines~€189 to €229 per year
SACEM + SCPA: 16 to 20 lines~€368 to €398 per year
Featuring Voconix (royalty-free music)€0 SACEM/SCPA

Create your on-hold message without SACEM or SCPA

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FAQ: SACEM and SCPA royalties for on-hold music

Take a look at our FAQs and find the answers to your questions 

SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique) is a private-law organisation founded in 1850. It collects and distributes copyright royalties from musical works to authors, composers and publishers. As soon as a work from its repertoire is performed in a professional setting, an annual royalty is payable. Registered office: 225 avenue Charles de Gaulle, 92528 Neuilly-sur-Seine. sacem.fr

The SCPA (Société Civile des Producteurs Associés) comprises the SCPP and the SPPF. It manages neighbouring rights on behalf of performers and producers of sound recordings. It covers more than 16 million tracks for the on-hold music of 30,000 businesses in France. Head office: 14 boulevard du Général Leclerc, 92527 Neuilly-sur-Seine. Tel: 01 41 43 74 80. scpa.fr

SACEM pays royalties to creators of the work (authors, composers, publishers). The SCPA pays those who have produced and financed the production (performers and producers). These are two cumulative and independent rights: payment of one does not exempt the payer from the other.

The SCPA 2026 fee scale is official and is structured in progressive bands based on the number of lines: €38 excl. VAT per year for 1 to 5 lines, €74 excl. VAT for 6 to 10, €111 excl. VAT for 11 to 15, €148 (excl. VAT) for 16 to 20 lines, up to €357.55 (excl. VAT) plus €5.55 per additional line beyond 51 lines. Source: scpa.fr. If you are adding the music yourself without using a studio, please add €8 (excl. VAT).

The basic SACEM fee is €39.48 (excluding VAT) per block of 5 incoming lines (standard rate), to which additional charges are added. The total SACEM fee ranges from approximately €58 to €95 (excluding VAT) for 1 to 5 lines, depending on the source. A 20% discount applies if you register before installing your system.

Only the inbound and mixed lines : the number of callers that can be placed on hold simultaneously. Fax lines and dedicated lines are excluded. This number is significantly lower than the number of SDA lines and individual extensions. A mobile line counts as 0.3 lines in the SCPA calculation. Ask your telecoms installer for this figure.

SACEM is exempt in the case of works by authors who died before 1956. However, if your recording is a modern one, the SCPA remains payable on this recording. To be in the public domain, the recording itself must date from before 1956 or have been released into the public domain by its performers.

Yes. Re-broadcasting a radio programme over your telephone line constitutes an act of communication to the public that is separate from what the radio station pays for. You must register with SACEM and SCPA, regardless of which station you are broadcasting.

It is the company that broadcasts the on-hold music, for which you alone are responsible for registering with SACEM and SCPA. Neither the telecoms installer nor the production studio can act on your behalf. The studio, for its part, pays a reproduction royalty, but this does not fulfil your obligation to register the broadcast.

The SCPA and SACEM call businesses at random and deliberately put themselves on hold to identify the music being played. If you fail to declare this, you risk incurring interest on arrears for the entire undeclared period. Tip: use the app Shazam Please wait whilst we check whether your music is part of the SCPA catalogue before any further checks are carried out.

Three ways: (1) the entire public domain (a work whose author died before 1956 AND was recorded before 1956), (2) a catalogue not included in the management system, accompanied by a certificate in the holder’s name from the service provider, specifying the SACEM and SCPA exemption, (3) 100% music generated by AI documented (SACEM not applicable; the SCPA point is still under discussion, depending on the source). Voconix offers royalty-free music with a certificate included.

Voconix provides over 10,000 SACEM and SCPA royalty-free tracks for business telephony. Each order includes a personalised exemption certificate to be presented to both organisations if requested. AI voices, royalty-free music, certificate: everything is included.