It is a common occurrence in telephone conversations for one party to place another party on hold while the former party performs tasks, such as referencing records, answering another telephone call and the like. Many telecommunication systems play music during the duration of the holding period to provide a pleasurable distraction for the holding party.
Although many parties prefer to listen to music during the holding period, some parties would prefer to suppress or deactivate the music, particularly where three or more parties are engaged in a conference call. In conference calls involving three or more parties, the music can impede the holding parties' ability to engage in a conversation during the holding period.
Existing telecommunication infrastructures do not have the capability of suppressing or deactivating the music, unless the source of the music is local to the telecommunication equipment serving the holding party. It is often not possible for the remote telecommunication equipment to process deactivation commands from the local switch.