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Play Background Music with CLAUDIA

Quick Reference QR-AE-021 · Audio Enhancement EPIC · Rev 1.0 · Oct 2026

Stream music from the office CLAUDIA media station to the hallways, cafeteria or any room, and keep bells and pages on top.

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Written by: Brad Roy, VSC Director of Operations · Verified against: AE CLAUDIA QSG DC-40937.01; EPIC Background Music Streaming DC-40850.01; Suppress Bells During an Emergency Event DC-41226.1025; VSC EPIC 3.2.5 demo server · Applies to: CLAUDIA XD-0900 media station · MS-700, MS-720, MS-775 and other EPIC devices with Background Music · EPIC 3.x

CLAUDIA plugs into the network and broadcasts whatever it's playing. Every EPIC device with Background Music turned on picks it up. Music is the lowest priority audio in EPIC, so bells, pages, intercom and notifications cut in over it automatically and the music comes back after.

CLAUDIA: Ethernet and USB-C power on the back (left), pick a source and press Play (center), lock icon (right). AE DC-40937.01.

1️⃣ Connect CLAUDIA

Plug in the Ethernet cable first (EPIC VLAN), then the supplied USB-C power supply.
Connect the music source (or pick one on the screen), press Play. The button turns into Stop while it's streaming.
Press the lock icon to lock the screen with a PIN so it can't be changed. Change the PIN from the factory default at install and give it only to the people who run the music.

2️⃣ Turn on Background Music on the devices that should play it

In EPIC, go to Settings › Devices › Known Devices and click the pencil on a device (hallway amp, cafeteria CZA-1300, a classroom).

Scroll to Background Music and set:

Setting	Value
Background Music Enabled	On
Background Music Volume	80% is the default. Set it per space.
Background Music Buffer	600 ms (default). It smooths out skipping.
Background Music IP (the stream URL)	`rtp://0.0.0.0:5555`

Click Save. To do many devices at once, use Configure at the top of Settings › Devices (master configuration, then push to the devices you pick).

Configure Device › Background Music on an MS-700 (VSC demo, EPIC 3.2.5).

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Only turn it on where you want music. CLAUDIA broadcasts to every device that's listening. Leave Background Music off in classrooms, offices and anywhere music shouldn't play.

3️⃣ Test it

Press Play on CLAUDIA. Music plays in the enabled spaces within a few seconds.
Send a short page to one of those zones. The music should drop out for the page and come back after.

Good to know

0.0.0.0 means "play any music stream on port 5555". To accept only one CLAUDIA, enter its IP instead, e.g. rtp://10.20.30.40:5555.
The port (5555) can't be the same as the notification streaming port.
Devices only play MPEG background-music streams. CLAUDIA sends the right format; other sources aren't supported by AE.

A device's status page always shows 0.0.0.0:5555 as the background-music party, even when nothing is playing.
Music isn't logged in EPIC, even in debug mode.

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Emergencies and fire alarms: EPIC's emergency suppress (which holds back bells during an event) does not stop CLAUDIA, because CLAUDIA is a separate source. If music must stop for a fire alarm or lockdown, VSC has to set that up separately for the building. Ask your VSC Project Coordinator.

📚 Sources & credits

Compiled by Brad Roy, VSC Director of Operations
Audio Enhancement: CLAUDIA Classroom Media Station QSG DC-40937.01 (connections, streaming, lock); EPIC Background Music Streaming DC-40850.01 (priority, volume, buffer, listening IP and port, MPEG only); Suppress Bells and Other Events During an Emergency Event DC-41226.1025 (CLAUDIA not affected)
AE's background-music guides predate EPIC 3.x; settings and the rtp://0.0.0.0:5555 stream address were checked on VSC's EPIC 3.2.5 demo server, 10/9/2026. Images: Audio Enhancement; EPIC screenshot: VSC demo, nothing saved.