Hold
Noun: An agreement by a music publisher not to exploit or license a song to any other parties when a recording artist, a producer or a record label has indicated they plan to record it. Note that a publisher cannot place a hold on a song that has already been recorded and released commercially but a publisher may still agree not to actively plug a song to other artists for a certain length of time. For new or unreleased songs, a publisher has full discretion whether or not to issue a mechanical license.