Can someone tell me how to add audio to the background of a menu object in Encore 1.5? I can set up clips to lead into the menu with audio but once I get to the menu I cannot have it so the audio continues to play.

I am completely ignorant when it comes to encore so any assistance on this seemingly easy option would be great. Thanks.

You pick 'Import as Asset' and then you choose your song or audio that you want, the mp3 or wav file that you need. You import it, go to project, where you'll see it. Then you click on right mouse button: Copy.
Then you go to your menu, and you go to the properties of that Menu, and there you'll see: Audio: none.
You go to None and you click and take: paste.
I think it should work.

I can set up clips to lead into the menu with audio but once I get to the menu I cannot have it so the audio continues to play.
You cannot have the audio from the lead in video track continue to play seamlessly as the menu loads - if that is what you are asking - unless you create a video motion menu.

If you are not concerned about that, however, and just want to add a separate audio background to your menu, that is easy to accomplish. From the Encore DVD help file:

To add audio to a menu:

Do one of the following actions

- Select the menu in the Project tab, then in the Properties palette, drag the Audio pick whip to the audio file in the Project tab.
- Drag the audio file from the Project tab to the menu in the Menu Editor window.

import your audio in to the project, go over to the menu properties, where it says audio, click and drag the pickwhip to your audio track, now it will have your audio track listed in the menu properties. now it will ask you how many times you would like it to play, click forever.

note: I do not have the program infront of me and this is all from memory but this should all work.