An interview with Ola Sars, Founder of Soundtrack

Music has long been a part of the retail experience, but its strategic potential is often overlooked. In a recent interview, Ola Sars, CEO of Soundtrack, shared how curated in-store playlists can transform customer experiences, boost sales, and differentiate brands. With deep roots in music technology — including co-founding Beats Music (later acquired by Apple) — Sars is on a mission to digitize the global B2B music streaming market, reshaping retail one beat at a time.

The Evolution of In-Store Music

Music in retail isn’t new—it dates back to the 1920s when retailers realized customers respond to auditory stimulation. However, the approach has evolved dramatically.

“What many businesses call ‘background music’ is foreground music, it actively shapes the customer experience. Yet surprisingly, it’s often not treated as a strategic component but overseen by procurement teams who may not understand its importance,” said Sars.

Research cited shows that 84% of consumers notice music in retail spaces, 55% value music they enjoy, and 40% stay longer when the tunes resonate. Despite that, many retailers still treat music as an afterthought, defaulting to personal playlists, generic radio, or whatever is topping the charts.

Sars warns that this “any music” approach can do more harm than good and perform worse than not playing music. Poorly chosen music can actively annoy customers and staff alike; ask anyone who has suffered through Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on repeat during a retail shift.

The Importance of a Sound Profile

“Every brand, from a small entrepreneur in Brooklyn running a cool local bar to the biggest retailers in the world, has a brand strategy (or at least a thought) about what customer experience they want to deliver. How they differentiate themselves from their competitors in their brand positioning needs to be translated into a music profile,” shares Sars.

Soundtrack has spent years securing licensing deals with 150 million tracks across 75 markets to facilitate this translation into music. The platform’s research shows that 91% of brands believe having a wide music selection is critical to delivering their brand experience.

Take Lululemon, which uses Soundtrack to manage its global network. The platform allows for adjusting playlists to reflect local tastes or align with campaign goals while staying on-brand. A store in Chicago might sound different in the morning than one in Stockholm in the afternoon, yet both reinforce Lululemon’s identity. This “brand fit” approach, combined with “business fit” adjustments for time and place, has proven effective. Sars cites a case where a global retailer saw a 9.1% sales increase by implementing this strategy.

Tuning Retail Spaces with Data and Sound

Beyond playlists, music is increasingly becoming a strategic cornerstone for retailers and real estate developers, with audio infrastructure playing a critical role in shaping experiences. According to Colliers’ January 2022 U.S. Retail Report | The Sixth Sense is the Retail Experience, nearly 54% of consumers believe that sound creates ambience in retail stores, underscoring its importance. Companies like Soundtrack are exploring innovations such as integrating music with real-time sensors and spatial audio to deepen customer immersion. Emerging technologies are accelerating this shift, with businesses investing in high-quality speakers and thoughtful sound design to create brand-aligned environments.

“Floor traffic measurements in a retail store can work in real-time with our system. Since the human body absorbs sound, you need to increase volume to get the same effect when there are 100 people in a room versus 20. It becomes too loud if you maintain the same volume when there are fewer people,” shares Sars. “Music is a low-cost, high-impact tool compared to changing store layouts or menus, making it ideal for real-time tactical adjustments.”

In commercial real estate, dynamic soundscapes help differentiate properties and attract premium tenants. For retailers, it’s a reminder that music isn’t just background noise, it’s a subtle but powerful lever to influence customer behavior, elevate brand perception, and enhance the overall shopping experience.

The Future of Retail is Music

Soundtrack is currently highly focused on expanding its presence in the U.S. market, prioritizing growth domestically before allocating additional resources internationally. While the company also sees strong opportunities in France, Germany, the UK, and the Nordics, the U.S. remains the core target for near-term expansion.

With a global platform already in place, they are strategically choosing where to invest marketing efforts. The company estimates that roughly 100 million commercial locations—such as restaurants, spas, and retail spaces—could benefit from business-focused music streaming, representing a $30–40 billion annual market opportunity. This segment offers a significant growth opportunity for the broader music industry by expanding the overall streaming landscape, while helping businesses create curated, brand-aligned soundscapes that elevate the in-store experience.