Ola Sars is a Stockholm-based serial music tech entrepreneur and 2024 Billboard International Power Player. He is the founder and CEO of Soundtrack Technologies, the leading music streaming service for businesses.
Originally founded as a joint effort with Spotify, Sars has transformed Soundtrack into the only global B2B streaming service of its kind servicing over 80,000 businesses across 74 countries with a music catalog of more than 100 million tracks cleared for commercial use.
Under Sars’ leadership, Soundtrack has grown by 60% year-over-year, closed a $15M pre-growth funding round with investment from some of the most formidable music industry investors and forged partnerships with iconic brands such as Uniqlo, Dr. Martens, Four Seasons, Kiehl’s, Joe & The Juice and Tag Heuer, to name a few.
Before Soundtrack, he cofounded Beats Music, which was acquired by Apple for $3B and transformed into Apple Music, and Pacemaker, the world’s first pocket-sized DJ system.
Sars is an established thought leader with international influence including speaking at the Global Tech Conference and Djooky Music Investment Summit and has been featured in top-tier business and music publications and podcasts, including Bloomberg, Music Business Worldwide, TechCrunch, Billboard, International Business Times, Forbes and Business Insider, among others.
Company: Soundtrack Technologies
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Ola Sars: Thank you, it’s great to be here. I’m Ola Sars, founder and CEO of Soundtrack Technologies. I’ve spent most of my career at the intersection of music, technology, and entrepreneurship, building companies focused on how music is experienced and distributed in a modern world.
At Soundtrack, we’re on a mission to change the way businesses use music. For decades, commercial music streaming was outdated, complicated, and often unfair to artists. We saw an opportunity to build a platform that gives businesses a better music experience while also ensuring artists and rights holders are properly compensated.
Today, Soundtrack powers music for businesses around the world, from restaurants and hotels to retailers and fitness studios. We combine fully licensed music streaming with powerful curation tools that help brands create better customer experiences through music.
At the core of everything we do is a simple belief: music has enormous value. It shapes emotion, atmosphere, and human connection, and businesses should have access to great music in a way that’s legal, seamless, and built for the modern era.
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffett, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Ola Sars: Interesting question! If I had to describe Soundtrack to Warren or anyone else, I’d say we’re building the future of music for businesses. We help brands use music in a way that’s simple, legal, and genuinely impactful for both their customers and the artists behind the song.
What makes us different is that we were built specifically for business environments from day one. We’re not adapting a consumer product for commercial use. Everything we do, from licensing to curation to multi-location management, is designed around helping businesses of all sizes create better experiences through music.
I also think we bring a different mindset to the industry. We care deeply about technology, but we care just as much about trust, transparency, and doing things the right way. Businesses need a platform they can rely on every day, and artists deserve a system that respects the value of their work.
Our biggest strength is that we combine music culture with real operational execution. We move quickly, we stay curious, and we’re constantly evolving the product based on how businesses and consumers interact with music in the real world.
At the core of it all, we believe music matters. It shapes how people feel, connect, and remember experiences, and we’re building the platform that helps businesses harness that power in a modern way.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, is an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Ola Sars: Employees stay engaged when they feel connected to purpose, trusted to do meaningful work, and genuinely heard. People want transparency, growth, and leadership that feels human and accessible, especially in today’s environment.
At Soundtrack, we’ve tried to build a culture that’s collaborative, open, and driven by shared passion.
Making mistakes and learning from them is the greatest growth lever for both organizations and individuals. We try to foster a culture where we’re open about my mistakes and learn from them all the time.
At the end of the day, culture is built through consistency. It comes from how you communicate, how you listen, and whether people feel they’re building something meaningful together.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Ola Sars: I expect we’re going to continue seeing a major shift toward more digital, flexible, and experience-driven business models. Consumers and businesses alike now expect technology to feel seamless, personalized, and always accessible.
For small businesses, that creates a substantial opportunity. Music plays an important role in how people experience physical spaces, even in an increasingly digital world. We’re focused on helping business owners and operators use music more intentionally across locations, brands, and customer experiences, while continuing to simplify everything through one user-friendly platform.
The companies that will win are the ones that stay adaptable, keep listening to their customers, and continue creating real value as behavior evolves.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Ola Sars: The real challenge for businesses right now is navigating constant change without losing clarity or focus. Technology is evolving quickly, customer expectations are shifting, and industries are being forced to adapt faster than ever before.
At the same time, people are looking for more authenticity and more trust from the companies they engage with. That means businesses can’t just move fast. They also have to stay grounded in their purpose and deliver real value consistently.
For Soundtrack, the opportunity comes from staying curious, staying adaptable, and continuing to build products that solve real problems in a simple and meaningful way.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Ola Sars: I’m a firm believer in that culture eats strategy for breakfast, but it takes time and is underestimated. We have focused on building a culture with delegation, common sense, and high-impact hours so employees could leave at a reasonable time to see their families.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Ola Sars: We’re working hard to build a superpower right into our product. Because the music struggles and pain points out there are so diverse, our ultimate goal is a product with the superpower to solve those business headaches within sixty seconds of starting a trial.
