Inside Lisa Farris’s Advocacy-Driven Marketing

Beyond the Brief: A marketing conversation with Lisa Farris, CMO, Impact One & Chief Advocacy Officer at Soundtrack.

Q: Lisa, your path to the C-suite is anything but conventional. You’ve worked across advertising, major labels, and even the Recording Academy. How did that journey shape the marketer you are today?

Lisa: It has been diverse, and I’m grateful. Each opportunity left a mark on how I think about marketing and innovation, and I’ve been lucky to work alongside some incredibly talented people. I started my career in advertising in New York City, where I began working closely with music venues, brands, and labels. That live music aspect pulled me in, and I made the move to the label side. I joined Music Sales Corporation, one of the leading independent music publishing companies at the time, with offices in New York and London. Then I relocated to Los Angeles and, shortly thereafter, opened the first office for Music Marketing Network, a direct-to-consumer marketing agency, where we were doing something genuinely new. We placed bounceback cards inside CDs and built a database of over 25 million active music-buying consumers by the late 1990s. The music industry had always looked to radio and retail. We helped reframe the industry’s thinking by asking a simple but powerful question: What do consumers actually want?

The direct-to-consumer marketing and consumer research work I did at Music Marketing Network, alongside innovative marketers and GMs, led me to MCA Records, and later to Universal Music Group’s eLabs, where I helped pioneer early digital marketing at a major label.

Later, I served as Chief Digital Officer and then Chief Marketing Officer for the Recording Academy – the Grammys. Every step reinforced the same truth: the industry only works when creators are fairly compensated for their work. Over time, I saw how easily that value erodes when music is treated as free or interchangeable. And when the value of music erodes, culture does too. That’s part of what led me to Soundtrack.

Q: For readers who may not be familiar with Soundtrack, can you explain what the company does and the problem it’s solving?

Lisa: Soundtrack was originally incubated as Spotify for Business, evolved into Soundtrack Your Brand, and is now Soundtrack. Its core mission is to provide businesses with a fully licensed overhead music solution for commercial use, giving brands the freedom to play what they want, when they want, without being limited to generic playlists or antiquated platforms. And there’s a staggering reality: 79% of U.S. businesses are using music services that are not properly licensed due to their use of consumer streaming platforms. Not because they are acting in bad faith, but because most genuinely do not know that personal music services are not compliant for commercial or business use. Even many who work inside the music industry have asked, “Wait, you can’t use Spotify to play music in a business?”

When someone streams music on their personal account in a commercial setting, say, a bar, a restaurant, or a hotel lobby, the artists and rights holders are simply not properly compensated. Soundtrack changes that and ensures plays are properly reported. It is the only licensed solution that lets businesses play what they want, on demand. Plans range from $37 to $55 per month for access to over 125 million tracks. If a business cannot afford that investment, there are likely broader business challenges to address.

Q: You’ve framed your current work at Soundtrack largely around advocacy. Can you tell us more about that shift in focus?

Lisa: When I joined Soundtrack, we had just shifted toward a product-led growth model. Soundtrack’s made-for-business experience is exceptional, but the challenge went far beyond marketing. It was education on an enormous scale. My focus over the past year has been advocacy and education: how do you reach and educate 79% of businesses? It’s a massive undertaking that requires collaboration across rights holders, businesses, and trade associations. Frankly, it is a shared responsibility that must be addressed at scale.

Out of that mission, I’ve been leading the effort to develop an industry initiative, a music for business educational resource, with the endorsement of major and independent labels, publishers, and industry associations. The site provides clear, plain-language guidance based on the most common questions we’ve heard from businesses over the years about music licensing. We also developed a compliance checker that helps address nuances such as business type, size, number of zones, and whether they host live entertainment, helping businesses assess their current use and better understand their licensing needs. We are currently in final stakeholder review and expect to launch soon.

Q: You’ve done significant consumer research on how music affects business outcomes. What did you find?

Lisa: The data tells a compelling story. We found that 58% of consumers say they stay longer in a business when they enjoy the music. Twenty-seven percent say they’re more likely to choose one business over a competitor based on the music experience. And 36% say they’re more likely to return. These aren’t soft metrics. They translate directly to revenue.

One of the most interesting findings was what I refer to as “silent churn.” Customers may have a negative experience if the music feels inappropriate or repetitive, but they rarely say anything; they simply do not come back. It’s like a pebble in your shoe: you may not complain, but you choose a different place next time. Businesses are losing customers and often have no idea why. Another important statistic many businesses do not consider: 50% of consumers say they Shazam or search for music they hear in a business when they like it. If someone is Shazaming your playlist, that is not just background music.

Q: How are you approaching trade associations as a marketing channel, and why that route specifically?

Lisa: There are over four million businesses in the United States. No single company can reach all of them efficiently through traditional demand generation alone. Trade associations are often on the front line. Their phones ring every day with members asking questions like, “Someone told me I can’t do this. What do I actually need?” or “I just received a letter from a new PRO.” They’re an important multiplier.

We recently designed a new affiliate partnership model and have been collaborating with major wine and spirits organizations. In one case, an executive director shared that they needed better insight into how their members think about music licensing, so we partnered on a survey. That is the kind of collaboration that builds trust and creates value for everyone involved.

There are more than 90 associations on our list. It is a significant undertaking, but an important one.

Q: How has the rise of AI and large language models affected your approach to SEO and content visibility?

Lisa: Some people are declaring organic search dead, but I see discovery and research improving, which ultimately creates more informed and qualified buyers. Recent G2 research found that 51% of B2B buyers now begin research with AI tools more often than Google, and 69% say AI influenced them to choose a different vendor than they originally considered.

That changes the game. It is no longer enough to rank on your own site. Brands need to be discoverable across the sources AI trusts: earned media, expert mentions, third-party reviews, original data, and credible industry citations. I see that as a positive shift toward substance over volume.

Q: Beyond your work at Soundtrack, you also teach at Loyola Marymount University. What is the focus of your class?

Lisa: Teaching the Business of Music class at LMU is both a way to give back and an opportunity to help prepare the next generation of leaders. For the past several months, I’ve taught an evening course designed to help students understand how the industry really works and what is at stake.

Each week, we bring in guest speakers from across the business so students gain exposure to the full ecosystem: songwriting, production, labels, publishing, artist management, distribution, licensing, film and TV, technology, and touring. My goal is to connect classroom learning with the realities of how value is created, protected, and sustained in today’s music industry.

One of my biggest concerns is that if the next generation does not understand the history and economics of music, especially as AI-generated content expands, we risk devaluing the foundation that supports creators. We often focus on global superstars, but most working musicians operate very differently and need a sustainable ecosystem to build a career. I hope these students become thoughtful stewards who help move the industry forward.

Q: Finally, is there something people might not know about you outside of your professional life?

Lisa: Over the past few years, I’ve become actively involved in alternative investments. It started personally, as I was evaluating where to place my own capital. In speaking with female colleagues who also invest, it became clear that women influence many household financial decisions and control a growing share of wealth, yet remain underrepresented in many areas of investing, particularly alternatives.

What stands out to me is that the gap often reflects access and information.

That is why I became involved with Investor Collective, a newly formed group of accredited investors who share information and firsthand experiences to better evaluate opportunities. Around the same time, we began developing a study on how women approach alternative investments and where barriers still exist.

Q: For those who would like to connect with you, where can they find you?

Lisa: LinkedIn is the best place to reach me (Lisa Farris). And if you’re a business owner who wants to ensure you have the right music for your business, or have ever wondered whether your music use is compliant, visit www.soundtrack.io and the soon-to-be-announced music for business platform.