Founders: Ola Sars from Beats Music to the soundtrack of hospitality

Founders: Ola Sars from Beats Music to the soundtrack of hospitality

Author: BBC World Service August 4, 2026 Duration: 17:29

Ola Sars has spent two decades helping shape the way music is discovered, streamed and licensed. He co-founded Beats Music, the streaming service that helped lay the groundwork for Apple Music, before launching Soundtrack, a company that provides licensed music to restaurants, cafés and other hospitality businesses. After moving to the US as a child and learning English from scratch, how did he become a music-tech entrepreneur? And was selling his stake in Beats before Apple acquired the company the right decision?

(Photo: Ola Sars, seen from the shoulders up, wears a black jumper and has short shaved brown hair going grey at the sides, blue eyes and stubble growth. He looks at the camera with a neutral expression. Credit: Rickard Croy)

Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Niamh McDermott

You can email the team: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk


Behind the headlines and market numbers, there’s a human story. Business Daily from the BBC World Service digs into those stories, exploring how the forces of money and work shape lives and communities across the globe. This isn't just a recap of financial news; it’s about the tangible impact of economic decisions, from a factory floor in Vietnam to a tech startup in Nairobi. Each episode focuses on a single, compelling narrative, offering a clear and thorough examination of how business and economics function in the real world. You’ll hear directly from the people involved-entrepreneurs facing unexpected hurdles, workers adapting to new industries, and analysts deciphering local trends with global consequences. The reporting is grounded and precise, reflecting the BBC’s commitment to depth and clarity. By focusing on the daily drama inherent in our economic systems, this podcast makes the vast subject of business feel immediate and personal. Tune in for a thoughtful perspective that connects economic concepts to everyday reality, providing a deeper understanding of the world through the lens of commerce and labor.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Business Daily
Podcast Episodes
Follow the money: The antidote economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:28
**This episode of Business Daily begins with a real call to 911** There is an antidote for an opioid overdose. It costs a few dollars. The nasal spray technology means it can be administered without needles and can resta…
Sierra Leone: The cocaine trail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:28
In the first of two episodes, Ed Butler investigates how one of Europe’s most wanted drug smugglers, Jos Leijdekkers, ended up in Sierra Leone while evading justice. He also explores reports linking Leijdekkers to the fa…
Taking stock: Is AI burning cash? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:55
Will Bain is joined by Nga Pham in Hanoi and Takara Small in Toronto. Following the latest results from Alphabet and Tesla, both companies are under pressure to sustain spending as competition in artificial intelligence…
Power players: Turbulent times for budget airlines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:04
Cheap flights transformed the way we travel, helping millions of people fly more often and opening up destinations that were once out of reach. But rising fuel costs, changing passenger habits and growing pressure on the…
Founders: Olio CEO Tessa Clarke's fight against food waste [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:29
Tessa Clarke is the co-founder and CEO of Olio, the food-sharing app helping millions of people reduce waste by sharing food and household items with their neighbours. She explains how a simple idea grew into a global mo…
Follow the Money: The Memecoin Economy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:26
Search for "memecoin" on social media and you'll find plenty of videos offering advice on how to invest and grow your money, with some claiming they can help you make a million. But you don't have to look far to find peo…
The hidden cost of the gold rush [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:28
Artisanal mining accounts for around 20% of global gold production and generates an estimated $30 billion a year for some of the world's poorest communities. But the trade is also linked to criminal networks and environm…
Taking Stock: A slower China and a durian glut [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:04
Connecting the timezones this week are Will Bain in London, David Kuo in Singapore and Emily Peck in New York to unpack the week's biggest business stories. China's economy has recorded one of its weakest quarterly growt…
Power Players: Can the Paramount–Warner merger survive? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:50
This week, Will and Michelle speak to Reuters entertainment business correspondent Dawn Chmielewski about how the Paramount–Warner merger could reshape Hollywood. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery want to combine in a…