Retail

SiriusXM VP talks music impact within the retail digital signage experience

Stuart Larking, VP of commercial music at SiriusXM, shares insight on why music is becoming more integral for the digital signage experience.

Photo: SiriusXM

March 13, 2026 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

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Music, as the saying goes, can soothe the savage beast. In the digital signage realm the impact can be just as effective — engaged engagement with intended audiences, increased sales and dwell time and an enhanced brand perception.

Those are just a few returns on investment in mixing music into the digital signage experience.

Music offers the potential to turn in-store and outdoor screens into real-time engagement tool and it's fast becoming a trend when it comes to digital signage.

As Kurt Oleson, COO, Custom Channels, explains in a blog post at RetailCustomerExperience, brand-fit music isn't just a 'nice touch,' noting a Grant study reported that stores deploying background music tailored to their brand enjoyed a 37% average boost in sales.

One of the latest to push the music-in-digital-signage trend forward is Pandora CloudCover, a music-for-business solution that provides fully licensed music and messaging to brands and retailers across North America. Its client sheet includes Amazon One Medical, Crumbl, Dunkin', Big 5 Sporting Goods and Porsche dealer locations.

Pandora CloudCover has launched new digital signage features, building upon its audio messaging and curated, licensed music powered by Pandora stations.

Customers that upgrade to the company's messaging and signage plan can transform screens into digital billboards and replace the 'now playing' screen with videos and images, pair customer images with overhead announcements and control signage across all locations and managed alongside music and messaging.

It's all about providing powerful tools to engage customers visually and audibly and transforming every glance at a screen into an opportunity to inform, delight and convert, according to Stuart Larking, VP of commercial music at SiriusXM.

Larking leads strategy and product development for business music solutions, including Pandora CloudCover. He oversees licensed music, messaging, and digital signage platforms. Previously, he served as CTO at Cloud Cover Music prior to its acquisition by SiriusXM in 2022.

Digital Signage Today reached out via email to Larking to gain deeper insight into Pandora's digital signage strategy and why music is becoming more integral for the digital signage experience.

Q. How valuable is a music component to digital signage?

Larking: Music is a critical component of the in-store experience, shaping mood, increasing dwell time and driving sales. What many businesses do not realize is that using a personal streaming account in a commercial setting is not permitted, as those services are licensed for personal use only. Pandora CloudCover provides fully licensed, business-ready streaming that removes that risk while delivering a simple, brand-safe platform with curated, family-friendly music. When paired with digital signage and aligned with the brand identity, curated audio creates a consistent, engaging atmosphere, increases dwell time by 42%, and drives an average 37% lift in sales. Together, music and visual messaging provide a legal, cohesive, measurable way to boost engagement, loyalty, and revenue.

Q. What is driving consumer adoption/attention of digital signage as a marketing medium/communication channel?

Larking: Consumer behavior has shifted toward dynamic, visual-first media environments. Today's audiences are conditioned by mobile feeds and visual content, making displays in physical spaces feel intuitive and engaging rather than disruptive. As a result, digital signage captures attention effectively and enhances the overall customer experience, positioning brands within the natural flow of how consumers now consume information. In parallel, CMOs are increasingly prioritizing omnichannel campaign strategies that unify audio and visual touchpoints to reinforce messaging and influence purchase decisions.

Q. Why did SiriusXM/Pandora CloudCover develop a digital signage business/product channel?

Larking: Our customers, including Amazon One Medical, Crumbl, Dunkin' and Porsche dealer locations, have shared how much music and messaging shape the in-store environment and want their visual communications to have the same impact. We launched CloudCover Digital Signage with them in mind to provide a simple, powerful, and affordable way to engage customers both visually and audibly. The result is every screen and overhead message becomes an opportunity to inform, inspire and drive action, creating a consistent, engaging experience that is easy to use and can scale across multiple locations.

Q. One of the features is the ability to control content and deliver the right message at the right time — how important is that to retailers?

Larking: This is becoming a critical capability for modern retailers across a wide variety of businesses. The ability to control content and deliver the right message at the right time directly drives sales and customer experience. Retail conditions change constantly throughout the day, and Pandora CloudCover enables retailers to align music and digital signage to match traffic, promotions, and shopper behavior in real time.

About Judy Mottl

Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Digital Signage Today. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.

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