Ben Lord

Ben Lord has spent over 30 years in and around the music industry, and the last ten building ecommerce experiences for the brands that live inside it. As Founder and CEO of Softlimit, a Shopify Premier Partner Agency, he leads a team that has spent the last decade helping brands like Sacred Bones, Temporary Residence Ltd., Polyvinyl, Moon Juice, Misen, and The Perfect Jean grow their ecommerce revenue.

Ben's connection to music runs deep and started early. He's played and toured as a drummer since age 13, performing with Falling Forward, Elliott, Sharon Van Etten, Mascott, Bird of Youth, Phantom Family Halo, and Kilowatthours. He's also released records through independent labels including Initial, Revelation, Temporary Residence Ltd., and Jagjaguwar, giving him firsthand insight into both the creative and business sides of the industry.

Before founding Softlimit, Ben worked in Atlantic Records' New Media Division during the launch of the first digital music store and later led campaigns at Bond Strategy and Influence across entertainment verticals, sharpening his understanding of how brands build and monetize audiences.

That combination of music industry fluency and ecommerce expertise now defines Softlimit's work with independent labels. Ben has led the modernization of digital storefronts for Sacred Bones, Temporary Residence Ltd., and Polyvinyl, moving each label onto Shopify Plus foundations built specifically for the realities of music commerce: multi-format catalogs, limited edition pressings, pre-orders, and collector-driven buying behavior. Under his leadership, Softlimit has delivered measurable results across all three labels, including double-digit lifts in conversion rate, order volume, and average order value.

Music still sits at the center of Ben's life and work. He remains closely connected to label heads, agents, and artists, and channels that perspective into helping labels and artists close the gap between built-in fan demand and the revenue they're capable of capturing.