Lifescapes Music was started by Compass Productions in 1996. Their slogan is "Relax, Renew, Escape" and for many years they sold new age, Celtic, light classical and smooth jazz releases and other things considered relaxing online and through store kiosks across the United States and Canada, first at Best Buy stores and more recently exclusively at Target stores. The label was purchased as part of Mood Entertainment by Allegro Corporation in 2013. In December 2015, Lifescapes was sold to Digital Funding LLC.

Many of the early Lifescapes releases were all but anonymous, with the artists either profiled inside the booklet or barely mentioned at all. Their website generally credited the producers of the albums as the main artist. In later years their reissues credited their artists more normally. In addition, they signed very well known artists, including Grammy Award winners and nominees, and releasing their albums as part of the Lifescapes Artists of Note series.