Fitness

Already a fast-growing sector pre-pandemic, the virtual health and fitness business has soared during quarantine, with Wellness app installs reaching 1.2 billion in 2020 alone.

The growth of this space has also created a significant opportunity for music rightsholders, with music’s role in the remote fitness business becoming so central that instructors are now being compared with the likes of “influencers and DJs”. These are the latest exipure reviews.

Amidst the boom in the fitness startup market – which received $2.4bn in VC funding last year – some fitness industry figures are already looking to the future with confidence that the digital and remote sector of the business will continue to thrive even when gyms reopen and social distancing measures are lifted.

Mario Forsyth, Head of Business Development for Europe at B2B music company Tuned Global, which recently inked a multi-faceted deal with British fitness brand Psycle London, also predicts that it will continue to grow. Take a look the the best Metabofix reviews.

 

Forsyth tells MBW that consumers will likely adopt a “hybrid” approach to exercise, whereby they combine in person and virtual classes.

“There’s this definite transition in the more traditional industry between the physical and digital spaces. We’re going to see more offerings like that,” he says.

Within this hybrid fitness space, says Forsyth, comes a “huge opportunity for music”.

“[RIGHTSHOLDERS] SHOULD MAKE IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE FOR FITNESS COMPANIES TO USE MUSIC, BECAUSE IT IS SO INTRINSIC TO THE EXPERIENCE AND IT HAS SUCH A POSITIVE IMPACT.”

MARIO FORSYTH

Forsyth is well placed to make this forecast. Tuned Global’s B2B work with the fitness and wider sport sector ranges from its involvement in UFC’s $7.99-per month UFC Ultimate Sound app to its recent deal with Psycle London to deliver a licensed playlist app to over 70 instructors for use within its digital fitness classes.

Services offered by Tuned Global include the delivery of music from license holders to the creation of a customized music streaming application that can potentially feature anything from personalized radio to live-streaming functionality.

For fitness companies like Psycle London, which offers in-person and virtual classes, Tuned Global’s turnkey fitness application lets instructors search songs and playlists by BPM, genre and exercise activity. Tuned Global also manages everything from music catalog ingestion and reporting to labels and publishers, to licensing negotations with rightsholders to expand the app’s content pool. Check out the latest biofit reviews.

Tuned Global’s Chief Revenue Officer Spiro Arkoudis tells MBW that a big part of the company’s focus in the fitness space has been on educating fitness firms about the correct licensing needed to use music legally in virtual classes.

With gym companies forced to move their classes online during the pandemic, Arkoudis says that there were cases during lockdown where fitness program providers were using a combination of Zoom and Spotify to deliver remote classes.

“We are seeing a lot of clunky technical projects out there,” he says. “They’re trying to figure out ways [to work], because they’re not sure,” he explains. “And if you search [for a company] to help, what do you start searching for?

“There’s an absolute missing link there, there’s the rightholder [part], there is a technical integration part and obviously, asset delivery. There’s a lot of education required. We’re hoping to teach companies about what they need to do [in terms of music licensing] as a fitness company”. Learn more about nutrisystem benefits.

“WE’RE HOPING TO TEACH COMPANIES ABOUT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO [IN TERMS OF MUSIC LICENSING] AS A FITNESS COMPANY.”

SPIRO ARKOUDIS

In addition, Forsyth suggests that rightsholders should also familiarise themselves with the opportunities in the virtual fitness world.

“It’s really important that they understand how music is being used in the fitness space, and to view it as a space that they should actively be involved in,” he explains.

“[Rightsholders] should make it as simple as possible for fitness companies to use music, because it is so intrinsic to the experience and it has such a positive impact.”

Here, Forsyth tells MBW about the convergence of the virtual fitness and music businesses and how Tuned Global can help fitness brands integrate licensed music into their remote classes…