Pump Up the Volume

When you walk onto the fitness floor or a group fitness studio at the gym, what is the first thing you hear? Music. As gym owners and operators, it is easy to get bogged down with the daily struggles of retention, member experience, operations, etc. Sometimes we forget the small things, like the importance of music.

GoodLife Fitness wanted to ensure that the fitness industry has access to affordable, enjoyable and diverse music options for members, while also making sure the music industry is guaranteed fair compensation.

The fitness company partnered with canfitpro and Re: Sound, a Canadian not-for-profit music licensing company, to develop a music tariff for fitness centers with the goal of establishing fair practices for both the music and fitness industries.

“As two proud Canadian organizations, canfitpro and GoodLife feel it is important to keep our fitness industry thriving and growing, while also supporting the incredibly talented musicians and record labels that we have in this country,” said David “Patch” Patchell-Evans, founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness.

Music is essential in motivating members to have an effective workout, but it is also crucial to ensure artists and record companies are fairly compensated for the music they create. “We approached Re: Sound so that we could create a mutually beneficial agreement that would guarantee both the fitness and music industries were able to continue thriving,” explained Dann Sawa, a government relations consultant for canfitpro.

As the largest fitness chain in Canada, Patch explained GoodLife felt it was important to take a leadership role along with canfitpro. “There is a great connection between music and exercise as it pertains to fitness classes,” added Patch. “It is important to GoodLife and the entire industry to have access to enjoyable and diverse music options that will help our members achieve their personal health and fitness goals.”

According to Sawa, establishing the music tariff was no easy task. It took considerable time and resources to create a tariff that was fair for both parties. “With over 6,000 fitness facilities in Canada and thousands of music artists, we wanted to end up with a tariff that would fit the needs of both large industries,” he said. “Ultimately it was the meaningful collaboration with Re: Sound that produced a tariff both industries felt was fair and the Copyright Board of Canada could certify.”

GoodLife Fitness and canfitpro devoted substantial financial resources and upwards of 10,000 staff hours, over eight years, working through the tariff certification process. The Copyright Board of Canada finally approved the tariff in March 2015.

“The Re: Sound Fitness Tariff gives all fitness professionals, club owners and operators a clear and consistent tariff structure that is simple to understand and manage and is affordable for fitness club operators,” said Sawa. “We are hopeful this inaugural tariff will also provide a model for future years.”