There are fours PROs (Performance Rights Organizations) for licensing in the U.S.: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR. Each PRO represents a different catalogue of composers and writers and in theory, you do not have to pay all four PROs - but you can't ever be sure that all songs you are playing have rights represented by just one of those. We strongly advise you to pay to all four (or subscribe to the GYM Radio, read below). One of the main reasons why there are four is that the anti-monopoly rules in the US forbid only one company to collect all music fees.
Getting a license from all four PROs is not as easy as you might think. The ASCAP page doesn't even include "fitness facility" as an option and the GMR registration link is just opening an email address. We have decided to collect the fees for all 4 PROs on your behalf so you don't have to deal with it. The four PROs fees are already included in the GYM Radio Pro subscription.
All the four PRO fees will be included in the GYM Radio Pro subscription.
Using any of those services at your gym doesn't cover your licensing fees, even if you are using the premium versions. In fact, all of those services are for non-commercial use only and you shouldn't use them at your gym.
Please be aware, that background music licensing can't be used for active fitness classes. It can be used only as "background music". You have to request a separated licensing where the licensing fees depend on the number of people and number of classes.
It is clear that a better workout experience leads to higher retention. Hospitality is a great example. The hospitality industry is all about experiences that keep retention high. They think about all the aspects of the customers’ journey, including the smell of the shampoo and the music in the lobby. Have you thought about your music as well? It's quite important.
Marketing is most of the time focused outside the gym, and most of the budget is spent on member acquisition. And I totally understand why, you need to hit the new members' KPIs. But acquisition is just the beginning of the funnel, not the end, and some of the budget should be spent on engagement and retention.
It’s almost January and your gym will be flooded with new members again. You’ll probably experience a flow of different groups with different characters, your music should change to fit the group(s) currently in your gym.
