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Music licensing for gyms and fitness studios in United States

Melodial for Gyms and Fitness Studios

Music licensing for gyms is confusing, expensive, and easy to get wrong. We built Melodial so you never have to think about it. Fully licensed music for your whole club, floor to reception, for $6.99 a month. The license is in the subscription.

Yes, the workout playlist on the floor counts too.

Most gym owners have no idea that playing Spotify on the floor needs a commercial license. Fair enough. Nobody tells you until a letter from a collecting society arrives.

The rules say that any music your members or staff can hear, whether it's from the floor speakers, a spin studio, or a phone at reception, counts as a public performance. Personal streaming accounts, CDs, and free-to-air radio all need a separate commercial license the moment members can hear them, and there's no exemption for a small boutique studio.

For a typical club, that license runs into the thousands every year, on top of what you pay for the music itself. We think that's a rough deal for an independent gym, so we made a version where the music and the license are the same $6.99 subscription.

A typical gym or fitness studio

Here's what the traditional route costs a typical gym or fitness studio, and what we charge instead

$4,212
$3,912
$300
Traditional / year
$69.99
Melodial Basic / year
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR license Music vendor
That's about
$4,142
back in your pocket every year, for a gym with 50 members and 500 classes a year.

Melodial Basic is $6.99/month, music and license in one bill. No ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR fee, no second streaming subscription.

Indicative only, based on a gym with 50 members and 500 classes a year. Music vendor is an estimate: a typical business subscription starts around $25 a month. Full details on our licensing guide.

If a collecting society ever contacts you, we've got your back

Certificate of Compliance included. Download your official licence certificate from your account. If ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR or any licensing body contacts your gym or fitness studio, show them the certificate. You're covered. And if you need help responding, forward us their email and we'll draft the reply.

The three rights you need to play music commercially

There are three separate rights involved in playing music in a business. The traditional system makes you deal with them across multiple bills. With Melodial, all three are in the one subscription.

Recording rights

The right to stream a specific sound recording of a song.

✓ Covered by Melodial

Publishing rights

The right to use the underlying composition and lyrics.

✓ Covered by Melodial

Public performance rights

The right to play music in a commercial environment where customers can hear it.

✓ Covered by Melodial

Melodial owns or directly licenses every track in its catalogue. None of it is registered with any collecting society, so there are no royalties to collect and no license fees to pay. Your subscription is your license.

Playlists for every part of your day

From open to close, Melodial has playlists for every moment. No explicit lyrics, no jarring transitions.

Beast Mode
Beast Mode
Driving · Bold · Relentless

Big, high-energy tracks to power the main floor.

HIIT Session
HIIT Session
Explosive · Fast · Intense

Interval-ready beats that push through every round.

Power Circuit
Power Circuit
Pumping · Strong · Motivating

Steady, motivating energy for strength and circuits.

Dance Pop
Dance Pop
Bright · Punchy · Modern

Modern dance-pop energy for peak-hour sessions.

Start your free trial to hear the full library, 50+ playlists across 30 genres.

Switch in 3 minutes

1

Sign up for a free trial. No credit card required.

2

Pick a playlist. Connect it to your speakers via the app, Bluetooth, or AUX.

3

Download your Certificate of Compliance. You're covered from that moment.

Why Melodial costs a fraction of the traditional route

Traditional

You pay ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR for the public performance license, then pay a separate streaming vendor for the music itself. Two bills, and every layer between you and the artist takes its share.

Melodial

Melodial owns or directly licenses every track. There is no ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR fee to add on top, so your subscription is both the music and the license, for $6.99/month.

Common questions from gyms and fitness studios

Does my gym really need a license?
Yes, unfortunately. If a member or staff member can hear music, whether on the floor, in a class, or at reception, it counts as a public performance and needs a commercial license, even for a small boutique studio. The good news: with Melodial, that license is already inside your $6.99/month subscription.
Can I just use my Spotify or Apple Music subscription?
We wish. Personal streaming accounts are licensed for private, non-commercial use only, so playing them where members can hear the music is still an unlicensed public performance, whatever the subscription tier. Melodial works the same way in practice, an app connected to your speakers, except the commercial license is built in.
Does one subscription cover my whole gym?
Yes, if it's the same music throughout, gym floor, studios, lobby, reception, one subscription covers it as a single stream. Want different music playing independently in different areas at the same time? That needs Melodial Plus, which adds a stream for each zone.
Do you have high-BPM music for HIIT and spin?
Yes. We have dedicated high-energy playlists, Beast Mode, HIIT Session, Power Circuit, and more, with tracks built for high-intensity workouts, spin, and circuit training.
What about music for yoga and cool-down?
We have Ambient Flow, Ambient Textures, and lo-fi playlists designed for yoga studios, cool-down sessions, and recovery rooms.
I'm a freelance instructor. Does this cover me?
Yes. Your own Melodial subscription covers you personally at any venue, gyms, community halls, parks, bootcamps. Play from your phone during classes. Your Certificate of Compliance proves you're licensed.
Do you have mainstream artists?
No, and that's exactly why you don't need a collecting society license. Our catalogue is professionally produced, high-energy fitness music. Your members won't notice the difference, they just want tracks that keep them moving.
What if my gym plays radio or Spotify sometimes too?
If you play any commercially released music, even occasionally, you'll still need a collecting society license for that music. To be fully covered without one, play Melodial exclusively.
What does Melodial Basic include for a single club?
One flat $6.99/month (or $69.99/year) subscription covers the music and the license for a single stream, playing to as many speakers as you like at one location. You get a downloadable Certificate of Compliance the moment you subscribe, and you can play via any device connected to your speakers.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No contracts and no cancellation fees. Your access continues until the end of your current billing period.
What our customers say
I am a Pilates teacher and I used Melodial for the first time last week. My students loved it. The music created a great ambience for class without being overpowering. Overall, Melodial [is an] affordable way to play background music. As a growing micro business, I'm grateful!
Ness W., Pilates instructor

Get your studio sorted today.

Music and license in one subscription, for $6.99/month. One less letter you'll ever have to worry about.

Read the full licensing guide →
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