Peloton owners are fed up with bad music after a lawsuit for copyright infringement

Ally F.'s favorite class of Peloton, a 45-minute cycling class, was crescendo to her perfect playlist: a nice warm-up on Sheryl Crow's tunes before a thrilling climb alongside Pat Benatar's powerful voice. But today, Ally is disappointed that classes now offer rehearsals of pop songs from That's what I call music catalog, ruining his workout vibrations. "Random songs are placed in the middle of an ever-coherent theme-based playlist," she said, lamenting that the trainings "do not go as before."

The changes to the music selections result from a lawsuit filed last month by Peloton when members of the National Association of Music Publishers (NMPA) filed lawsuits against the company for failing to obtain a license synchronization to use the musical work of some labels in their exercise videos. Peloton customers now say they have seen a significant deterioration in the quality of music, with remixed versions of a popular song instead of a variety of original or limited song by an artist. Users also notice that the classes they have preferred have disappeared from the catalog because they contain songs that, according to the lawsuit, violated copyrights.

"It affected my way of working. I find myself running the class for at least five minutes before I can find a playlist of 50% decent songs, "said Ally, a full-time Chicago mom. The edge. "It's annoying. "

Yet, all the songs of a specific artist have not disappeared. Pursuit names individual songs rather than entire catalogs of an album or a given artist, as the rights depend on the fact that individual song writers have consented to the sync license, which is required for videos that rely on timed music, such as a Peloton workout class, tell the entertainment. Lawyer Jeff Becker of Swanson, Martin & Bell. That's why users can watch Halsey's "Heaven in Hiding" (written by Halsey and Greg Kurstin) still playing in a class, but not "Now or Never" (written by five artists, including Halsey), even though both songs were published by the same label in the same album.

This specificity also prevents some Peloton users from finding songs they like that do not repeat the few singles of their favorite artists who have removed the copyrights.

It may seem silly to lament music selections in an exercise class, but this is a problem that fitness companies are increasingly facing as they transform into traditional media companies. Let's face it: working can be boring, and people are willing to pay the big price for someone to scream at us after sweating the last piece of Migos. Combine that with the flexibility to exercise at home whenever you want. It's a revenue strategy that has helped brands such as Equinox, Pure Barre, SoulCycle and Physique 57 build on a demographic that previously found studios inaccessible. Even companies such as ClassPass and Fitbit have also expanded their initial offering of subscription service and fitness follow-ups by offering their own guided fitness sessions for $ 8 to $ 15 per month.

But as fitness companies integrating into media creation, they are also embarking on the challenge of becoming an entertainment company. After Peloton was sued last month, some users turned to Facebook and Reddit to express their frustrations, even creating memoirs to clear up the situation. "The music of all hip-hop hip-hop clubs has been horrible. I had the bike [for] six months and over, I've never heard ONE song of T-Pain … now, I hear one at every turn, "said Gregg P., a Peloton user, in a group Facebook. "Sorry but Cher and Aretha Franklin from HIIT do not do it for me," added another user.

Some users also suggest poorly rated classes when they feel that the quality of the music has suffered considerably, but they do not support the fact that the trial may take some time to resolve. Instead, they rely on the instructors' personalities to guide them in musical selections that are not ideal.

Fitness studios and gyms are spending a lot of money for their content: Peloton currently employs dozens of instructors, each with a producer who helps them review, edit, plan and market their courses. Orangetheory recently hired a content manager and plans to create its own internal media team. These cost premiums seem to be directly transferred to customers, companies charging additional fees for access to streaming courses in addition to what they already pay to access these boutique studios. Equinox subscriptions start at $ 160 per month for one place, $ 250 per month for worldwide access, with additional introductory fees ranging from $ 200 to $ 300. To access digital on-demand training through Equinox's platform partner, Lift Digital, customers had to pay an additional $ 100 per month for an unlimited number of monthly sessions. Flywheel offers on-demand bar, yoga and weight training classes, but only for studio subscribers who start at $ 116 a month. Its cycling-specific streaming courses are reserved for people who buy the $ 1,700 Flywheel home bike.

according to Quick business, the digital fitness sector is expected to be worth $ 27 billion by 2022. With competition companies competing for more consumer interest in on-demand fitness content, they will need to assess the scale of their premiums limit. For Ally, owner of Peloton, his options are more and more numerous, especially if the company does not reach a quick resolution with the music labels.

"I paid a considerable amount [for Peloton] and I'm waiting for a premium experience. "

Platoon did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.