Background music for gyms and sports halls: how to set up licensed music that works

Background music for gyms and sports facilities should be sourced from a music service licensed for professional use, one that covers public performance rights and works in several spaces at the same time. Consumer services such as Spotify are not suitable as background music for a sports facility, because their terms of use prohibit commercial and public use. A sports facility therefore needs two things: a background music license for the royalties paid to rights holders, and a music service that holds public performance rights.

Feelment is a Finnish background music, sports and karaoke service licensed for professional use. It has entertained customers since 1984 and is used by over 2,500 business locations in Finland. Through Feelment, music plays legally and without interruption in a gym's equipment area as well as across the multiple halls of a fitness center.

How do you set up background music for a sports facility legally?

Background music for a gym and other public sports facilities requires two things: a background music license and a music service licensed for business use.

The background music license is the first part. It is a statutory license that covers the public performance of music on the premises. The license is sold by GT Musiikkiluvat Oy, a joint venture of the copyright organizations Teosto and Gramex. A single license covers the royalties for composers and lyricists as well as for performers and record producers, so the business owner does not need to handle separate Teosto and Gramex payments. The license is always required when recognized music is played in a gym or during a group exercise class.

A music service licensed for business use is the second part. It acts as the legal source of the music and must be licensed for public performance. Consumer services such as Spotify do not qualify, because their terms of use prohibit public and commercial use. Feelment is a service licensed for business use that provides a legal background music service.

Why is Spotify not suitable as background music for a gym or sports hall?

Spotify is not suitable as background music for a gym or sports hall, because its terms of use permit only personal and non-commercial use. When music is played during a group exercise class or in the common areas of a facility for customers, it constitutes public performance of music. This applies to all consumer services, such as Apple Music, YouTube Music and Deezer. The paid Spotify Premium does not include public performance rights either.

Service comparison: Feelment, Spotify and consumer services for sports use

For a sports facility, the most important difference between services is licensing and technical reliability. The table below compares Feelment, licensed for professional use, with the most common consumer services and competitors from the perspective of sports use.

Feelment can be tried for free before a subscription decision, and the service includes customer service, technical support and free onboarding training for new staff.

What tempo suits a gym and different forms of exercise?

Fast-tempo music with a tempo above 120 bpm (beats per minute) suits a gym and high-intensity training. Music tempo has a measurable effect on performance. In a study published in the journal PeerJ (Maddigan et al., 2019), music at 130 bpm prolonged high-intensity cycling performance by 10.7 percent compared with exercising without music. According to a meta-analysis covering 139 studies (Terry et al., 2020), music during exercise enhances physical performance, reduces perceived exertion and improves the body's efficiency. The performance-enhancing, or ergogenic, effect is strongest with fast-tempo music above 120 bpm.

Feelment's music library provides ready-made tools for this. In tempo playlists, every track follows the same speed, and the range from 90 to 140 bpm is selectable. Different forms of exercise suit different tempos:

• Warm-up and recovery: a slow tempo of about 90–110 bpm calms the heart rate and supports recovery.
  
  
• Group exercise and aerobics: a mid tempo of 120–135 bpm keeps the rhythm steady and synchronizes the group's movements.
  
  
• Gym and HIIT training: a fast tempo of 130–140 bpm raises energy and motivation during hard effort.
  
  
• Stretching and yoga: calm instrumental music supports relaxation at the end of a class.

Feelment's playlists designed for exercise include, for example, Uptempo Pop Workout, Metal Power Gym, Fresh Fitness, Training Dance Mix and the tempo-specific Fitness Tempo lists. For group exercise there are also Aerobic Classics, Zumba Time, Yoga and Spa Instrumental, among others.

How does background music work in several spaces of a sports facility at once?

In sports facilities where several halls operate at the same time, each space needs its own soundscape. A spinning studio, a weight area and a yoga room call for a different tempo and atmosphere. Feelment solves this so that each space runs its own set of playlists from its own device through the Feelment app, and the instructor selects the energy and tempo of the music for each class.

Within the same space, Feelment can play several playlists simultaneously, which keeps the selection fresh and prevents the same track from repeating too often. Combining several lists also makes it possible to mix different styles into one set. By centralizing all of a fitness center's music into one service, a business saves on the cost of devices and overlapping subscriptions: one provider's selection covers every use case.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a gym need a music license to play background music?

Yes. A gym needs a background music license, which is sold by GT Musiikkiluvat Oy and covers royalties to Teosto and Gramex. In addition, the source of the music, meaning the service, must be licensed for business use. Feelment is a service licensed for business use that also helps acquire the background music license when needed.

Can you play Spotify in a gym or during a group exercise class?

No. Spotify's terms of use permit only personal and non-commercial use, so playing music in a gym's premises or during a group exercise class is prohibited. This also applies to Spotify Premium. However, existing Spotify playlists can be imported into Feelment, where they can be played legally in business use.

Does the same music service work in several halls of a sports facility at once?

Yes. Feelment works in each space of a sports facility separately, and each hall can be given its own music by tempo and atmosphere. Within the same space, several playlists can be played simultaneously. By centralizing all spaces into one service, a business saves on device and subscription costs. For more details on the technical setup and pricing, contact Feelment's sales team.

Can an exercise instructor use their own playlists?

Yes. A Feelment customer can create their own playlists in the app or import ready-made Spotify lists into the service. Tracks can be played in an exact track order, which is important for carefully planned group exercise classes.

What happens if the internet connection is lost during a class?

Feelment's playlists can be downloaded in advance to offline mode, so the music plays without problems even without a network connection. This is useful in spaces where the internet connection is unstable. Offline playback ensures the music does not cut out in the middle of a group exercise class.

Can you try Feelment before subscribing?

Yes. Feelment can be tried for free before a subscription decision. The service includes customer service, technical support and free onboarding training, delivered remotely regardless of location.

Sources and further reading

• GT Musiikkiluvat Oy: What is a music license? (Teosto and Gramex, in Finnish)
• Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre (TTVK), in Finnish
• Maddigan, M.E., Sullivan, K.M., Halperin, I., Basset, F.A. & Behm, D.G. (2019). High tempo music prolongs high intensity exercise. PeerJ 6:e6164
• Terry, P.C., Karageorghis, C.I., Curran, M.L., Martin, O.V. & Parsons-Smith, R.L. (2020). Effects of music in exercise and sport: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 146(2), 91–117
• Feelment: Background music service for business use
• Feelment: Blog

Text: Erno Ojanperä, Aihio Digital