Australia Music Licensing Update
On May 17, 2010, the Copyright Tribunal of Australia ruled in favor of significantly increased music licensing fees, as requested by the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA). To avoid paying hefty fees, fitness facilities and group fitness instructors could opt to play royalty-free music. However, on appeal from Fitness Australia, the Federal Court recently overturned that ruling. “We are of the opinion that the Tribunal did conduct itself in a way which was procedurally unfair to Fitness Australia,” stated the Federal Court.
Don’t Fear the Gear, Part 1: Signal Flow
The ways of the sound system often seem mysterious. What do all those knobs do, anyway? Why does it sound great one day and terrible the next? Most group fitness instructors are simply content to find the “on” switch. Yet we all know that an audio breakdown is frustrating (and embarrassing), not only to us, but to our participants.
Music Licensing Mayhem: How Will Fees Affect YOU?
July 2013; $10 per class in July 2014;
$12.50 per class in July 2015; and finally
$15 per class beginning in July 2016
(Fitness Australia 2010).
Until the outcome of an appeal filed by
Fitness Australia is known, these fees will be
collected and held in a “suspense” account,
to be paid to the PPCA or refunded to the
fitness facilities accordingly (Fitness
Australia 2010).
The Value of Audio
If there’s one thing that can kill a facility tour, it’s a “black hole.” You know them well: those large areas of your facility that, when unoccupied, silently suck your budget into the operating-costs abyss. Silent tennis courts, empty swimming pools and, yes, even vacant group fitness studios fall into this category. And at the center of the group fitness black hole (well, usually in a corner or a closet) is a black box: the audio system.
Australian Courts Approve Music Licensing Fee Hike
On May 17, the Australian Copyright Tribunal voted to increase rates paid by fitness facilities for licensed music used in fitness classes. The new fee structure requires facilities to pay $15 (AUS) per class, or $1 (AUS) per participant ($0.866 [U.S.] at time of reporting); previously, gyms paid $0.97 (AUS) per class. The request was filed by the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), a nonprofit organization that provides nonexclusive licenses for protection of sound recordings and music videos.
How Fast Is That Music?
When you teach group fitness classes, music is probably the most important “equipment” you work with. Appropriate music speed is a key ingredient in both motivation levels and exercise safety. Having an arsenal of premixed, measured and timed music is a convenient and popular way to prepare for class. Music technology has come a long way; fitness CDs, MP3s and music management software help us gather all the information we need.
Joyful Music and Laughter Do the Heart Good
Music that makes you happy also benefits your cardiovascular system. That encouraging finding emerged from a small study presented in November 2008 at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
Music or No Music?
In a previous issue of Inner IDEA Body-Mind-Spirit Review, we asked: Does playing music in yoga or Pilates classes detract from or enhance the experience? What are the pros and cons?
Clubs May See Huge Rise in Music License Fees
Group exercise
music in Australia may become a luxury. A press release from the International
Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) reports that clubs playing
music in group exercise classes could face more than a 3,000% increase in
licensing fees.
Currently, fitness facilities
pay a per-class fee of $0.99 in Australian dollars…
Mom, I’m at the Gym Doing Homework (Really!)
IT is 5 p.m. on a Tuesday and Victor Cal and Suliman Sharif, both 14, have already taken Overtime Fitness in Mountain View, Calif., by storm. They hopped wildly on the flashing lighted squares of an In the Groove dance pad, rode stationary bikes, shared cellphone pictures, chatted with a personal trainer and played a rousing game of table tennis. The pair, friends since seventh grade, once spen…
The Beat Goes On: The Effects of Music on Exercise
How does music affect exercise—and the
exerciser?
Economist Supports End to Music Piracy Protection
The way in which group fitness instructors obtain music for classes has changed immensely over the past 5–10 years. The online music marketplace offers diversity and ease of use, but digital-rights management (DRM) software prevents copying of music sold online. If Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Computers, has any say in it, the era of such restrictions could soon be over. In Februa…
Music in Pilates Classes?
Typically, music isn’t a component in Pilates classes. The reasoning: It’s already hard enough to make the initial body-mind connection without the added distraction. When people are new to Pilates classes, they need to hear and understand the directives and explanations. The focus is on breath control, alignment, stability and maintaining a neutral spine, not on rhythm and lyrics.
Highlights From the 50th Annual Meeting of the ACSM
Walking Intensity and Bone Mineral Density
Fogleman, K.M., Borer, K.T., & Sowers, M.R. 2003. Walking intensity stimulates increases in BMD in post-menopausal women. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35 (5, Supplement), Abstract 95.
Menopause is often associated with a loss in bone mineral density (BMD). Although exercise has been shown to increase BMD in postmenopausal women, the exact mechanism is presently unclear, as are the intensity and types of exercise that will elicit this response.
What Older Adults Want
At the 2002 World Fitness IDEA® convention, held this past summer in San Diego, the hot topic among attendees was teaching older adults. As all of this year’s IDEA award recipients emphasized in their acceptance remarks, not only is it cool and fun to teach the older-adult population, but it’s prudent as well. With the baby boomer wave cresting, teaching older adults really is an investment in your own future!
IDEA Opinion Statement: Recommendations for Music Volume in Fitness Settings
Music volume in fitness facilities continues to be a concern in the fitness industry.
Keeping Members Happy When the Music Slows Down, Problem Solver
problem solver
Keeping Members Happy
When the Music Slows Down
Q: A:
When teaching step classes, how can I (and my fellow instructors) successfully switch from music that is too fast to music that meets safety standards, without losing or upsetting participants accustomed to a faster pace? Our group fitness director recently talked to us about slowing down our music in order to stay within the…
Striking the Right Chord With the Music You Choose
Most group fitness professionals can attest to the power of music in a group setting. But did you ever stop to consider how your music choices affect the people in…
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