WITH concerts and festivals continuing to be cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, music fans have had to look to other outlets to get their music fill. And it may surprise you to learn that Peloton is one of these outlets.
The sports equipment brand's app has quickly established itself as a bonafide music streaming service thanks to partnerships with artists like Usher and Dillon Francis. We take a closer look.
Before the pandemic began, Peloton was best known for its home exercise bikes and connected treadmills. Now the American company is nearly just as well known for its sports programmes set to the tunes of Lady Gaga and Queen.
It recently announced a collaboration with the British rock band to include hits like 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Don't Stop Me Now' in its fitness sessions.
"Each Peloton x Queen curated playlist will express the band's sound in a way that is unique to the in-class experience and the Instructors, Queen megafans in their own right," Peloton said in a statement.
The reference in connected fitness has forged a similar partnership with multi-platinum rapper Usher, whose tracks are being used to host some virtual dance classes. But that's not all: the "Yeah!" performer has joined forces with sports coaches Ally Love and Emma Lovewell to teach amateur dancers the choreography to his song, 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love'.
Work out with Beyoncé and Dillon Francis
According to Gwen Bethel Riley, Peloton's head of music, the experience allows the company to bring a new dimension to its sports sessions.
"Usher is one of the most respected artists and dancers in the business," she noted.
"Partnering with Usher has truly elevated our Peloton Dance Cardio experience. It allowed us to produce a program designed to celebrate the moves you love from his famous music videos and performances, set to a slamming soundtrack of the hits."
This marketing strategy allows the New York-based company to maintain subscribers amidst a decline that followed the boom at the beginning of the pandemic. While Peloton has long been favoured by celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Hugh Jackman and Usain Bolt, the pandemic allowed it to conquer a wider audience.
The John Foley-led company now claims 5.9 million members, with subscription revenue reaching US$281.6 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. However, the reopening of gyms has clouded the brand's future prospects.
The average number of monthly sessions per connected device fell from 26 in the third quarter to 19.9 in the fourth.
In order to put the brakes on this trend, Peloton is adjusting its equipment prices and upgrading its sports content. Music and partnerships with top artists are a key element of the latter strategy.
Beyoncé has been working with the brand since late 2020 on a multi-year partnership that allows her to use her image and music for fitness sessions. More recently, the stationary bicycle maker has enlisted the help of DJs Dillon Francis, Big Boi, Chromeo and John Michael Di Spirito to remaster hits by Elvis Presley and Debbie Gibson for its fitness classes.
Part of Peloton's DNA
While some of these initiatives may seem surprising, they demonstrate to what extent music is an integral part of Peloton's DNA. In fact, the company even organised its own virtual music festival, "All For One," in July.
For three days, its subscribers were able to work out to the beat of tracks by 25 artists such as Tina Turner, Demi Lovato and Pearl Jam. "We're constantly engaged with the music community – they're pitching us, and we're pitching them," Gwen Bethel Riley told Variety at the time of the festival.
But Peloton hasn't always had a smooth relationship with the music industry. The National Music Publishers Association sued it back in March 2019 for copyright infringement of a thousand songs used in its virtual sports courses.
The two sides reached a settlement less than a year later. Since then, Peloton has made amends by becoming one of the top actors when it comes to music streaming payments. The company reportedly pays artists better than industry giants like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, according to The Trichordist. Enough to encourage music to get into the sport. – ETX Daily Up, December 13, 2021
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