Fitness and music go hand-in-hand. For many people, a good workout is nearly impossible without a high-tempo soundtrack driving them on. Sixty-four per cent of Canadians say they couldn’t even imagine a gym or fitness class without music. Research has shown that playing the right music can help gym goers have a more effective and more enjoyable workout. But the benefits to gyms and their customers don’t end there. Here are five ways music helps fitness centers and gyms make money:

 

1. Music Gets Your Heart Rate Up

The benefits of listening to music at the gym may begin before you’ve even started exercising. Multiple studies have shown that listening to up-tempo music causes your heartbeat to quicken and the rate of your respiration to increase. Together, they help your body prepare for the workout to come; a gym that plays the right music helps their customers get fit from the very first moment they walk in the door. And customers who get better results are naturally inclined to keep coming back.

 

2. Music Provides Motivation

It’s no secret that music can help you power through a workout: 69% of Canadians think music motivates them at the gym. And the science backs them up. Research shows that listening to a fast-paced song can help you keep moving quickly in time with the music or distract you from how tired and sore you’re beginning to feel. Plus, it can also produce advantageous physical responses in your body during exercise: as Scientific American reported, one study found that people who synced their movements to the beats of the music they were listening to used 7% less oxygen than those who didn’t.

 

3. Music Keeps Gym-Goers Happy

Not only do gym-goers have a better, more productive workout when they’re listening to the right music, they also enjoy themselves more while doing it. Seventy-four per cent of Canadians like to hear music being played in their gyms or fitness classes. Research carried out on behalf of the British music licensing company PPL found that a majority of gym-goers said they would be more loyal to a gym that played music — about half would consider changing gyms if theirs stopped playing music. Providing the right soundtrack can keep your customers happy.

 

4. Music Builds a Gym’s Brand

The vast majority of people agree that music helps to build an affinity between a business and their customers: 84% of Canadians think that playing the right music can be beneficial to a business; 75% believe the music a business plays impacts their brand. PPL’s research shows the businesses that benefit include gyms; in their poll of British adults, they found that 72% said a gym playing music has a better image than one that doesn’t.

 

5. Music Can Improve Post-Workout Recoveries

The benefits music can provide don’t end when the workout is over. According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, music may also play a helpful role during a post-workout recovery. Subjects listening to music were found to walk more steps during their cool down, their blood lactate levels fell more quickly and they reported feeling like the recovery process was less demanding.

 

You can learn more about the benefits music brings to fitness centers, gyms and other businesses — as well as other findings about the value of music on the Music Has Value website.

If you’re a music creator, you deserve fair compensation for your work. If your songs are being played by fitness centers, gyms or other businesses, you may be entitled to royalties. Learn more and search our database today.