Yes! Music and Yes!GO
We created our Yes!GO music subscription service to provide you with the most motivating music for your workouts. To workout with our music you need no additional music licenses, but if you are planning to use this music for "commercial" purposes, like in-person event or for public fitness classes or a public performances, then you need to be aware that additional licenses like a "Public Performance License" might be required. Usually these are secured by a business or venue owner, or producer of an event, but sometimes this can be an individual person's responsibility as we explain below. If you are looking for the right to also stream or videotape content for on-demand playback on a platform like Intellivideo or Vimeo, you will need additional licenses to be able to "syncronise" our music with your video images. We address special license projects like these in another article under this Music Licensing Section.
How do I use music legally if I am using it for a class?
There are 2 licenses that are secured by Yes! Music so that you can use our CDs, downloads and our Yes!GO subscription for your personal workouts and personal enjoyment.
Mechanical Reproduction Rights:
- Obtained from the owners of the underlying musical compositions.( i.e: song writers and their publishing companies).
- Yes! Music licenses mechanical reproduction rights so that it can distribute downloads, CDs and limited downloads.
Master Recording Rights:
- Obtained from the owners of the actual recording (like record labels and artists).
- “Personal use only” digital platforms like, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora or Amazon do NOT hold a “Master Recording License” for commercial use - they only have the right to provide a service to users for personal enjoyment and are therefore not legally licensed to use in public settings. See below for Apple and Spotify Terms of Service.
- Yes! Fitness Music owns all of its own recordings and DOES hold a “Master Recording License” for commercial use - and is therefore those recordings are legal to play in both personal and commercial settings.
However, an additional license is required if you are using the music in a public space, gym or studio. This is the called the Public Performance License.
Performance Licenses:
- Obtained from Performing Rights Organizations (PRO’s): ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR
- Every song has writers and writers will almost always affiliate with one of the 4 PROs in the USA. Writers grant these associations the rights to license and collect on public performances of their songs. This includes performances on radios, TV, in background of nightclubs, restaurants, stadiums, gyms and even Elevator and Music-On-Hold phone systems.
- Most gyms pay these license fees, but independent instructors teaching outside of licensed venues are responsible to obtain these licenses and pay these fees. Check with your club. Contact information for the 4 U.S. PROS is included below.
If you are using the music in public, make sure your venue is paying yearly Performance Rights fees to BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and GRM. If you are not affiliated with a venue or club, seek out the licenses you'd need by contacting the 4 PROs below.
Avoid using personal-use only digital music platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Tidal, Pandora or Amazon Music for anything other than just personal listening.
For additional resources and specific information, please check out the FAQ sections on the websites of ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GRM. Links are below:
ASCAP: https://www.ascap.com/help/ascap-licensing
BMI: https://www.bmi.com/licensing/#faqs
SESAC: https://www.sesac.com/#/business-owners/licensing-faqs
GRM: https://globalmusicrights.com/Licensing
But I Thought Apple Music and Spotify Were Licensed For Classes, They Aren't?
Apple and Spotify are consumer services and their terms of service are pretty clear that they are limited to personal, noncommercial use. If you are earning money playing their music, those services can not legally be used.
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