Music licence for gyms and fitness studios: how the cost really works

Gyms and fitness studios almost always need TheMusicLicence, and they’re a special case: music isn’t just background — in classes it’s central to the activity, so PPL and PRS for Music apply specific fitness tariffs alongside any general background music on the gym floor. That makes gym bills more complex, and complexity is where over-charges hide.

What drives the cost for a gym?

• Background music in the gym floor and reception (a general audible-area element).
• Exercise-to-music classes — typically billed by the number of classes and attendees, on dedicated fitness tariffs.
• The mix of the two, plus opening hours and number of sites.
• Whether previously unlicensed use has triggered a first-year higher rate.

What does it typically cost?

Because the fitness class element is priced on class volume and attendance rather than a simple floor area, there’s no single headline figure — a boutique studio running many classes can pay very differently from a gym that just plays background music. This is exactly the kind of account where we don’t guess: the accurate figure comes from your class schedule and invoice, so send them over for a precise check.

Where gyms commonly overpay

• Class numbers or attendance figures overstated, or old timetables never updated.
• Being billed for classes that stopped running, or studios that closed.
• Background-music floor area over-measured.
• A first-year higher rate left on beyond year one.

Send us your invoice and class schedule and we’ll check the fitness and background elements against the official tariffs, for free — and tell you honestly if it’s already correct. No savings, no fee.

• How TheMusicLicence is calculated →
• The 50% higher royalty rate explained →
• How to check your music licence invoice →

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and MLC is an independent consultancy — not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.