GLL/Better leisure centre classes changing to rubbish music

[ConstanzeMozart]

Re-posting here for more traffic.

I've NC for this, but have been on here for aeons.
You likely know, if you go to a GLL/Better centre, that they're moving to make all instructors in music-/dance-based classes use the PPL-free music provided by the PowerMusic app, from March (at mine anyway), rather than paying PRS fees so instructors can use their own, original-artist music.

I'm really upset about this, as are a lot of my classmates. The music in my classes is so varied and wonderful. We all love it, and our instructors love it too; a lot of it is very personally important to them, as well as professionally inspiring. Also, I've listened to some PowerMusic stuff and, frankly, it's dreadful, computer-generated pap.
My classmates and I have got up a petition, but we're only one centre. I'm thinking that, if we can link up all the members at all other centres who aren't happy with it, and everyone basically says they'll cancel their membership if this goes ahead, they might just listen to our objections.
Essentially, Better members need to unionise, and to show that we will vote with our wallets/feet.
This post is slightly incoherent, but I hope you get my point. I'd love to hear from people in the same boat/unhappy with the upcoming change, and to see if we can get together a convincing number of dissenters (for want of a better word).

I've noticed our Better Gym music has got shit too! It's literally stopping me going to most classes.

I love a class with decent music. Don't care whether it's current pop, 80's classics, noughties Emo pop. I want the teacher to enjoy their music as it helps me work out.

This is also why I loathe body pump / les mills, the music is almost always weird, unknown crap. Except the time we had Arianna Grande triceps, loved that one!

They'll just say we'll add the cost of the PRS onto the instructors/clients. So all prices would go up. As they clearly now see it as an expense they can't afford.

Can an instructor not pay PRS for themselves?

They would say many users/members couldn't afford the increase in price. Which is true seeing as it's a public leisure centre and a lot of its users are people for whom private gyms are unaffordable/leisure centre prices are more appealing.
Zumba teachers already pay PRS, I think, if they want to use music additional to the official Zumba range of music (which is in itself expensive).
Apparently the switch will save GLL approx £1m per year, which is hard to argue with, except that I think a lot of people will vote with their feet and simply cancel their membership. Which will be GLL shooting itself in the foot.

So yours has switched already? That's interesting. Have you told/written to them to say that you're going to fewer classes and why? A bit part of their argument is
that the change in music supports their goal of increasing customer participation and reaching wider audiences. I can't see how this works myself.
My local instructors have got up a petition; I wonder if a UK-wide one would be a good idea, or lots of local ones and then we could all present the results to GLL?

One of the instructors at Nuffield was talking about this recently. She does teach at other gyms though so not sure which ones have implemented it.
I use the Les Mills app and do the oldest ones because at least the music is recognisable, even if they are covers.

Yeah and it sucks for the music artists who the money is meant to go to. And also the service users!

I think the AI generated music should be outlawed! So I guess they should just get each instructor to pay their own PRS.

One of my teachers was playing what I initially assumed was a dancy Nirvana remix recently. Then I realised it was a criminally bad cover. I got too annoyed to work out properly and was in a huff the entire track.

To rub salt into the wound she was bloody singing along. I was thinking poor Kurt must be turning in his grave.

They keep on about how it will improve things for their users, but I really can't see how. One of my dance fitness teachers currently uses music including but by no means limited to Motown, disco, Tina Turner, reggae, ska and two-tone, Arctic Monkeys, 80s Prince… It's so much fun.

I am encouraged to hear that others hate the idea or the introduction of this music too. If most Better members across the UK revolted, maybe they'd pay attention?

Personally I don't want my Better membership to go up to subsidise music I don't really care about. Ultimately gym users will have to pay for the music licence, and quite honestly, I don't want to. It's expensive enough as it is....

If I was a member I'd definitely sign your petition and publicize it.

Maybe look for instructors who could get behind it then they could spread the word with clients.

Well, you don't need to worry, they seem hell-bent on changing to PowerMusic pap.

Yes, instructors might be the way forward. I don't know how much reach they have outside their own centres though, or if an instructor in say Bath is or could easily be in contact with one in Newcastle, or Glasgow.

I think you might have to kind of be the coordinator between all the different regions! I'm presuming actual staff/management are all just saying it's going ahead and sod you type thing?

If you put up posters on site they'd get taken down, but you could print off flyers and hand them out outside the building when people are leaving/entering.

Haven't spoken to staff at my centre, but I've been in correspondence with their
Head of Health & Fitness. It is going ahead, yes. He mainly repeats the party lines about it making them 'able to offer a greater number of classes, expand the timetable, and keep classes accessible to as many people as possible'… 'support new customers getting into exercise, while still providing the classes our current customers love and enjoy.' blah blah.
Which is at least partly a blatant lie, as they obviously won't still be providing the same classes
My classmates, instructors and I have a WhatsApp group (pre-existing, for discussing things like when instructors are going to be absent/centre closures), and we've talked on it a bit, but beyond circulating the petition no one is really stepping forward and starting a big 'what shall we do' or 'I propose we do this' discussion. I think people are not quite realising what's going to happen and are in for a shock in March.

I think instructors or clients should start a petition, good music clearly makes the exercise more enjoyable and more motivating.and is just all round better…who wants to listen to crap Muzak in their leisure time. An instructor in our centre is quitting as she would have to re-plan all her routines (unpaid). They aren’t that well paid anyway.

Well, as I said, my classmates, instructors and I have got up a petition, but, really, Better members across the whole of the UK need to do a shared one or combined ones; they are the only numbers that might possibly give GLL pause.
I also fear instructors quitting, for that reason and just generally because why would you want to use Muzak if you're an ex-dancer or trained in dance and love real music? And if you can see how much your students love the music you use?

I emailed my gym about this and unsurprisingly they haven't had the courtesy to reply and explain.
Better / GLL have form for ignoring paying customers in my experience.

I know they also ignore instructors too. Really poor employer from the sound it.

TBF it's UK-wide, so not the responsibility of individual centres (and presumably above their pay grade).
I emailed their Head of Health & Fitness, Marco Coppola. As I said above, though, it didn't make a blind bit of difference.
Also emailed my local councillors and mayor, coming at it from the POV of diversity and representation, because obviously an AI-generated version of (e.g.) a Caribbean soca track is not only not performed by artists from the Caribbean or with those roots, it doesn't sound like a Caribbean artist. So far I've received a boilerplate response, but have written again and demanded a proper answer.
But it comes in on Sunday, so…

There's now a dedicated website about this to try to connect everyone and co-ordinate a campaign to get GLL to change their mind

My Leisure Centre (managed by Everyone Active) has made this change too. Everyone hates it. The music is awful and not always at a sensible speed.

Amazing, thank you for sharing!