PRS for Music has struck a licensing agreement with the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) for Apple Fitness+ as the workout service enters India.
Under the agreement announced Friday (December 19), IPRS will license the service in India while PRS for Music will handle processing, matching reported music usage with registered works and distributing royalties to songwriters and publishers through its cloud systems.
The structure seeks to eliminate unnecessary currency conversions and speed up payments to rightsholders. Instead of routing money through multiple channels, the structure creates a more direct path from Apple to music creators.
Sami Valkonen, Chief International Business Officer for PRS for Music, said: “We’re excited to collaborate with IPRS, our partner rightsholders, and Apple Fitness+ on this innovative approach to digital licensing.”
“This is a blueprint for how cross-border licensing can work at scale. By combining local expertise with global PRS’s global processing capability, we’re creating a faster, fairer route for royalties to reach creators wherever their music is used.”
”By combining local expertise with global PRS’s global processing capability, we’re creating a faster, fairer route for royalties to reach creators wherever their music is used.”
Sami Valkonen, PRS for Music
“As part of our drive to ensure digital services are licensed wherever they operate, partnerships like this will be key in expediting the licensing, collecting and distribution of royalties to the correct rightsholders.”
IPRS CEO Rakesh Nigam added: “We’re pleased to partner with PRS for Music to support the launch of Apple Fitness+ in India. This collaboration highlights our shared commitment to facilitating the licensing of digital services while ensuring songwriters and composers are fairly represented and paid in the expanding service offerings depending on music as a key component.”
The arrangement is critical because Apple Fitness+ leans heavily on music. The service costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 annually in the US. In India, new subscribers are offered one month of free subscription and 149 rupees ($1.66) per month thereafter. An annual subscription costs 999 rupees ($11.14).
Fitness+ users can explore workouts and meditation content with music from artists including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé.
“This collaboration highlights our shared commitment to facilitating the licensing of digital services while ensuring songwriters and composers are fairly represented and paid in the expanding service offerings depending on music as a key component.”
Rakesh Nigam, IPRS
Apple Fitness+ also offers an Audio Focus feature that lets users adjust volume between trainer instruction and music during workouts, as well as personalized recommendations, letting users see recommendations based on their favorite activities, trainers, durations and music.
Apple launched Fitness+ in 2020 and now operates in nearly 50 countries, according to the product’s dedicated webpage. The service offers 12 different types of workouts including strength, yoga, HIIT, pilates, dance, cycling, kickboxing and meditation.
Commenting on the India launch earlier this month, Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of Fitness Technologies, said: “Through its seamless integration across Apple devices, Fitness+ has helped inspire users to live a healthier day.”
“From seeing real-time, personal metrics right onscreen with Apple Watch or AirPods Pro 3, to the ability to bring the service with you wherever you go on iPhone or iPad, we’re delivering unmatched motivation to users. We couldn’t be more excited to bring this experience to even more users around the globe with our biggest expansion yet.”
Apple hinted at a Japan launch for Fitness+ “beginning early next year.”
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