Vikings, disco fairies and 80s throwbacks: three things you probably wouldn’t associate with a fitness session.

On one afternoon in Bordon in September 2023 around 100 people gave spinning a go during a series of taster classes at the town’s leisure centre.

Sure, exercise bikes were central to the sessions, but each class had a different theme and was backed with its own bespoke and carefully choreographed soundtrack. Each instructor brought their own theme to a unique fitness party, with every taste catered for.

But fast forward two years, and the rock and pop music which once inspired spinner Marina Bailey to pedal hard has fallen flat. Instead, her instructor has been forced to ditch her soundtrack and the resulting change in tunes has made her want to run to the hills like an Iron Maiden fan.

“The music is now all identical and there’s no difference between one teacher and another,” said Marina following changes in music licensing at Everyone Active leisure centres which has effectively banned instructors from belting out their own playlists.

“Music is the most fundamental part of the classes I’ve been going to. But they’ve stopped it and given it away, and I think it’s an absolute disgrace.”

The change in tone began in late 2023, just a few months after those eclectic taster sessions in Bordon, when leisure centre operators Everyone Active (EA) and Pure Energy Music (PEM) began a partnership.

The latter became EA’s “music provider of choice” with their streaming app providing the soundtrack to group exercise classes at 142 fitness facilities.

Back then, more than 1,500 instructors were utilising the app, but that figure is rising with more than 450 fitness locations around the UK now utilising its “expertly curated music to optimise workouts”.

Like Spotify and Apple Music, PEM is a subscription service model. But crucially, it’s been deemed more cost effective by EA with the decision by the firm – which runs leisure centres in Farnham, Bordon, Alton, Petersfield and Haslemere among others – forcing some instructors to face the music…

The instructor the Post & Herald meets in a café somewhere in Hampshire is not a happy one. The phrases “everyone hates it” and “it’s an absolute disaster” are uttered early in our chat before the instructor goes into the financials of PRS and PPL and the factors which have led to the controversial changes.

Basically, there’s no singular flat fee as there’s some correlation between the licence cost and the size of the venue. So when you’re a chain with hundreds of gyms and thousands of different classes, it’s all going to add up. By avoiding paying these fees and switching to PEM, which plays similar but-not-quite-the-real-thing songs, Everyone Active is making big savings.

Bosses know there have been complaints from both instructors and class members, both locally and nationally, but people eventually get used to change.

And indeed, some EA leisure centre users in the Post & Herald area seem happy exercising to a different beat. We asked our readers through one of our Facebook pages to get in touch, with Alton Leisure Centre user Victoria Jarman replying to our message.

She said: “We went to two classes this week and thankfully both had very different playlists as no-one wants two classes to be the same, as it gets too boring that way. Wednesday was more EDM (electronic dance music) and yesterday had a mix of pop, country and rock, so it was a great mix.

“I think if they do try to control playlists then instructors will lose passion and guests will lose interest, though.”

However, it’s worth nothing that while EA are a business, they’ve also received plenty of public money from the likes of East Hampshire District Council and Waverley Borough Council to name but two authorities.

They’ve also just increased membership charges and reportedly didn’t consult class users about the changes. Many have said they would be happy to pay more money to cover licence costs if it meant keeping classes bespoke.

“They have put our membership up by £3 a month and that’s raised a revenue of £1million in the same month they’ve taken the licence away,” said Marina in an interview with Petersfield’s Shine Radio.

“If they’re going to make cuts then music should be the last place they take it away. This is a public site and it’s uses public finances – we would 100 per cent pay more if we could keep the music we love.”

She added: “The amount of public money being invested into Everyone Active has been massive.

“I’ve had a look at their pre-tax profit and their turnover is a massive £27million. Surely they can afford music licences?”

Dave West, manager of the Taro Centre in Petersfield, admits there’s been issues about the “big changes” with played music having to be licence-free.

The decision was made over his head and is becoming industry-wide, and he appreciates the fit has been an awkward one for some classes.

He said: “We’ve definitely had negative feedback over it, but the decision wouldn’t have been made lightly.

“Every comment is fed upward so EA will be aware. If the complaints are enough, you never know, someone further up the chain may say ‘hang on’.”

Instructors have a nuclear option: leave or go freelance and pay for their own licence, but with that you lose job security.

It also begs the question: is there a long-term strategy to move to virtual lessons?

“I understand it from a business perspective, not having to pay licences to play music,” said the instructor from earlier in this article, who the Post & Herald has agreed to keep anonymous.

“But when you look at the individuality, every person that comes to an aqua or spin class comes for the music. It’s not just music but the individuality and the characters that leads the sessions and compiles the playlist.”

“I think a lot of customers will stop coming because it’s not what they thought.”

Everyone Active says they’ve introduced licence-free music across its group exercise programme in response to the rising costs of traditional music licences. They insist the PEM platform includes tools such as tempo control and interval timers to help instructors deliver sessions that match the pace and format of each class.

The spokesperson added: “While the tracks may not be mainstream, they’ve been carefully designed to complement each style of workout.

“In fact, this music has already been used in some of our classes for several years, where it has received positive feedback from participants.

“We understand that any change to the music can feel different at first, and we’re sorry if this has impacted anyone’s experience.

“We’re supporting our instructors through the transition to help ensure the classes remain as engaging and motivating as ever.”

For our mystery instructor, though, it all feels like a crescendo and believes councils need to listen in.

They said: “Given they’ve spent all this public money I do feel councils should be consulted. They ought to step in.

“Music is integral to every class, as every beat and break is taken into account. A generic beat doesn’t do that, and never will.”