Will new PPCA music fees bring about a two-tier club system?

by Oliver Kitchingman | Monday, August 02, 2010

The Network Blog recently posted the topic ‘One word to describe the reality of teaching with PPCA free music – fine!’, which generated a considerable response. The comments made by numerous instructors, and the occasional participant, clearly illustrate the differing opinions about the issue.

The fitness industry has spent a huge amount of time, money and energy fighting the PPCA through the courts, in a bid to prevent the massive price hike from $1 per class to $15 per class. However, the music industry won, and the fitness industry has responded by moving, largely, to a PPCA-free model whereby many clubs are now using exclusively non-original-artist music.  ...read more

One word to describe the reality of teaching with PPCA Free Music - FINE!

by Ryan Hogan | Wednesday, July 07, 2010

For this blog post I am putting on my ‘instructor’ hat as opposed to my sales manager one. Working at Network has given me some great insights into the inner workings of how clubs are changing over to using PPCA free music – but being an instructor I have also experienced it personally.

Along with many of my colleagues out there who have been teaching for a long time, I have had to recently restock my entire music library in order to continue instructing. I must admit that when I first heard news of the PPCA’s plans to massively hike up the cost of using original music in classes, and then when the Tribunal hearing ruled in its favour, my reaction was of surprise and dismay at the thought of not being able to use most of the music I have collected over the years. But, as with everyone else, I immediately began researching where I could acquire this new ‘PPCA-free’ music and began to buy.  ...read more

PPCA wins substantial increase in fees for group exercise classes

by Ryan Hogan | Sunday, May 16, 2010

After years of legal wrangling, the Copyright Tribunal has today awarded the PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) a huge increase in fees payable by fitness facilities for playing original artist music in group exercise classes. The new fee structure dictates that fitness facilities must now pay either $15 per class flat fee, or $1 per class attendee.  ...read more

In addition to fitness centres, the PPCA now looks to increase music royalties in cafes and restaurants.

by Ryan Hogan | Thursday, August 06, 2009

It appears that the always money hungry PPCA (the organization that represents recording companies and artists in Australia) is not content with increase of fees they are now enjoying from the night club industry, and the potential increase in revenue from the Fitness Industry, they have now decided to attack cafe & restaurant businesses.  ...read more

Record industry tries to impose $100m tax on fitness

by Ryan Hogan | Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Fitness facilities around Australia are facing an unprecedented hike in the fees they pay for music – a huge increase of more than 4,000 per cent in many cases – if the Copyright Tribunal upholds a record industry claim to change the rate of music licence fees. If the record industry gets away with it, a typical fitness club with 1,300 members will be forced to pay $140,000 in annual fees, a massive increase on the $2,654 they currently pay. Many of these fitness centres are small owner-operators and this increase will have a disastrous impact on their businesses and on jobs – all because record industry bosses are looking for easy targets to plug the gap left by declining CD sales.  ...read more