You might use a steady piece during a slow flow, something more spacious for savasana, and silence when students need to hear your cues. But the music you play in the studio may not be licensed for a livestream or a recorded class.
First, decide where students will hear the music and whether they can replay it later.
In-person class: You’re playing music to students in a physical space. Ask the studio or venue what its music arrangements cover if you rent the room or teach there as a guest. Don’t assume a venue license automatically covers every track or playback service you bring.
Livestream: You’re sending music to students over the internet. Permission for music in the studio may not cover the online audience, even if the class is happening at the same time.
Recorded class: You’re including music in a lesson students can replay or buy. That requires permission to put the music into a recording and share it, not just permission to play it during a class. A filmed savasana can therefore need different permission from an in-person one.
Check those uses before choosing music. Permission for an in-person class may not cover the video you upload afterward.
PRO stands for performing rights organization. These organizations license public performances of compositions, the music written by composers and songwriters, and collect royalties for them. The sound recording, such as the particular recording you play in class, has separate rights. The U.S. Copyright Office explains the distinction.
PROs are particularly relevant if you use familiar commercially released songs in live classes. A venue may already have some of the necessary permissions, but only for the repertoire and activities its license covers. A PRO agreement doesn’t override a consumer streaming service’s terms and doesn’t automatically authorize you to put the song into a filmed class.
With a direct license, the rights holder gives you permission for specific tracks and uses. Depending on local rules, you may not need separate PRO licensing for those tracks if the direct license covers the necessary rights. It won’t cover other songs you play or automatically give you permission for livestreams and recordings.
If you build classes around recognizable commercial songs, investigate their performance permissions and use a playback service that permits business use. Spotify’s ordinary accounts, including Premium, are for personal, non-commercial listening.
A business music service may suit a studio where several teachers share a music library. Check whether the subscription includes performance rights in your country, how many rooms or instructors it covers, and whether classes are included. Ask separately about livestreams and replays.
Royalty-free downloads with a direct license suit teachers who prefer a few instrumental pieces they know well. Royalty-free means the permitted uses don’t incur a royalty to the music provider each time you play a track; it doesn’t mean the music is free or copyright-free. LuxAuralis offers downloads licensed for paid, in-person yoga and meditation classes. You can plan transitions around the tracks and keep the files available offline.
ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR are among the main PROs licensing public performances of compositions. Their catalogs differ, so one agreement isn’t necessarily enough for every song. Rights holders may also license music directly. The U.S. Copyright Office’s guide explains the role of PROs and the separate rights involved in recordings and video. If you hire a studio, confirm what the venue’s existing music agreements actually cover.
For classes using commercially released music, TheMusicLicence is usually the starting point for in-person business playback. PPL PRS administers it for the rights represented by PRS for Music and PPL, and its fitness and dance guidance covers music played in classes. GOV.UK notes an exception for royalty-free music, provided your music is genuinely licensed for the relevant use. An in-person venue licence shouldn’t be assumed to cover online classes or recorded lessons.
Elsewhere, check your local collecting societies and any music licenses held by the venue where you teach.
The license permits purchased music during live yoga, meditation and similar classes, including paid ones. You can speak over it while giving cues or let it play through savasana. The voice-over rule for recordings doesn’t apply to permitted live classes.
Tracks cost $40 each before applicable tax and come as 320 kbps MP3 downloads. You can use them for repeated permitted classes without paying for each one, and you don’t need an internet connection at the venue.
You can’t pass the original files to students or use them in music-only videos or meditation and relaxation apps.
Try speaking over the music as you would in class. A rhythm that works well for movement might compete with your instructions.
Try the previews while speaking a few cues out loud. The website samples are watermarked; the purchased files are not.
Don’t treat the live in-person permission as an online license. Livestreaming isn’t expressly covered by the published terms, so ask about your platform and whether replays are saved before using the music that way.
For a recorded lesson, the recorded-work terms permit certain spoken recordings and videos, but at least one-third of the portion of a music track used must have audible voice-over. A short introduction followed by a long music-only rest may not qualify, even though uninterrupted music is fine in a live class. Compliant finished recordings may be sold; the original music files cannot be distributed separately.
Keep a copy of the license for the music you use, particularly if you teach at different venues or plan to publish class recordings. If a studio class later becomes a video, check the recording terms before uploading it.
For other professional uses, see massage music licensing and spa music licensing.