The horizons of sports training are continually expanding as the number and variety of training apps grows, including sports apps that incorporate virtual reality and smart sports equipment. One thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of motivating music to help athletes optimize their focus, energy, and performance. All sports training apps need music—and the right kind of music—to enhance performance and elevate the training experience. If you’ve ever wondered about licensing music for sports training apps, read on for a look at how to get the best training music onto your app quickly and legally.
Disclaimer: Please note this is not a substitute for legal advice, but rather a quick overview of the complex music licensing world.
Why VR sports training apps need music
Music motivates, and there is science-backed evidence that playing the right kind of exercise music before, during, and after a workout can improve both athletic performance and mood. And there is reason to believe that VR sports training has the potential to outstrip conventional training; in a 2023 narrative review in Frontiers in Psychology, the researchers found that virtual sports training delivered real results. When you add the benefits of in-app music to the advantages of VR training, the promise of dramatic gains is within reach.
WIN Reality, a pioneering VR baseball training app, integrated licensed music from Feed.fm to provide their users the feeling of being in a real ballpark. For WIN customers, the addition of the right kind of sports music created excitement and elevated the practice experience. VR sports training apps can easily increase their appeal by licensing songs that match the mood they are endeavoring to create for the user.
DribbleUp, another Feed.fm customer, uses integrated music to give their users a fun and motivating training experience. With smart sports and fitness equipment including a basketball, soccer ball, baseball glove, weights, and more, DribbleUp attracts both kids and adults looking to up their game.
Excerpt from "The Science of Music as Medicine" a webinar with Dr. Daniel Bowling, a neuroscientist and instructor at Stanford University, and Feed.fm functional music advisor. Watch the full webinar here.
Demystifying music licensing for VR sports training apps
The power of music to enhance a sports training experience is undeniable; however, venturing into the world of music licensing for businesses can feel like entering a complex labyrinth. If you’re curious about licensing music for sports training apps, we’ll shed some light on this potentially intimidating process and offer a solution for navigating it more easily.
Most music falls under the umbrella of copyright protection, which means using music for business purposes requires obtaining permission and ensuring that compensation reaches the rightful owners. When it comes to popular commercial music, this often involves a multifaceted dance with different entities, including music labels, publishers, songwriters, and other rightsholders, depending on the specific composition. This process can be time-consuming and costly, if you do it yourself. And without a unified music system (UMS), you may find compliance to be a bit overwhelming. Tracking usage meticulously and recording it accurately is crucial to ensure proper allocation of royalty payments.
While royalty-free music may still be subject to copyright, it does offer a more straightforward licensing process. Typically, securing permission for commercial use involves dealing with a single entity and compensating through one-time fees or subscription models. Nevertheless, it's important to note that despite this option, copyrights are still in effect, so it's crucial to ensure that your usage of the music aligns with the granted rights. To put it simply—it's in your best interest to read the fine print.
Copyright infringement is a serious matter, potentially leading to legal repercussions and significant financial burdens. To avoid such difficulties, having a knowledgeable partner to guide you through the complexities of music licensing is invaluable.
Integrating licensed music into sports training apps
Integrating and streaming music for sports training apps requires careful planning beyond licensing and user experience. Remember, using commercial music mandates accurate play tracking and royalty calculations.
A unified music system (UMS) like Feed.fm simplifies this process with a comprehensive suite of music, services, and tech including its streaming music API and turnkey SDKs. These tools automate integration and streaming, enabling fast implementation of music on your sports app.
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Additionally, Feed.fm's real-time analytics dashboard lets you see how users interact with the music, including metrics like session duration and customer retention. This data helps you measure the VR music's impact and optimize your strategy for an even more productive user experience.
A one-stop solution for licensing music for sports training apps
For nearly a decade, Feed.fm has been helping fitness and wellness businesses seamlessly integrate functional music into their apps, legally, quickly, and affordably. We act as your single point of contact, offering both royalty-free music designed for fitness outcomes and pre-cleared popular songs proven to motivate athletes. Our team takes care of all the complexities associated with licensing music for VR sports training apps, allowing you to focus on your core business activities with complete peace of mind. We handle everything, so you can do what you do best—designing a great sports training experience—while remaining confident that all your bases are covered.
If you’re interested in learning more about licensing music for your sports training app or VR experience, check out our complete guide to music licensing or connect with one of our music specialists.
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