We just published our 2025 Year in Music for Fitness and Wellness report, and the data challenges some assumptions about what actually works in fitness music programming. If you're building a fitness app, here's what you need to know.

The fitness music headlines

• Beyoncé's country single at number one. 
• Eight of the top ten tracks are from female artists. 
• R&B showing up in every workout type, not just cool-downs.

But here's what matters for your business: the tracks that topped our charts weren't random. They were the songs users didn't skip. That skip data feeds directly back to our curation team, shaping how stations evolve throughout the year. It's a feedback loop between what users actually want and what they hear next. In a market projected to hit $33.58 billion by 2033, music has become a differentiator that directly impacts retention and session length.

Three findings that should change how you think about programming workout music

1. Genre tags are losing their grip. Beyoncé's TEXAS HOLD 'EM dominated workout spaces. It's a country single that worked for spin classes and strength blocks alike. Listeners follow energy and feeling now, pulling from everywhere. Programming by moment outperforms programming by genre.
   
   
2. Nostalgia pulls its weight. Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance cracked the instructor-requested top ten. Platforms mixing throwbacks with current hits see stronger retention than those chasing new releases exclusively. Three nostalgia lanes hit this year: 2000s pop punk, classic pop icons like Britney and Katy, and legacy rock.
   
   
3. R&B crossed over for real. The genre finally found its balance of energy and vibe across every workout type. Tyla for dance cardio, Daniel Caesar for cool-down. R&B became the connective tissue between formats, serving emotional needs that pure pop and electronic can't touch.

How fitness brands leveraged music in 2025

Aescape brought Cardi B Selects to their AI-powered robot massage experiences the same week Cardi's "Am I the Drama?" debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. They promoted the activation on Instagram with "Massage, but make it Cardi." It built on their 2024 success with a Charli xcx station. Music turned a novel wellness experience into something users wanted to share. Lululemon Studio activated Mad Decent Summer featuring Diplo, Aluna, and Major Lazer. By leading with artist names, they positioned music drops as cultural moments.

Both activations worked because the brands committed to promoting them. The music is the foundation, but marketing determines whether anyone notices. Cardi B Selects gave Aescape a story to tell. Mad Decent Summer gave Lululemon Studio a reason to post.

In 2025, Feed.fm launched nearly 200 new stations across four categories: curated stations (45%), seasonal stations (38%), artist-driven sizzle stations (12%), and fully custom soundtracks (5%). From PG programming for family-friendly platforms to globally cleared pop punk mixes for Kendall Toole's NKO Club, the range keeps expanding.

What's a Sizzle Station? Sizzle Stations are limited-edition, artist-driven stations curated in direct collaboration with artists and labels. Available exclusively on Feed.fm partner platforms, they feature pre-cleared tracks from new releases alongside catalog hits and fitness favorites, letting platforms tap into cultural moments as they happen.

What's coming in 2026

Our curation team tracks instructor requests, user streams, and cultural momentum. Their calls for next year:

• Legacy artist tours from Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and The Cure will drive demand for 80s and 90s catalog
• UK women like RAYE, Olivia Dean, and Lily Allen break bigger stateside
• Country keeps crossing over. Morgan Wallen is dominating pop charts and others are following
• Visual media becomes a primary discovery channel after K-Pop Demon Hunters' breakout

The full report

The 2025 End of Year Report covers the songs, artists, and trends that defined fitness music this year, plus 2026 predictions from the curators who called Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan's rise early.

Inside you'll find:

• Top 10 tracks and artists with play counts
• Instructor request data revealing what pros actually program
• Analysis of the nostalgia economy, R&B's crossover, and genre convergence
• 2026 predictions from curators who called Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan's rise
• Customer success metrics and the business case for music strategy

Want the full picture?

Our 2025 Year in Music report breaks down the songs, artists, and trends that defined fitness this year, plus predictions for 2026 from our curation team.