Gym users out of step with Virgin’s ‘lift music’

VIRGIN Active has angered members of its health clubs by switching to “mind-numbing” royalty-free music they claim is ruining its fitness classes.

Gym-goers have compared it to lift music, and say classes such as Zumba and spin are less enjoyable as they don’t recognise the music.

The row has led to customers threatening to cancel their memberships and go to rival health clubs such as David Lloyd, while there has also been complaints of fitness instructors leaving the chain and classes being cancelled.

Virgin Active, which has 32 locations around the UK, moved from a licensed music system to royalty-free music on April 1, saying it wishes to avoid legal issues for instructors and clubs.

Members, who pay up to £371 per month for membership, say they were not consulted on the move and have set up a petition demanding a say on what sort of music is played in the gyms.

Jane Dawes, who set up the petition, which has been signed by almost 2,000 people, described the new music as “mediocre, dull and joyless”. “It’s more like background music for YouTube,” she added. “All the classes are affected but exercise to music is the worst, like group cycle, dance and aqua aerobics.”

Ms Dawes, who has been a member of the Fulham club for several years, added: “Many gyms are communities. I meet many mums here after the school

‘How do they expect people to feel motivated when they have never heard of the music before?’

run and if you work from home the gym can provide your social circle. However, many are leaving now,” she added.

Ruby Patel, another member who has signed the petition, described the new music as “dull and mind-numbing”, adding that it “spoils the atmosphere of the dance classes”.

Others commenting on the petition on Change.org said it was like “white noise” and “demotivating” for instructors and members. Louise Scogings, who has been a member of the Virgin Active club in Thundersley, Essex, for more than 20 years, described the new music as “awful” and compared it to the sort you “might find in a lift”.

“How do they expect people to feel motivated when they have never heard of the music before? Listening to music that you like and know while exercising doesn’t just relieve boredom, it motivates you to push harder,” she wrote in a post on Facebook.

She told The Telegraph that there used to be eight Zumba classes available at the club each week, but since the music system has changed they have almost completely stopped.

“Three instructors have left and the only other is still getting to grips with the new music and choreographing routines to it,” she said.

Another London-based member, Sally Hismurgh, said the new music had forced out instructors.

Responding to critics on X who questioned why the music in fitness classes had “lost all personality and fun”, Virgin Active said it had “centralised our music offering to ensure compliance with licensing laws & platform T&Cs”. Virgin Active was contacted for comment.