Spotify Just Introduced Fitness Videos – And They're Free For Premium Users
Spotify has launched a new product that expands the company's reach beyond music streaming, though the new experience is deeply related to music. Many people listen to music while working out, and Spotify decided to meet the needs of those users with a new offering: guided fitness videos available to Premium subscribers. The feature is similar to Apple's Fitness Plus subscription or the Peloton workout videos, but Spotify isn't charging extra for access. The new Fitness hub is available inside the Spotify app on mobile, desktop, and TV, featuring workout videos from various content creators.
Spotify Premium users also have access to over 1,400 ad-free classes from the Peloton catalog, which may be another reason to switch to Spotify for specific workouts. Spotify explained in a press release that the Peloton catalog will cover various workout types, including outdoor running, strength, cardio, yoga, and meditation. Available Peloton Instructors include Rebecca Kennedy, Ally Love, and Rad Lopez, who Spotify calls "fan favorites." The Peloton content will be available in English, Spanish, and German, according to a Peloton announcement.
Spotify Free users will have access to dozens of curated playlists, with Spotify highlighting specific workout classes from creators that will be available in the app initially. Yoga with Kassandra, Caitlin K'eli Yoga, Sweaty Studio, Chloe Ting Home Workouts, Pilates Body by Raven, Abi Mills Wellness, and Sophiereidfit are a few of the video classes that are available to Free users as of this writing. Spotify notes that other creators will also be featured, and it's likely that the list of content creators making fitness videos will grow over time.
Why is Spotify going into fitness?
Spotify's decision to add fitness videos to an app that offers users access to music, audiobooks, and podcasts may seem surprising, given that Spotify doesn't sell any fitness-related hardware. Spotify explains in the press release that this is an example of "meeting users where they are," saying that 70% of Premium users work out every month. Spotify already offers listeners over 150 million fitness playlists, and notes that fitness and workout content are among the most sought-after categories in the Prompted Playlist feature.
The company also describes the new Spotify experience as a more valuable offer for users, since they don't need to use multiple apps to access fitness routines and music. All users have to do is search for "fitness" in the app to find the new Fitness hub and explore the classes they want to take.
Put differently, Spotify is giving paying subscribers another reason to keep paying for Spotify Premium rather than switching to a competing product. You'd have to pay $12.99 per month to access ad-free music playback and fitness videos, including Peloton content.
Spotify Premium is cheaper than Apple Music and Apple Fitness Plus
What's also notable is that Spotify's Premium music and fitness video offer is cheaper than Apple's similar offerings. Apple Music costs $10.99 per month, while Apple Fitness Plus is priced at $9.99 per month. You'd have to subscribe to both to get both music and fitness videos. Apple also offers an Apple One Premier subscription at $37.95 per month that includes access to Apple Music, Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and 2 TB of iCloud Plus storage.
That said, Apple's Fitness Plus service offers access to significantly more videos than Spotify. Apple has over 8,000 workouts and meditation videos compared to Spotify's more limited catalog, which may be a good reason to keep using Fitness Plus instead of Spotify for guided workouts. On the other hand, Apple subscribers who want to save money can always try Spotify Premium and see whether the Peloton catalog meets their workout needs.
There's one more advantage for Spotify that may not be immediately obvious. The newly launched fitness videos are available in more markets than Apple. According to Peloton's announcement, the partnership with Spotify is global, meaning Peloton video content will be available in the 184 markets where Spotify Premium is available, while Apple Fitness Plus is available in just 49 markets.