Forum: SportSG, and not freelance fitness instructors, should pay venue music licence fees

I am concerned about SportSG's decision to make individual fitness instructors responsible for obtaining and paying for COMPASS and MRSS licences for music played at SportSG centres. In a recent e-mail to Learn-to-Play instructors, SportSG said instructors must either obtain the necessary licences themselves or use royalty-free music. This is not a small cost for an individual instructor. A venue music licence can cost about $600 or more a year for COMPASS and MRSS combined. If a trainer teaches at two SportSG centres, this could mean about $1,200 a year just for music licensing. Music is not simply background music for many fitness programmes. Programmes such as aqua aerobics, zumba, salsation, K-popX fitness, piloxing, K-kardio, K-pop dance and hip-hop dance rely heavily on music. SportSG has suggested royalty-free music as an alternative. However, many of these tracks are by unknown artists and are not popular hit songs. If trainers are forced to replace the original music with unfamiliar royalty-free tracks, these programmes may no longer be the same programmes that participants signed up for. Trainers may also no longer be permitted to use the original programme name or choreography, as these are part of the licensed programme. They would effectively have to create their own choreography and style it around whatever royalty-free music is available. SportSG should not ask trainers to replace the original music while continuing to use the same established programme name when the licence does not permit such changes. It puts trainers in the difficult position of having to breach programme requirements simply to continue offering the class. SportSG receives significant government support to promote sports and physical activity. With public funding supporting these programmes, it is reasonable to ask whether SportSG, rather than individual instructors, should bear essential operating costs such as venue music licensing. I hope SportSG will reconsider this policy and provide a centralised music licensing arrangement for its centres. Lim Kah Hoe