Exercise music became popular in the 1970s. At the time, instructors would make tapes of their favorite songs to provide a musical background for their students. It was fun, but there were problems. Since beats per minute and phrasing could not be standardized, the continuity of the routines was compromised. This led to the creation of exercise music companies, which create all types of exercise music while obtaining the licensing fees for the individual songs. The beats are computerized, so the phrasing is consistent. Step and sculpting tapes are usually 120 to 135 beats per minute. Aerobic tapes range from 140 to 180 beats per minute.
Muscle Mixes
Muscle Mixes was one of the earliest exercise music companies. Their aerobic music tapes conform to the 32-count phrasing required for aerobic choreography. The popularity of body-mind exercise has inspired muscle mixes to create music suitable for yoga, Pilates and meditation. These tapes serve as soothing, background music and do not conform to any standard beats per minute. Specialty products include Silver Sneakers, which features covers of oldies, music from "Fame" and music from "Mama Mia". You can listen to brief clips on its website. Muscle Mixes also provides licensed, royalty-free music for exercise videos. musclemixes.com
Dynamix
Dynamix is another of the earlier music companies. Like all other exercise music companies, they have paid the licensing fees for covers of the original songs used in their music. However, the Dynamix website is the only one that warns visitors about the importance of purchasing a blanket rights usage from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Composers, Broadcast Music Inc. and Society of European Stage Authors and Composers. Dynamix specializes in house, funk, rock, punk and dance music. It also makes music for indoor cycling classes. You can listen to song segments on their website: dynamixmusic.com
Power Music
Power Music is another of the pioneers in the exercise music industry. The company makes specialty holiday music tapes, as well as remixes from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s. Its Top 40 Hits series is updated every year and features songs that are popular on the radio. In 2009, it created a tribute to Michael Jackson titled "The King of Pop." You can listen to cuts on its website: powermusic.com
Work This
Work This is one of the newer exercise music companies. It specializes in remixed music by original artists, which is composed specifically for exercise. The company favors house, Latin and club music. Some of their selections can be downloaded on iTunes. You can listen to some of the songs on its website: workthis.com
MusicFlex
MusicFlex came on the scene in the early 1980s. The company's theme-based exercise music includes "America," a compilation that mixes songs such as "Born in the USA" and "I Believe I Can Fly" with "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner." MusicFlex also has an extensive collection of Swing and Big Band exercise music. You can listen to songs on its website: ebstudiowebsitebuilder.com
Podrunner
Podrunner offers free workout music that can be downloaded on its website. The program is similar to the Public Broadcast System. The music is supported by public contributions. Some of the selections are specifically designed for running, power walking and interval training. You can listen to cuts on its website, but, like PBS, each cut is preceded by a request for donations: djsteveboy.com
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