(CelebrityAccess) — A group of music publishers, including Downtown Music Publishing, Pulse Music Publishing, ole, and peermusic among others, filed a suit against Peloton, a maker of high tech exercise equipment, alleging infringement of more than a thousand musical works. Through the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking damages of over $150 million.
In the suit, the companies allege that Peloton, which makes high-end exercise bikes with built-in Internet features, has been using songs from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Drake, Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande without licenses to do so.
Peloton, which launched in 2012, has since 2014, offered a subscription-based video service that includes some 13,000 home workouts, many of which include music. It is these videos that the music publishers claim Peloton has failed to obtain the necessary sync licenses for.
“Music is a core part of the Peloton business model and is responsible for much of the brand’s swift success. Thousands of exclusive videos and playlists are a major reason hundreds of thousands of people have purchased Peloton products,” said NMPA President & CEO David Israelite.
“Unfortunately, instead of recognizing the integral role of songwriters to its company, Peloton has built its business by using their work without their permission or fair compensation for years. It is frankly unimaginable that a company of this size and sophistication would think it could exploit music in this way without the proper licenses for this long, and we look forward to getting music creators what they deserve,” he added.
In a statement to CNBC, a rep for Peloton said: “We just received the complaint this morning, and we are evaluating it. Peloton has great respect for songwriters and artists. In fact, we have partnered with each of the major music publishers, record labels and performing rights organizations, and many leading independents. We have also invested heavily to build a best-in-breed reporting and licensing system to support our partners and provide our members with a world-class fitness experience.”
