Image Credit – vedansh.webp | vedanshdesignss
Apple Fitness+ has officially landed in India with a strategic twist, a licensing agreement designed to clear long-standing hurdles around music rights, a core part of its workout and wellness offering. As global services push deeper into local markets, this deal between two performance rights organisations promises a smoother, fairer system for creators and rights holders in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.
A Licensing Framework Built for Scale
Streaming platforms have learned the hard way that launching in new territories isn’t just a technical challenge. The legal framework around music rights, who can licence tracks, who gets paid, how, and when, often dictates whether a service thrives or stumbles. That’s the backdrop for Friday’s announcement that PRS for Music and the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) have struck a licensing deal to support Apple Fitness+ in India.
Under the agreement, IPRS takes on the role of the home society in India responsible for licensing Apple Fitness+’s music use locally, while PRS for Music handles the technical side of processing usage, matching reported plays to registered works and distributing royalties through its cloud-based system. The goal is to reduce unnecessary currency conversions and intermediary steps that slow down payments to songwriters and publishers.
This is significant. Instead of routing royalties through multiple channels, money flows more directly from Apple to rights holders, improving transparency and speed, two points that often frustrate creators in international markets.
Voices From the Industry
Here’s how the key players explained it:
“We’re excited to collaborate with IPRS, our partner rightsholders, and Apple Fitness+ on this innovative approach to digital licensing,” said Sami Valkonen, Chief International Business Officer for PRS for Music. “This is a blueprint for how cross-border licensing can work at scale. By combining local expertise with PRS’s global processing capability, we’re creating a faster, fairer route for royalties to reach creators wherever their music is used.”
For IPRS chief Rakesh Nigam, the deal reflects a broader commitment to representation and fairness.
“We’re pleased to partner with PRS for Music to support the launch of Apple Fitness+ in India. This collaboration highlights our shared commitment to facilitating the licensing of digital services while ensuring songwriters and composers are fairly represented and paid.”
This is more than corporate speak. In markets where digital services have launched without such infrastructure, creators can struggle to be paid at all because rights are fragmented across borders and platforms.
Why Music Rights Matter for Fitness Apps
Sounds matter for fitness apps, a lot. Apple Fitness+ isn’t just a library of workouts; it’s curated audio experiences that mix trainer guidance with music tracks, designed to motivate users and keep them engaged. With features like Audio Focus, users can adjust the balance between music and trainer instruction, making the soundtrack a functional part of the workout.
The platform’s library features tracks from big-name artists ranging from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé to Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar, and the ability to use those songs legally and fairly in a product that’s growing around the world depends on frameworks like this one.
That’s why these kinds of licensing arrangements matter: content creators and rights holders need to be assured they’ll be compensated wherever their work is used. When a digital product launches without that assurance, it can hold up market growth or, worse, lead to disputes that sap time and trust.
India Launch: What Users Can Expect
Apple Fitness+ is now available in India at ₹149 per month or ₹999 per year. New users also get a one-month free trial, and eligible purchasers of Apple devices may receive extended free periods as part of bundled offers. The service supports family sharing across up to six people.
The launch is part of Apple’s largest rollout yet, with Fitness+ debuting in 28 new countries including India in December. Beyond pricing, the service delivers 12 types of workouts and guided meditation sessions, personalised workout plans, and deep integration with Apple hardware like Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and AirPods.
From yoga and strength training to high-intensity interval training and dance, the platform is designed to appeal to users across experience levels, supporting a trend toward digital fitness solutions that blend lifestyle and tech.
What This Means for the Future
Here’s the thing: as digital services expand globally, the friction around licensing is only going to grow. Deals like this one point toward a model where local rights organisations and global processors team up to handle complexity instead of leaving it unresolved.
For creators in India and beyond, more transparent royalty flows could encourage more international collaborations, better compensation and broader market participation. For services like Apple Fitness+ that rely on premium content, it means a more dependable basis for growth.
But the real test will be in execution: how quickly royalties actually reach creators, how disputes are resolved, and whether this model becomes standard practice. If it does, it could reshape how global services think about rights in emerging markets.
