Peloton is Being Sued Over Using Lady Gaga and Drake Songs and Others

You’ve more than likely seen the commercials for Peloton. Perhaps you already own one. The workout machine has become very popular in recent years but the company behind it has landed itself in hot water with music publishers.

Peloton allegedly used thousands of musical works in its videos without permission and is being sued for copyright infringement.

The lawsuit seeks more than $150 million in damages and was filed in the U.S. District Court in New York.

The group of music publishers, including Downtown Music Publishing, Big Deal Music, Reservoir, Round Hill, Royalty Network, Pulse Music Publishing and TRO Essex Music Group, have alleged that Peloton has used over 1,000 songs from Lady Gaga, Drake, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake and others without permission.

The publishers say Peloton failed to license songs from the companies, resulting in a loss of
income.

“Music is a core part of the Peloton business model and is responsible for much of the brand’s swift success,” said David Israelite, National Music Publisher’s Assocation’s president and CEO. “Thousands of exclusive videos and playlists are a major reason hundreds of thousands of people have purchased Peloton products.”

“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,” he said.

According to the National Music Publisher’s Association, Peloton had released thousands of videos
that included unlicensed music recorded by artists like Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, Wiz Khalifa, Thomas Rhett, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Florida Georgia Line.

“We just received the complaint this morning, and we are evaluating it,” Peloton said to CNBC. “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.”