Peloton is taking Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s massively popular Verzuz series for a spin.
The at-home fitness company has struck a partnership with the livestream music platform, which was acquired by Triller earlier this month, under which the music-battle series will be adapted for Peloton’s exercise classes on the bike, treadmill and app. The integration is being described as an expansion of Peloton’s Artist Series, in which the music of a single artist is featured during themed rides, runs and workouts.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, Peloton’s Verzuz classes will kick off Monday (March 29) and encompass a trio of workouts built around the internet-breaking matchup of Brandy vs. Monica, which stands as one of the most-watched episodes in the series’ history. During the classes, Peloton members can use the “Tag” function to advertise whether they’re on team #VerzuzBrandy or #VerzuzMonica while tracks from both artists play in a head-to-head musical bout.
In what will amount to a fitness-world re-litigation of the inaugural Verzuz battle between the series’ co-founders, the second matchup under the partnership will be Swizz Beatz vs. Timbaland.
The Verzuz/Peloton deal comes as labels labels and publishers are eager to expand their licensing operations into new business sectors, of which fitness has become a primary focus. Though Peloton remains the giant in this space, fitness companies including Pear Sports (via Feed.fm), Weav and Tonal have also secured music licensing deals over the last few years. In mid-February, the subscription-based virtual reality fitness app Supernatural struck an agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group to license hundreds of thousands of songs from the company’s formidable library after making similar deals with Sony/ATV (now Sony Music Publishing), Warner Chappell, Kobalt and BMG, as well as label agreements with UMG and Warner Music.
In February, a report by Macquarie Research estimated that fitness technology has the potential to generate $300 million for the music industry every year.
The full schedule of Brandy vs. Monica Peloton workouts can be found below.
Brandy vs. Monica Run with Rebecca Kennedy March 29 at 7 p.m. EST
Brandy vs. Monica Two for One Ride with Cody Rigsby and Emma Lovewell March 31 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Brandy vs. Monica Full Body Strength with Adrian Williams April 1 at 12 p.m. EST
