Variis isn’t a fitness startup as such: it’s a fitness app launched last March by Equinox Media, owner of a chain of gyms in the US.
The app works with a Peloton-style connected exercise bike, which costs $2,500, and provides video lessons from instructors. Now, like Peloton, Variis is signing licensing deals with major music labels. It has inked a deal with Universal Music Group, earning a writeup in the Wall Street Journal no less.
“Music is a key part of what looks like is going to be a booming digital fitness market,” said UMG’s digital boss Michael Nash, who also told the WSJ that the label expects the biggest fitness services to break into its top 10 digital partners by revenue within the next year.