• by Aaron Baar , March 2, 2010

Music and working out go together like peanut butter and jelly. Or like a horse and carriage. Or like ...

"... Like spinning and Spandex," says Dennis Cary, chief marketing officer for Bally Total Fitness, which is launching a partnership with Universal Music Group that will reward new and current members with song downloads as promotional premiums.

"We understand that music is a critical part of how people work out and train in our clubs," Cary tells Marketing Daily. "Our new marketing approach is designed to actively support and encourage our members to achieve their fitness goals by providing music as motivation."

Initially, the company will use the song downloads as an incentive to lure new members. During March, and intermittently throughout the year, new members will be rewarded with 20 music downloads when they sign up. The company will also use the songs to reward current members through a "Work Out and Win," promotion to be unveiled later, as well as others, Cary says.

Bally has committed to purchase 4.5 million downloads from Universal for use as premiums. In return, Universal has created a Bally-branded Web site listing all of the songs available for download. In addition, Bally will feature songs from artists such as Gin Wigmore, Swingfly, Lady Sovereign and Philadelphia Grand Jury.

"We're trying to catch the attention of people who are thinking about fitness and looking for emerging artists," Cary says. "It's leveraging a heritage that Bally has had with music and moving it into the present."

The company has had relationships with music artists stretching back 25 years, Cary says, although he declined to name any of them due to licensing agreements that may have run out. This deal with Universal may last awhile, however, depending on the program's success.

"If this turns out to be the big success that we're hoping for, there's no reason this can't become one of our ongoing programs," Cary says.