LIVESTREAMING FOR INSTRUCTORS

LIVESTREAMING LES MILLS WORKOUTS

Exciting news! We know many of you have been super keen to stream your current Les Mills Releases. From 1st July 2020, in conjunction with your clubs, you will now be able to livestream Les Mills workouts to your members.

During lockdown, we provided special royalty-free music releases as a short-term solution, but clubs will now be able to livestream Les Mills regular releases through a platform of their choice, following an agreement reached on music licensing.

In order to support you getting this live with your clubs, you'll have access to the approved cover music file free of charge for Q1 and Q2 2020 if you purchased the original release.

More detailed guidance will be shared in the coming weeks but scroll down for our FAQs or check out the quick overview below.

LIVESTREAM OVERVIEW

  • The livestreaming of regular Les Mills releases is possible from the 1st July
  • The livestreaming of regular Les Mills releases will need to be done via a licensed club with a certified instructor.
  • If your club is interested in livestreaming, they will need to get an additional livestream music license. You may also need to use cover music in these livestreams, so make sure your club checks with the local music society before starting.
  • You will need cover music when livetreaming. The cover music is available to download in the instructor portal for any releases you have purchased from Q1 2020.
  • Just as with live classes, you can only livestream programs that your club is licensed in, and that you are certified in.
  • Livestream classes can be done remotely, or you can simultaneously livestream live classes in your facility.

USEFUL LINKS:

Livestreaming FAQs

If you have any questions that aren't covered below, you can also contact us at nordic@lesmills.com.

Instructors

Do I have to be certified in the programme to teach the livestream workout?

Yes, as with live classes, you are only able to teach programmes that you are certified in. As livestreaming is a new addition for Les Mills, you will need to read the additional terms provided by your local Les Mills team.

Why do I have to livestream through a club?

Livestreaming needs to be through a licensed facility. This is due to how the music rights have been purchased; it is the facility that has the license to stream the music.

Can I livestream on my own if I no longer work for a club?

Unfortunately not at this stage. As with live classes, any livestreamed Les Mills workouts need to be done with a licensed club and should only be done for the specific programs the club has licenses for.

Will I be able to access cover music for my previously purchased back releases?

Cover music files will be available to download for releases purchased from Q1 2020.

If I don’t own a back release, could I still purchase the cover version?

When you purchase a original back release that has cover music you will have access to the cover music as well. To make sure the program has cover music please contact nordic@lesmills.com

Can I livestream while my club isn’t open and I’m furloughed?

You can continue to livestream the Les Mills Original content we made available through YouTube, but you are not able to livestream with standard Les Mills programs. As with a live workout, these need to be delivered in conjunction with a licensed club.

I skipped Q2 releases because my club was closed. Can I get the covers to livestream Q.1?

Yes, we will have these available from July 1st. If you have purchased the Q1 release, you will be able to download the cover music file from the Instructor Portal free of charge.

I haven’t been able to use my Q1 or Q2 releases because my club is still closed. What are my options?

You can livestream Q1 and Q2 releases through your club even if it is not open yet. But the livestream must be through your club channels, such as social media or a closed platform, and they must have the necessary music licensing in place.

Can I continue to stream the Les Mills Originals/royalty free music on my own?

Yes, we understand that not all instructors are able to teach for a club at the moment, so you are still able to livestream the Les Mills Originals content that is available through YouTube.

These will be available for you to use while clubs are still closed, but we will not be creating any new content for this playlist and once clubs are fully open this will no longer be available.

Will there be additional Les Mills Originals/royalty free music provided to continue to livestream on our own?

The Les Mills Originals/royalty free music was a short-term solution to keep clubs and Instructors connected to their members during lockdown. Although these releases were good, they were put together quickly and are not the same premium quality as our standard release. Instructors can use this content while clubs are still closed, but our goal with providing a long-term livestreaming solution is bringing Instructors back to clubs to teach in some capacity.

Does my current certification allow me to livestream, or is there any additional education requirement?

Similar to teaching a live workout, you can livestream on behalf of a licensed club for programs you are actively certified as an Instructor. There is no additional education requirement.

Will Les Mills be encouraging clubs to live stream?

Yes, we believe live streaming will help support member engagement going forward and will be discussing this with all club partners.

Could I teach live streaming for another club not in my area?

Yes you can. But often the beauty of livestreaming workouts is that members can connect with their regular Instructor.

General

Why haven’t we been able to livestream regular Les Mills releases until now?

We made the Les Mills Original options available so that there was some Les Mills content to teach during lockdown while we worked through a solution to enable clubs to livestream our regular LES MILLS Programmes. We now have a solution to our music licensing requirements that will allow this.

Can I livestream a live workout once my club is open?

You can livestream a live class when your club is open if you follow a few clear guidelines. If you are using cover music for livestreaming, you will need to use cover music for the workouts you livestream. If your class participants are going to be filmed, you will need to gain their permission and show them where in the room they can stand if they don’t want to be on a livestream.

Who can livestream Les Mills classes?

The rules around a livestream class is the same as for a live class. It needs to be taught by an active, certified Instructor in that specific Les Mills program on behalf of a club licensed for that Les Mills program. Unlike the live class, the Instructor does not need to be inside the club, but you do need to livestream through a club account.

Can we livestream a Les Mills workout out to everyone? Or does it need to be restricted to my club members?

Les Mills workouts should only be available to your club’s registered members (or select groups of people) and should not be broadcast to the general public. This means that most of your livestream workouts should be current members, or participants paying on a casual basis. You can livestream to non-paying participants for member acquisition activities in the same way you would do a club open day, but this needs to be with registered participants or small groups.

You recommend Zoom as the platform to use to stream classes. What if my club is already set up with another platform?

We recommend Zoom as many clubs, Instructors, and participants will be familiar with Zoom, and it has some great features. You can use the livestream platform that works best for your club. You just need to make sure you are adhering to the terms of use for that specific platform.

Can we save our livestream classes for people who can’t make the specific time?

No, livestream classes cannot be saved for any length of time.

Why have you been able to livestream through LES MILLS On Demand before we could livestream in clubs?

We’ve done a small number of livestream tests on LES MILLS On Demand, using cover music and our Programme Directors based in Auckland, New Zealand. It was done to test out how to best approach livestreaming. Many of the recommendations we make in the livestream guide have come from these learnings.

Music

Why do clubs need to get additional music licenses?

Clubs will have a licence from their Performing Rights Organisation (PRO) to play the music in a live/virtual classes in their clubs. However, a licence is required from the PRO for the online activity of livestreaming, unless the club uses a social media platform that is already licensed in their country.

How do I know if I need to use cover music for my livestreams?

Cover Music is available to all instructors/clubs for live streaming. Les Mills cannot authorize the use of Original Artist Recordings in livestreaming. Local Performing Rights Organisation (PRO) for sound recording rights may be able to provide licenses to clubs to use Original Artist Recordings. Clubs will need to make your own enquiries with the relevant PRO.

My programme doesn’t have cover music available. Does this mean I can’t livestream?

If you are using cover music for livestreaming, you unfortunately will not be able to teach a programme that does not have cover music available.

To begin with, we will have cover music available for BODYBALANCE™/BODYFLOW®, BODYPUMP™, BODYCOMBAT™, BODYATTACK™, CXWORX™, RPM™, SH’BAM™ and BODYSTEP™. After that, we will look at having cover music available for LES MILLS BARRE™, LES MILLS SPRINT™ and LES MILLS GRIT.

At this time, we will not be providing cover music for BODYJAM™ or LES MILLS TONE™. Also, due to the way we needed to film the Q3 releases during lockdown, there will be no Q3 cover music available for BODYSTEP.

Do instructors need to pay extra for cover music?

If an instructor has purchased an original release, they will be able to download the related cover music file from the Instructor Portal at no extra charge for Q1 and Q2 of 2020. This will be available from the 1st of July and is to help instructors and clubs to get set up with livestreaming. Going forward, when an Instructor purchases the original release, they will also be able to download the cover music file at no extra cost.

When streaming a live workout, can I have participants in my class?

Yes you can stream whilst teaching a class however you will need to make sure your participants sign a waiver or are off camera.

If gyms utilise outdoor space for classes, can the instructor teach normal releases and not just the streaming ones?

If you are just teaching your usual Live classes (no livestreaming) outdoors at their facility then you can treat it exactly the same as indoor classes. If you are teaching the class outdoors AND livestreaming that class, then they are restricted to the livestreaming releases but can do this.

The club will need to hold the appropriate Les Mills license for each programme.

Why are you giving cover music away for free? Instructors have had to pay for cover music up until now.

We understand that some instructors have needed to purchase both original release kits and cover kits up until now due to the different facilities they teach in. However, in order to support both clubs and instructors get set up to livestream the cover music file will be available to download free of charge. It is important to note that this is not a full kit – it is only the cover music file for those who have already purchased the original release and does not include the Masterclass or choreography notes.