Home fitness giant Peloton announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Grammy Award-winning musician Beyoncé Knowles in a multi-year partnership.
Peloton says Knowles is the most requested artist among its more than 3.6 million members, so this partnership is centered around her music and message. New content designed in collaboration with Knowles is currently available on the Peloton app, and more will be rolled out in the coming months.
“Beyoncé’s commitment to empowerment and artistic expression is an inspiration to the entire Peloton community,” Gwen Bethel Riley, the company’s head of music, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to be able to work closely with her and her extraordinary team to broaden access to our platform and collaboration on incredible offerings we think our members will love.”
Combining celebrities with home fitness appears to be a burgeoning trend in the industry. Last month, for example, Boston-based rowing simulator startup Hydrow made comedian Kevin Hart its creative director. He will also be leading a monthly workout session on the platform. Meanwhile, Playbook, a virtual fitness app that features home workouts led by various celebrity trainers, raised $9.3 million in fresh funding.
Peloton’s collaboration with Knowles is offering something more than just workouts though.
Instead, it is rooted in the homecoming season, an annual fall celebration for students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that is meant to honor tradition and legacy. Since most of these festivities will not be happening in person due to the pandemic, Peloton and Knowles teamed up to design a series of themed workouts for Peloton members. The classes will include indoor cycling, running, strength and yoga sessions.
The partnership also includes a free two-year membership for students at 10 of the top HBCUs, granting complete access to all workouts on the Peloton app. Going forward, the company says it will “build on its relationships” with these schools to form long-term recruiting partnerships at both internship and undergraduate levels.
“Peloton and I both believe that the power of music can help uplift, motivate and inspire those on their fitness journeys,” Knowles said in a statement. “I’ve been a Peloton member for several years, and I’m excited to partner with a company that helps people, young and old, be the best versions of themselves, in an innovative and adaptable way. I’m proud to celebrate the students at HBCUs with this donation, to encourage them to find and embrace their own wellness regimens.”
News of the new collaboration appeared to prompt Peloton’s stock price to surge on Tuesday. Additionally, the company is currently hiring for hundreds of open roles including openings in engineering, data, marketing and project management.
