Gym-Owning Lawyer on Music Licensing (and Much More)

You get a scary-looking letter in the mail. The gist: "Pay us now or stop playing music in your gym!" Is it legit? Are they watching you?

The truth is that's the smallest of mines gym owners must navigate on the legal battleground of gym ownership. Matt Becker knows firsthand. He's a gym owner, laywer and founder of gymlawyers.com, and here, he joins Chris Cooper to answer your top questions about the legalities of gym ownership.

P.S. Coop's new book is out! For everything you need to start and scale a fitness business, get your copy of "Start a Gym" here.

Links:

Gym Lawyers
Gym Owners United

Timeline:

2:42 – ASCAP and music licensing fees. Are they legit? 

10:36 – Do you need an AED on-site? What about training to use it?

15:59 – All about waivers. What do they protect gym owners from? What don’t they? What should you absolutely have on yours? 

21:16 – Why you need incident reports on hand.

23:19 – Leases and escape clauses.

30:37 – Noncompetes and non-solicits: What they are and whether they’re reasonable. 

34:41 – Employees vs. independent contractors: rules and language to look out for.

42:46 – When a noncompete clause invalidates an entire contract — and when it’s actually valid.

45:57 – Non-solicits: Should you have one?

49:16 – When to seek help from an attorney.