Playlist

What is Playlist?

Playlist is the corporate name of the fitness technology company formerly called Mindbody, rebranded in 2025. It owns the ClassPass membership platform and the Mindbody business software.

Who owns Playlist?

Playlist is majority owned by Vista Equity Partners, the technology private equity firm that acquired Mindbody in 2019. The 2026 EGYM merger added EGYM's investors to the combined ownership.

Is Playlist publicly traded?

No. Playlist is privately held, though its scale after the EGYM merger has fueled speculation about a future public listing.

When was Playlist founded?

The company's origins trace to Mindbody, founded in 2001 in San Luis Obispo. The Playlist corporate identity was adopted in 2025.

Did Playlist merge with EGYM?

Yes. Playlist announced a merger with Munich-based connected fitness company EGYM in October 2025, completing in March 2026 at a reported combined valuation of approximately $7.5 billion.

What is ClassPass's relationship to Playlist?

ClassPass is Playlist's consumer membership brand, acquired by Mindbody in 2021 before Mindbody rebranded as Playlist in 2025.

The company's roots are Mindbody, founded in 2001 in San Luis Obispo, California, by Robert Murphy, Blake Beltram, and Jeff Lanning. Mindbody built management software for yoga studios, gyms, and wellness businesses, becoming the dominant business operating system for the boutique fitness industry and going public on NASDAQ in 2015.

Vista Equity Partners acquired Mindbody in 2019 for approximately $1.9 billion, taking it private and installing CEO Josh McCarter to lead a transformation. Vista's strategy was consolidation: acquire complementary assets and build an end-to-end platform.

The defining acquisition came in October 2021, when Mindbody acquired ClassPass, the consumer class-booking platform founded by Payal Kadakia, in an all-stock transaction. The deal combined the largest fitness business software with the largest consumer fitness membership, creating a two-sided platform connecting studios to consumers.

In 2025, Mindbody rebranded its corporate identity as Playlist, reflecting a company that now encompassed consumer membership, business software, and corporate wellness rather than software alone. The Mindbody and ClassPass products retained their brands under the new parent.

In October 2025, Playlist announced a merger with EGYM, the Munich-based connected fitness company, completing in March 2026. The deal, reportedly valued at about $7.5 billion for the combined entity, brought EGYM's smart strength equipment and corporate wellness business under the same umbrella as ClassPass and Mindbody.