Membership

General Assembly

• What is the General Assembly and what is the general sequence of events?

  Once per year, GEMA members meet in order to decide on future issues of their association. The three-day General Assembly is at the heart of the community of solidarity with more than 95,000 members and is vital for a strong internal democracy. Members need to be able to actively exchange opinions via their contributions on items of the agenda, discuss matters with each other, network and co-determine their GEMA. After all, the meeting thrives on a personal exchange in situ and has been a fixed date in the calendar of many members for years.
  
  
  GEMA General Assembly: Dates and information​​​​​​​

• What is a delegate member and what are its duties?

  Delegates represent around 90,000 associate GEMA members in the annual General Assembly. They stand up for the interests of the members, are their mouthpiece vis-à-vis the Supervisory Board and the GEMA Managing Committee and can vote on internal rules. The representation through the delegates ensures that associate members are adequately represented in the General Assembly and influence the decision-making process sustainably, without being in a position to outvote full members, however.
  
  With regard to the General Assembly, delegates have all rights that full members hold, with the exception of the passive voting right (right to be elected) and the right to be represented. They can therefore participate in the General Assembly of full members, vote on changes of internal rules and regulations of GEMA and submit motions to change them. As such, the ways delegates can participate at GEMA go way beyond the legal minimum provisions as per section 20 VGG (Collecting Societies’ Act).
  
  More information on holding office as a delegate and a list of current delegates
  is available on our page on the delegates.

• Where and when does the General Assembly take place?
  The location of the General Assembly is alternating annually between Berlin and Munich; in 2022, it was held as a hybrid event for the first time after the members were only able to meet virtually in 2020/2021 due to the pandemic. The hybrid event format provides all members with the necessary components of participating digitally and physically: direct communication with one another and a joint contribution to elections and voting procedures. As such, GEMA is once more a forerunner among the collective management organisations.
  
  The date and any other relevant details for the next General Assembly are available at 
  ​​​​​​​GEMA General Assembly: Dates and information