Membership

Pseudonyms

• I wish to register one/several pseudonyms. How do I do this?

  Please direct your query only in writing (by e-mail or mail) to the corresponding department  Members & Partners and indicate your desired pseudonym:
  
  E-mail: mitgliederpartner@gema.de
  
  GEMA
  Mitglieder & Partner (Members & Partners)
  Rosenheimer Str. 11
  81667 Munich
  
  The team checks whether the pseudonym is still available. In order to have a pseudonym registered by us, the requested pseudonym must not have been allocated to and registered for another creator in the international rightsholder database Interested Parties Information (IPI).
  
  So, if the pseudonym is still available, we will register it for you. After that, our team will send you a written confirmation. If the requested pseudonym is already used by another creator it cannot be allocated a second time. You can, however, try to submit another suggestion.
  
  Cost:
  
  Registering your 1st pseudonym is free of charge for you. Each additional pseudonym costs €40.00 (plus 19% VAT).

• What is a pseudonym and what is the difference to a stage name?

  A Pseudonym is a name that you as an author can use for your public appearance and for registering your works with us.
  
  In that case, it is, however, not a performer, project or band name.
  
  Example: The famous rock musician Max Mustermann now wishes to compose/write the lyrics for Schlager music. He uses the pseudonym Sixstring . Instead of registering his Schlager songs with GEMA under his civil name and have that printed on sound recordings as the creator name, he uses his pseudonym Sixstring instead.
  
  It is possible in general to register all of your own works under one or several pseudonym(s) if you do not want to wish to use your civil name for that purpose. GEMA treats pseudonyms confidentially.
  
  A stage name is also documented by us provided that it is entered as such in the ID card or passport. In contrast to a pseudonym, a stage name is an official name entered for you that you can also use for signing documents (e.g. agreements). This differentiates it from a pseudonym. GEMA treats stage names confidentially.