Royalties & payouts

Payouts

• Which categories are paid out? Which belong to performing rights, broadcasting rights and mechanical rights?

  These categories belong to the performing rights:

  • International income distribution (sister organisations) A AR
  • Concerts of serious music of all types (E)
  • Serious music direct accounting (net individual accounting) (ED)
  • Serious music performances by means of mechanical devices (EM)
  • Stage music (BM)
  • Music in church services (Ki)
  • Events with entertainment or dance music (U)
  • Entertainment music direct accounting (UD)
  • Entertainment music playback (M)
  • Discotheques (DK, DK VR) 

  
  ​​​​​​​These categories belong to the broadcasting rights:

  • International income distribution (sister organisations) A AR
  • Broadcasting rights in TV broadcasts and communication to the public rights relating to the public communication of TV broadcasts (FS (Grand Rights))
  • Broadcasting rights in radio broadcasts and communication to the public rights relating to the public communication of radio broadcasts (R (Grand Rights))
  • Sound radio/radio (R, R VR)
  • Television (FS, FS VR)
  • Sound film (T)
  • Sound film on TV (T FS, T FS VR)
  • Sound film direct accounting (TD, TD VR)

  
  These categories belong to the mechanical rights:

  • International income distribution for mechanical rights (A VR)
  • Mechanical rights audiovisual recordings (BT VR)
  • Playback of music in discotheques with mechanical devices (DK, DK VR VR)

  
  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​These categories belong to the performing and mechanical rights:

  • Streaming on mixed online platforms (GOP, GOP VR)
  • Playback of works as a ringtone melody (KMOD, KMOD VR)
  • Music on Demand Download (MOD D, MOD D VR)
  • Music on Demand Streaming (MOD S, MOD S VR)
  • Mechanical rights sound recordings (PHO VR)
  • Video on Demand Download (VOD D, VOD D VR)
  • Video on Demand Streaming (VOD S, VOD S VR)
  • Websites (WEB, WEB VR)

  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
  ​​​​​​​Good to know: Online categories are paid out in both rights categories performing rights (AR) and mechanical rights (VR), the ratio of the split of the total amount is 1/3 : 2/3. The weighting is aligned with the distinction Streaming (focus on AR) and Download (focus on VR).

• If I am a reprint arranger or a reprint publisher, do I automatically participate in GEMA pay-outs?

  If you are a reprint publisher who has been authorised by the original or sub-publisher, you can distribute the work in your own print edition. You therefore benefit from the paper business but you usually will not participate in the income that the musical work generates by way of GEMA collections.
  
  Except where, apart from the authorisation to create a print edition (reprint rights), you also received an arrangement authorisation from the rightsholders (creator and/or publisher) of the works which stipulates that you are also participating in the GEMA income. You must have duly acquired the reprint and arrangement rights from the original resp. sub-publisher. The agreement that you and the other publishing party have entered into must also stipulate whether a participation as an arranger in accordance with the GEMA distribution plan has been authorised or excluded. A publishing agreement which has only been entered into between a reprint publisher and a so-called reprint arranger is therefore not a sufficient prerequisite in order to participate in GEMA collections if you are an arranger.

• How do I benefit from the new distribution for audio recordings and audiovisual recordings?

  Due to streamlining the licensing and distribution processes, we reduce administrative overhead. This lowers the cost rate and resources can be used more effectively. In a market environment that is subject to a strong decline, this ensures the proportionality between expense and income in the case of managing mechanical reproduction and distribution rights for (audio-)visual recordings.

• What are the changes to the distribution of audio recordings and audiovisual recordings in future?

  The market for audio recordings and audiovisual recordings such as CDs and DVDs has seen a strong decline for several years.  That is why we are developing a new, contemporary business model for this sector. Specifically, this means that we are going to simplify our tariff structure for customers.

  As part of this change, we will also adapt the distribution rules for our members.  We are, however, intending to achieve a similar level of distribution as under the previous model, and to keep the effects for individual contributing parties as low as possible at the same time. In future, the duration of a work is only going to be taken into account in specific cases.

  This simplification can entail changes of the payout shares of the respective works within a product.

  The 2024 General Assembly has adopted these changes.

• Where can I view details on my payouts?

  You can access detailed breakdowns (individual statements and usage statements) in the free online service GEMA download.

  • Individual statements = how much is the pay-out amount per work
  • Usage statements = when and where were my works used
  • For online categories, there are summary statements (how much is the pay-out amount per work) and detailed statements. (They contain information who used your works and how often.)
  • For international income categories and the categories of the mechanical reproduction rights, our statements contain details on the amounts and usages.

  In addition to the option of requesting your detailed breakdowns by division in the My Royalties service, we also provide you with your distribution information from the GEMA Download in the online portal. You can retrieve this as a one-click download in the My Downloads service.

  As usual, you can also continue to use the GEMA Download service to retrieve these formats.  

  If you are not yet able to access the online services, get yourself activated.

  You can also request details of the pay-out by e-mail for a fee. To do so, simply take a look at the GEMA service catalogue and contact mitgliederservice@gema.de. 

  You can get an overview of your royalties in the Online Portal under the service My Royalties. There you can also find out where they come from (live, radio, TV/film, digital or abroad) and what income the 10 most successful works have brought you.