From 1 July 2023 GEMA will also distribute using a new IT system

Daten und Werte mit Vernetzungen.

GEMA aims to remain a reliable partner for its members and adaptable at the same time, so we never stop looking for ways to improve what we do.

Our top priority remains unchanged: to distribute all licensing income to our members reliably, correctly and precisely – leaving them free to devote their full attention to music.

With this in mind, we have been working flat out to develop a new, modern and high-performance IT system for calculating distributions even more precisely (within the framework of the provisions set out in the distribution plan).

The distribution dated 1 June 2023 saw the first use of this new system to calculate royalties. The new system will also be used for the distribution dated 1 July 2023 in the broadcasting rights categories (FS, FS VR; T FS, T FS VR and R, R VR and T).

Greater transparency and precision: the improvements our new IT system will bring

Detailed statements are now available in our Online Portal

Since 01 June, members will notice the new feature detailed statements in our Online Portal: full details of all their royalties, displayed clearly and compactly. These will initially be supplementary to the statements available via GEMA Download (GDOWN) and are still under development. Detailed statements via the Online Portal will also continue to be available as CSV and PDF files. 

You can now see the amount earned per use

In the new detailed statements, we can display the distribution amount per use, with all decimal places - for the first time. We calculate your royalties with an accuracy of ten decimal places.

Please note: If you compare the amounts in GEMA Download, in the Online Portal (those displayed in the CSV file) and in the account statement, there may be rounding differences in the totals. The correct amounts can be found in the account statement and the detailed statements in the Online Portal (CSV file).

We will calculate your royalties applying the distribution parameters of the year of use

You generally receive royalties for uses of your works during the calendar year following the year of the actual use. Sometimes, for various reasons, we are not able to pay royalties out until a later date. Up to now, uniform parameters such as point values, second values, supplementary percentage rates, etc. have been applied in respect of all uses in a distribution.

Irrespective of the date of the use, these were always the values of the financial year in which the use was distributed. Our new IT system allows us to take the date of the use into account. So when we calculate your royalties, we will always use the distribution parameters that were in effect at the time of the actual use of your work – even if we are only able to pay them out later.

You can find an overview of our distribution parameters in the categories live and reproduction, sorted by year, under general information on: www.gema.de/en/live-reproduction.

You can find an overview of our distribution parameters and categories tv, film and cinema, sorted by year, under general information on: www.gema.de/en/music-creators/radio-tv-film.

Duration of use and distributions are now calculated to the second

The new IT system calculates royalties accurate to the second. As of now we will therefore always indicate the duration of the use and the distribution parameters in seconds or as a second value – for all relevant categories: FS, FS VR; T FS, T FS VR; R, R VR; T; DK und DK VR. However, we will also continue to show the minute values to make it easier to compare the two.

What are we planning for the future? 

We aim to introduce the system gradually for all other categories. We will do this as soon as we have tested it extensively and are sure of being able to guarantee correct distributions. We will keep you informed of further developments right here.
Daten werden auf einer Straße als Fluss dargestellt.

Do you have any questions about these new features?

If so, simply email us at mitgliederservice@gema.de.
Please use the following subject line: “New IT system for distributions”

Questions and answers about the effects of the new IT system

Due to the IT conversion, there are currently some errors in the detailed lists for the sections of the performing and broadcasting rights. We have provided more information on this under the following link.

To remain future-proof and competitive, it was necessary to introduce a modern IT infrastructure that met the highest security standards. The development of the new system was finished at the start of 2023. Now we are launching the new system.

As of 1 June 2023, distributions in categories U, UD, M and E, ED, EM, BM plus DK, DK VR and church (KI) will use the new system; as of 1 July 2023, the same applies to categories FS, FS VR, T FS, T FS VR and R, R VR plus category T. Distributions in the remaining categories will gradually be shifted over to the new system. In each case, the changeover will happen when we can safely guarantee a correct distribution. 

The amounts in the statements in the GEMA download are rounded to 2 decimal places. The amounts in the distribution document  in the online portal (csv file) are more accurate with 10 decimal places. As a result there may be rounding differences between the various documents.

Please note: The different amounts result only from the shortened form of presentation. You will find the correct amounts (without rounding differences) in the account statement and in the detailed statements in the online portal (csv file).

Your royalties continue to depend on the licensing income received by GEMA (which varies from year to year) and on the distribution rules in the individual categories, which have not been affected by the change of system. At the end of the process, you will receive neither less nor more because of the new IT system.
No. In GEMA Download, the amounts for the individual works are shown for presentation purposes only. The details of the amounts given in the account statement are binding.
Zeros are shown if the amounts for individual uses remain less than one cent even after rounding. You can still see in the Online Portal whether any amounts actually accrue for these uses. In the interest of transparency, all uses are shown for which GEMA has received a notification and which have been dealt with in one or more distributions (irrespective of the amount distributed).
Yes. We want to make sure that the new services available in the Online Portal meet the expectations and needs of our members. Only then will GEMA Download be replaced altogether by the Online Portal.
The display of the work titles and the relevant supplements for unallocated royalties is still under development in the detailed statements. At present, there is only one clear-cut indicator included: the work number. The remaining parameters will be provided within the next few weeks. To see a statement that includes work titles, it is worth retrieving the statements of 1 June once again, for example in July.

Until the new parameters are implemented, complete detailed statements can only be accessed in GEMA Download (GDOWN) (albeit in the old format and not as a combined statement).
You can email your questions to our service team at mitgliederservice@gema.de. Please use the following subject line: “New IT system for distributions”.
No. Should you find any discrepancies in your royalties, please go to our claims page.

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