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.