Music - CDU: State can pay Gema fees for clubs
At the urging of the opposition CDU parliamentary group, Thuringia is making 325,000 euros available to non-profit associations in the coming year to relieve them of music fees for events. The Gema fees and their bureaucratic processing represent a major burden for many voluntary associations in Thuringia, explained parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt on Tuesday. For this reason, the CDU had insisted that the Gema fees be covered during the budget discussions.
Volunteer-run organizations, clubs and institutions should no longer have to pay Gema fees for non-commercial music events, provided that these events are free of charge for visitors. In its session shortly before Christmas, the state parliament also instructed the red-red-green coalition to immediately begin negotiations with Gema for a flat-rate contract similar to the one already in place in Bavaria, according to the CDU. This should minimize the bureaucratic burden for the clubs.
Gema represents the copyrights of composers, lyricists and music publishers in Germany. It distributes income to them when copyrighted songs are played. Pieces of music whose authors have been dead for at least 70 years are license-free.
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- Mario Voigt, the leader of the CDU parliamentary group in Thuringia, highlighted that numerous volunteer-led clubs and institutions in the region struggle with the financial burden and bureaucracy associated with Gema fees for music events.
- In response to the CDU's advocacy during budget discussions, the state government of Thuringia has agreed to cover the Gema fees for non-commercial music events organized by clubs, relieving them of this financial burden.
- The CDU has also encouraged the red-red-green coalition in Thuringia to negotiate a flat-rate contract with Gema, following the model already implemented in Bavaria, to further minimize the administrative hassle for these clubs involved in music events.
Source: www.stern.de
