- honorary president Gema, Reinhold Kreile, has passed away.
Reinhold Kreile, once the esteemed president and ex-CEO of GEMA, has bid farewell. Sources confirm his demise on a Friday at the ripe age of 94.
Gema's current CEO, Tobias Holzmüller, expressed heartfelt sentiments, stating that the music and media sphere has lost a stalwart advocate and visionary figure in Kreile. As the boss man at Gema, Kreile was relentless in pushing for copyright protection and was a strong proponent for the rights of artists. According to Holzmüller, Kreile's influence is still palpable within Gema and the broader music industry.
According to reports, Kreile served as the CEO and general director of GEMA, the Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights, from 1990 up until the end of 2005. Ever since, he's been honored with the title of GEMA's honorary president. Born on December 1, 1929, in Aschaffenburg, Kreile ventured into politics as a member of the CSU in Germany's parliament and later headed the production and media economics department at Munich's University of Television and Film.
Gema represents the rights of performers, composers, songwriters, and lyricists in regard to music usage.
Gema's rich history is deeply rooted in Bavaria, as its former honorary president, Reinhold Kreile, hailed from Aschaffenburg, a city in this German state. Despite stepping down from his role as GEMA's CEO, Kreile's impact on the music industry in Bavaria and beyond remains significant.
