Protest against Gema fees: No music at Christmas market

Increase - Protest against Gema fees: No music at Christmas market

Five hours without "Last Christmas" and co.: even at Thuringia's largest Christmas market in Erfurt, there was no music to be heard for a while on Monday. "It's an explosive topic," said market master Sven Kaestner. Like some other Christmas markets in Germany, the Erfurt market decided not to play music in protest against increased costs. "It's not that we don't want to pay; it's that there are still many unanswered questions about our cooperation with Gema," emphasized Kaestner.

Following a recalculation, Gema, as the administrator of the music rights, drastically increased the fees for the Erfurt market according to Kaestner: these rose from 7,000 euros in 2019 to a total of 41,000 euros last year.

Gema's calculation is based on the total event area of the Christmas market. From Kaestner's point of view, the approach is wrong: although the stage program cannot be heard on the entire Domplatz, the highest possible rate is charged for it.

Gema, on the other hand, states that the assessment basis for the fees has not changed since 2011. However, some large markets have reported areas that are too small than is actually the case. The information was not checked until 2022.

According to Gema, it has sent around 3,350 invoices to Christmas market operators across Germany for 2022. In 167 cases, there were higher fees, in 35 cases even in the five-digit range.

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1. Despite the absence of music, Thuringia's largest Christmas market in Erfurt attracted visitors last Christmas, demonstrating the market's enduring appeal.
2. The Municipalities of Germany, including Erfurt in Thuringia, are expressing their concerns about the increased fees imposed by Gema on Christmas markets, which could affect future celebrations.
3. In addition to the Erfurt Christmas market, several other markets in Germany have ceased playing music in protest against the steep rise in Gema fees, showing a unified stance against the escalating costs.
4. The Christmas market in Erfurt, located in the heart of Germany's Thuringia state, needs a fair resolution with Gema regarding the music rights fees, ensuring the market's continuity and the delight of music-loving visitors at Christmas.

Source: www.stern.de