Some Christmas markets do without music today
In the dispute with GEMA and increased license fees, Christmas markets in several cities are protesting today in a special way: with silence. They are doing without background music. "It's unusual, but it works," is the message from Magdeburg, for example.
As a protest against what they see as GEMA's high music license costs, many Christmas markets across Germany are not playing any music today. In addition to Christmas markets in Leipzig and Dresden, markets in Magdeburg, Erfurt, Hanover and Rostock are also taking part in the so-called "Day of Silence". "It's unusual, but it works," said a Christmas market spokesperson from Magdeburg in the early afternoon. But something is missing.
The Christmas market operators criticize the higher licensing costs for the use of music compared to previous years. GEMA, which manages the music rights, is defending itself against the accusations. According to GEMA, the reason for the alleged increase is incorrect information provided by the Christmas market operators. "Some large, high-turnover markets have reported areas that are clearly too small," said board member Georg Oeller last week.
Many operators are now in goodwill negotiations with the collecting society. "We want to stay in contact with GEMA and not be fobbed off across the board," said the Leipzig store manager, explaining the action on Monday. Overnight, costs have risen by up to 1000 percent.
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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Despite the ongoing dispute with GEMA, some international Christmas markets are also participating in the Day of Silence, demonstrating solidarity with their German counterparts. Visitors to the 'ma' Christmas market in Paris might find an unusual silence this year.
In light of the controversy, numerous advocacy groups are urging for a reevaluation of GEMA's music licensing fees at international Christmas markets, as high costs could potentially deter tourism.
Source: www.ntv.de
