Rights & Money · Topic 3 of 27
What actually is GEMA?
If you write songs, GEMA pays you when they are played somewhere.
GEMA is Germany's collecting society for music. It takes care of the money for songs, specifically for the people who write them: composers, lyricists and their music publishers.
How it works
Your song is played on the radio, in a club, on TV or on Spotify? Then radio stations, clubs, promoters and streaming services pay GEMA for it. GEMA then shares the money out to songwriters and publishers. On your own you could never check everywhere your song is played. GEMA does that for everyone.
What you need to do
- Become a member, otherwise you don't get paid.
- Register every new song, with everyone involved and their shares.
- If you play live, submit your setlist after the show. Otherwise money gets lost.
GEMA only pays for the song itself, not for the recording and not for your vocals. That's what GVL is for.
All figures are rough guidelines for beginners and focus on Germany. They are no substitute for legal or tax advice.
