Pursuant to Art. 12 UrhWG (German Copyright Administration Act), GEMA is obliged to enter into general agreements with music users’ associations if this is deemed reasonable.
By entering into a general agreement, the user association undertakes to provide support under the general agreement (information and awareness training for members of the association, mediation in the case of disputes etc.) For these kind of services, the members of the association obtain a so-called general agreement rebate.

Overview (only in German)