I wish to upload music content to a video platform such as YouTube. What do I need to consider?

No separate licensing or notification is required to upload music subject to GEMA royalties to YouTube, as YouTube has entered into a licensing agreement with GEMA and pays the royalties directly. Neither the author, the publisher, nor the channel operator is required to report the upload to GEMA.

Please note that, regardless of GEMA’s licensing, you may need to obtain additional necessary rights directly from the rights holders: when using original recordings, you must obtain the neighboring rights directly from the record label.

For commercial use of the video, you must also obtain the film production right (usually from the music publisher) if you specifically combine music with a video. For purely private YouTube use, the following applies: The production right is already covered for private, non-commercial uploads. You are acting in a private capacity if, for example, you are not promoting a business, are not operating a channel commercially, and are not pursuing a regular intent to make a profit.