Something is not clear to me in the GEMA invoice. What can I do?

The quickest thing you can do might be to help yourself. Otherwise, please do get in touch.

a) Do you have questions on the price or the tariff? In that case, please use our price calculators for:

• Events
• Brackground music
• Music on the internet

For music on sound recordings there is a tariff overview on our page Music fixation and reproduction onto (sound) carriers. There, you can select the appropriate tariff and check out a PDF with the corresponding licence fee rates.

You can also find all tariffs and prices under Tariffs & forms.

b) Are the costs possibly higher due to a GEMA audit? We regularly check on events and public venues. If music is played there, and we have not been notified about it in advance, additional payments and costs are due. 

c) Have you calculated a different licence amount? In that case, you can have the invoice checked (see Check invoice).

d) Does the room or venue size in the invoice deviate from the real one? Please take into account that the costs for the space are usually calculated in 100-square-metre increments. You therefore pay
 

• In the case of 80 square metres for: up to 100 square metres
• In the case of 160 square metres for: up to 200 square metres

e) Are you unclear about why additional fees regarding the GEMA licence were charged and what the abbreviations stand for?

Due to the type of music playback, certain fees must be paid for additional rights such as for the Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL) [Collective Management Organisation for the Management of Neighbouring Rights].

Example: If music is played back from a CD, this has been recorded by performing artists (musicians/singers) first. GVL protects this recording performance and manages the neighbouring rights (or related rights) for the performing artists (musicians/singers).

We are in charge of the collections for this on behalf of the other collective management organisations and then pass on the collected remuneration to them.

More details on our abbreviations are included on our infosheet.

f) Is this a compensation? That is the amount which is raised if you have already used music before you concluded a contract. This amount appears in the first invoice/the contract offer.

A compensation can arise on two occasions:

• You notify us of your music use later.
• Our customer service team determined in situ that there had been a music use beforehand.

The contract is therefore dated forward accordingly. You are paying the compensation for the period between that point in time until the actual contract start date. After all, you played back music even though you had not notified us of that beforehand.

g) Did you not receive a general agreement rebate? Please check whether your association or federation has notified us in time before the music use about you being a member of theirs. Only then can we grant a discount.

h) Do you wish to know whether you must submit a setlist or playlist? If you have not done so yet, you must submit a setlist in the case of a live music event, but not for sound recordings.

If we need to check whether the music is GEMA-free, we need a setlist as a rule. In order for us to check whether the music you played is GEMA-free, we require a complete list of the music titles including the names of the creators and composers with their real first names and family names. The names of the band or the artist of the title are not sufficient.

The quickest way for setlists (playlists) to reach us is if you submit them directly in the Online Portal in the area My setlist.

Is there anything else that is not clear to you in the invoice? In that case, please call us on +49 (0)30 1200210-53. Our customer service team is happy to help you.

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If there is any confusion regarding a GEMA invoice, the most common reasons are: additional payments due to unreported music use; the licence fee; settlement payments for music use prior to the conclusion of the contract; additional fees for neighbouring rights (GVL), for example in connection with the use of sound recordings; and the calculation of room size in increments of 100 square metres.

a) Could the costs be higher due to a GEMA audit? We regularly inspect events and public venues. If music is played there that has not been registered with us beforehand, a back payment and additional costs will be due. 

b) Have you calculated a different licence fee? If so, you can have the invoice checked (see ‘Have your invoice checked’). If you have any questions about the price or tariff, you can also use our price calculator or the GEMA tariff overview.

c) Does the room size stated on the invoice differ from the actual size? Please bear in mind that the costs for the room are usually calculated in increments of 100 square metres. So, for example, you pay

• for an area of 80 square metres: the rate for up to 100 square metres
• for an area of 160 square metres: the rate for up to 200 square metres

d) Do you not understand why additional charges were added to the GEMA licence fee, or what the abbreviations stand for?

Due to the nature of the music playback, fees must be paid for further rights, e.g. to the Society for the Administration of Neighbouring Rights (GVL).

Example: When music is played from a CD, it has previously been recorded by performing artists (musicians/singers). The GVL protects this performance and administers the neighbouring rights on behalf of the performing artists (musicians/singers). We handle the collection of these fees and pass the revenue on to the other collecting societies.

For more information on the abbreviations, please refer to our infosheet. 

e) Is this a lump-sum payment? This is the amount charged if you have already used the music before concluding a contract. This amount appears on the first invoice or contract offer.

A lump-sum payment may arise in two situations.

You register your music use at a later date.

Our customer service team has identified previous music use on site.

The contract will then be backdated accordingly. You will pay the lump-sum payment for the period up to the actual start of the contract. After all, you have played music, even if you did not register the use beforehand.

f) Have you not received a general contract discount? Please check whether your club or association has already registered with us in good time before the music is played. We can only grant a discount if this has been done.

g) Would you like to know whether you need to submit a set list? If you have not already done so, you must submit a list of the tracks played (set list) for live music, but not for recorded music.

h) Do you need us to check whether the music is GEMA-free? In order for us to check whether the music you have played is GEMA-free, we require a complete list of the music tracks, including the authors or composers’ full civil first names and surnames. The band name or artist name of the track is not sufficient for this purpose.

The quickest way for us to receive your setlist is if you submit it directly via the online portal in the ‘My Setlist’ section.

Is there anything else on the invoice that you’re unsure about? If so, please call us on 030 1200210-53. Our customer service advisers will be happy to help you.