Gema tariff reform suspended until early 2014
Compromise in the gema dispute: the old tariff structure of the gema will largely remain in place in 2013. This gave both parties planning certainty for the coming year, the music rights exploiter and the federal association of music promoters (BVMV) announced on thursday. Gema board member georg oeller spoke of a "satisfactory solution". The controversial reform was originally scheduled to take effect at the beginning of january, but was then postponed until april and later to june. A gema spokesman sums up the dispute with the words: "it's basically about money, as always."
The new transitional solution provides that most tariffs for music events, with the exception of concerts, will be five percent more expensive from the beginning of the year, he explained. The tariff for clubs and discos will be increased by a further ten percent from april 2013 onwards. The BVMV chairman, ernst fischer, said: "with this solution, at least for 2013, the time of existential fears of many organizers is over."
The cost of the meeting was higher for 40 percent of the organizers
many above all coarser clubs warn in the dispute of a coarse cost increase for the future music use. The gema, on the other hand, had pointed out that the reform would make it more expensive for about 40 percent of the promoters, but that the smaller clubs in particular would have to pay considerably less. The negotiations have been dragging on for months. They shall go on in 2013. The opposing side has always played for time, said the gema spokesman.
Federal justice minister sabine leutheusser-schnarrenberger (FDP) expressed her delight on her facebook page: "it's good that the negotiating parties are moving toward each other. It is a wise decision to take more time for negotiations."
