The answer is a bit more complex, as it may differ depending on the combination of media type, contribution type, and budget.

Audiovisual Productions (Excluding Video Clips):

For audiovisual productions (AV), a maximum of two artistic contributions can be compensated. However, one of these must be performing, the other instructional. Examples and some important exceptions or special cases are listed below.

Please note: Even if you have participated in different musical components of an AV production, e.g. in the title music as well as in a licensed song, you will only be remunerated for a maximum of one instructional and one performing role.

Instructional roles are:

• Conductor
• Studio conductor
• Artistic producer
• Stage director
• Dubbing director
• Literary director

All other contribution roles refer to performing activities.  (More detailed definitions of the different types of contribution roles can be found here).

Examples for the combination of performing and instructional roles:

• In dubbing, it is possible to register as a dubbing director and as a dubbing actor in the same production.
• Artistic producers could, for example, report an additional contribution as an instrumental musician or as a singer.

Please note: The rule is that you cannot instruct yourself. Therefore, other artists must always be involved in order to be recognized in an instructional role.

• Comedians who perform their own standup program can therefore register as actors, but not as stage directors.
• Producers who record/sing or program all their own tracks can apply as instrumental musicians or singers with the function "soloist", but not as artistic producers.

Special cases:

• Contributions in the AV sub-budget "Individual Television Contributions".

In this sub-budget, which is reported via the reporting form for the open budgets, only one contribution is remunerated. Therefore, if there is more than one contribution, it is best to report the one in an instructional role, as it is usually weighted higher.

• Actors who are involved in an international co-production or in a foreign production that is filmed in a language other than German: If you dub your dialogue yourself, please report your dubbing activity additionally.

The reason for this is that contributions are evaluated differently, depending on whether they affect only the visual or the sound level of an artistic piece or both together. The remuneration for actors consists, so to speak, of a share for the visual and a share for the vocal performance. The latter is omitted in non-German-language productions in order to enable reports from dubbing actors.

In German productions, on the other hand, you should refrain from reporting an additional contribution as a dubbing actor, even if you are rerecording your dialogue in whole or in part. In this case, the contribution as an actor already contains the remuneration share for picture and sound. We cannot guarantee that the higher-value contribution will be taken into account if multiple reports are submitted.

Radio Productions and Broadcasts (NTT):

For radio productions and broadcasts, the same rule applies: a maximum of two artistic contributions are remunerated. One of them has to be performing, the other one has to be instructional (see above).

In the case of live radio concert broadcasts, only one musical contribution is usually recognized, since it is not possible to perform an instructional and a performing role at the same time.

Musical contributions to spoken word productions (such as radio features, radio plays, readings, etc.) belong to the so called open budgets and are reported using the appropriate form.

Examples of combining performing and instructional contributions:

• You may be both a literary director and an artistic narrator in a radio play.
• For the soundtrack of a radio play, you may both be an artistic producer and an instrumental musician/singer.

However, in both cases it is important to note that you cannot direct yourself. Therefore, other artists must always be involved in order for an instructional activity to be recognized.

Sound Recordings (TT) & Video Clips (VC):

For sound recordings (TT) and video clips (VC), a maximum of two contributions are remunerated as well. The strict rule that one must be performing and the other one instructional does not apply here. However, there are other rules to consider.

Certain combinations of contributions are excluded, e.g.

• contributions as artistic producer AND conductor
• contributions as conductor AND studio conductor
• identical participation roles with different functions, e.g.
  • singer as soloist AND as background/studio singer or
  • instrumental musician as band member AND as studio musician.

Please note that for contributions as an artistic producer to be recognized in the field of classical music, a conductor's certificate is required.

Due to the many possible combinations in the field of sound recordings, please note the following rule:

In the case of two valid contributions, according to the distribution plans, the higher-ranking contribution is fully weighted, the second with only one category point.

If you have performed different activities in a sound recording and are wondering which should be reported in order to achieve the highest possible remuneration, the following rule of thumb applies:

• Main artists (soloists, band members, conductors - but not studio conductors!) receive the highest number of points.
• This is followed by the role of artistic producer and finally the performing roles (studio musicians, background singers, orchestra musicians, etc.).

In the other media (AV, NTT), the weighting of the two possible roles is self-evident, since the instructional role is usually scored higher or identically compared to the performing role.

Details on the scoring can be found in the distribution plans.