GVL advocates tariff increase in the area of public performance

In addition to the revenues from broadcasting and private copying, remunerations from public performance of artistic recordings are a main pillar of GVL licensing. In the interests of its rights holders, the GVL is seeking an appropriate increase in tariffs in this area.

"The artistic performance of performers and their partners, the labels, is indispensable for the enjoyment of art. It is only through them that creative works come to life," emphasise Tilo Gerlach and Guido Evers, managing directors of the GVL. "This achievement should also be adequately reflected in the remuneration."

The GVL considers the current GVL tariffs for perfoming artists and producers of phonograms to be inappropriately low, as they amount to only 26 per cent of the GEMA tariffs for composers and lyricists in the field of radio and television reproduction and 20 per cent in the rest of the field. The review is primarily directed at the tariff for public performance of radio broadcasts and in-store radio (Tariff R) and, in a further step, at public performance in fitness and health courses (Tariff WR-KS-F).

Following the failure of negotiations between the GVL and the Bundesvereinigung der Musikveranstalter e.V. (BVMV) on an increase of the terminated tariffs, an interim agreement was reached between the parties. Without recognising the previous tariff level, this agreement provides for the continued application of the tariffs until a legally binding decision on the merits. This prevented the GVL rights holders from the threat of complete non-payment. In return, the agreement offers users the economic planning security demanded by BVMV in that future increases in the tariffs in question will not be applied retroactively by GVL. Any future tariff increases will take effect for all users, including those outside BVMV, once they come into force.