What is GEMA?
GEMA (Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte) is Germany's central collecting society for music authors and protects the rights of composers, lyricists and music publishers. Whenever music is used in public, a license is required so that the authors are remunerated.
Public use means that music can be heard in a place that is not exclusively private - e.g. events, stores, restaurants, websites or social media content.
Who can become a GEMA member?
GEMA is open to all persons who are creatively or administratively involved in musical works. This includes various groups of authors and persons who manage their rights.
Those entitled to membership include:
- Composers who create melodies or musical works
- Lyricists whose texts are set to music
- Music publishers who publish and exploit works
- Legal successors who take over the rights of a deceased copyright holder
GEMA thus addresses both active music creators and persons who administer or continue existing rights.
GEMA membership is always personal. This means that it is not the band as a collective that can become a member, but only the individual creative authors. Each band member who composes music or writes lyrics must therefore submit a separate membership application. This is the only way GEMA can later clearly assign who is involved in which work.
Persons who cannot become GEMA members:
- Pure performers, i.e. performing artists who merely perform music but do not compose, write lyrics or edit it themselves. As they are not active in a creative capacity, their field of activity is not covered by GEMA, but by the GVL (Society for the Exploitation of Neighbouring Rights).
- Persons who work exclusively as producers or producers of sound recordings. As they do not assume a copyright role in terms of publishing or musical creation, they cannot be accepted as publishing members of GEMA.
What are the requirements for registering works with GEMA?
Before you can register works, you must become a member of GEMA. There are different types of membership:
Membership types & requirements
| Membership type | Membership type Description | Cost of membership | For whom suitable |
| Associate member | Standard for new songwriters | One-off admission fee of €107.10 (not applicable for artists < 30 years) + €50 annual fee | Solo artists, bands, producers |
| Full member | Co-determination rights, high income (at least 5 years of extraordinary membership and minimum income required) | Higher contribution | Professionals with extensive catalogs |
As soon as you have been accepted as a member, you can register your musical works and thus lay the foundation for the professional and legally secure exploitation of your music.
Which works can be registered with GEMA?
In principle, you can register any musical work if you are the author:
- Compositions
- lyrics
- Beats / instrumentals
- Arrangements (under certain conditions)
- Joint works (e.g. band productions)
Step-by-step: How to register a work with GEMA
Nowadays, GEMA registration works digitally and is usually completed in a short time.
1. Apply for GEMA membership
If you are not yet a GEMA member, the first step is to apply for membership. You can complete the membership application online in just a few minutes: https://www.gema.de/en/music-creators/become-a-member
You should have the following information ready for the application:
- Personal details: Name, pseudonym (optional), artist name, dates of birth
- Contact details: Address, e-mail, telephone number (optional), website (optional)
- Account information for payment
As soon as you have signed the membership application and received confirmation of your membership, you will receive a membership number and access to GEMA's online portal.
From this point on, you can officially register your works and receive royalties.
2. Set up access to the GEMA online portal
After confirming your membership, you will receive access to the GEMA online portal. As soon as you have your membership number, you can create a user account there: https://portal.gema.de/app/
In the portal you can:
- register works
- view your statements
- update master data such as address or bank details
- Check the status of works already submitted
Access is set up in just a few minutes and makes all the following steps much easier for you.
3. Register a work with GEMA
As soon as you have access to the portal, you can register your songs with GEMA. GEMA refers to this process as work registration.
You will need this information to register:
- Work title
- Type of work (music, lyrics or music + lyrics)
- Contributors (all authors)
- Rights shares (so-called "splits")
- Optional: an audio file or a lead sheet
For co-writes or band productions in particular, you should definitely define the split agreements in advance.
Example: Entering participations correctly
| Role | Name | Share |
| Composer | Max Mustermann | 50 % |
| Lyricist | Anna Example | 50 % |
As soon as you have entered all the required data in the portal, you can complete the work registration. After submitting, GEMA will check your details. After successful registration, your song will receive a unique ISWC number as an identifier.
Important tips for a successful GEMA registration
To ensure that the work registration process runs smoothly and to avoid later conflicts, it is worth following a few basic recommendations. Careful preparation saves time, ensures clear responsibilities and makes sure that GEMA can manage and bill your works correctly.
- Be sure to list all contributors correctly - disputes over shares are frequent and avoidable.
- Formulate work titles clearly to avoid confusion.
- Keep joint contracts (split sheets) - they serve as security.
- Register early: GEMA often pays retroactively to a limited extent.
- For producers: Beats without lyrics are also fully-fledged works.
What happens after registration?
After registration, your work is officially listed in the GEMA database. Every use - whether at a concert, on the radio, on streaming platforms or on TV - will be reported to GEMA in future and automatically assigned to you according to your shares.
The process is now complete: You are a member, registered in the portal and have registered your first work - and from now on you can earn royalties.
Conclusion: GEMA work registration is an important step for your music career
Registering a work with GEMA is much more than just a bureaucratic process - it is a central building block for legally protecting your creative work and securing long-term income from your music.
As soon as you are a member and have registered your works correctly, you benefit from professional exploitation of your rights, fair distributions and clear attribution of your authorship. This lays the foundation for ensuring that your music is not only heard, but also rewarded. If you register your works carefully, nothing will stand in the way of the successful and transparent use of your songs.
The work registration with GEMA is done - now what? FEIYR offers you everything you need to successfully publish your songs and maximize your income: Flexible release tools, worldwide distribution and transparent evaluations.
FAQ - Frequently asked questions about GEMA registration
Do I have to be a GEMA member to release songs?
No, but without membership you will not receive any GEMA royalties and your rights will not be administered by GEMA.
Can I register a work together with others?
Yes, you simply state all contributors and their shares. Important: Agree in writing beforehand.
Can I register AI-generated music?
Only if you have produced your own creative work that is eligible for copyright protection. Simply pressing a button in AI software is usually not enough.
Is GEMA the same as GVL?
No:
- GEMA = rights of the authors (composers, lyricists)
- GVL = rights of the performing artists and labels (performers, master rights)
