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Royalty Registration & Collection

How to Collect Your GEMA Royalties

German performing- and mechanical-rights organization collecting royalties for songwriters, composers, and publishers.

PROPerformance
Visit GEMA →

GEMA is a performing-rights organization (PRO) in Germany that collects public-performance royalties on behalf of songwriters, composers, and publishers whenever their compositions are performed publicly — across streaming, radio, television, live venues, and businesses. Like every PRO, it splits each performance royalty into a writer's share and a publisher's share.

If you collect through GEMA, Notes registers your compositions and publisher data so the performance royalties it collects are matched to you and reconciled alongside the rest of your catalog — with no percentage taken.

At a glance

GEMA at a glance

Based in
Germany
Pays
Quarterly
Territories
Germany

How Notes works with this platform

What we do on GEMA

  • Register. If you're affiliated with GEMA, Notes registers your compositions and publisher data so the performance royalties GEMA collects are matched to you.
  • Register. ISRCs, ISWCs, IPI numbers, and split data are submitted to GEMA so payouts match the correct musician.
  • Collect. Public-performance royalties GEMA collects for songwriters and publishers are reconciled with the rest of your catalog — no percentage taken.

What you earn here

Royalties GEMA generates

GEMA
Distribution Broadcast Publishing Performance
  • Distribution
  • Broadcast
  • Publishing
  • Performance

GEMA collects these royalties on behalf of rightsholders. Notes registers you so the money it administers actually reaches you — in full, with no percentage taken.

How royalties reach you

The money flow through GEMA

  1. Your music playsOn Spotify, Apple Music, and other services.
  2. GEMA collectsGEMA is the performing rights organization that gathers the royalties those plays generate in Germany.
  3. You get paidNotes registers you with GEMA so the money it collects actually reaches you — in full, with no percentage taken.

Collect everywhere

One song. Collected worldwide. Paid to you.

Your music earns through two layers. The first is distribution — the recording's streaming and download royalties, paid directly by the platforms everywhere they play it: one delivery, collected worldwide, no society involved. The second is society collections, and that's what this map shows — every territory has its own societies gathering what's earned there: performance and mechanical on the composition, plus neighbouring rights on the recording. The highlighted territories are where Notes is registered and collecting now; Notes reconciles both layers and pays it to you, with no percentage taken — and more light up as we sign them.
AndorraUnited Arab EmiratesAlbaniaArmeniaAngolaArgentinaAustriaAustraliaAzerbaijanBosnia and HerzegovinaBarbadosBelgiumBurkina FasoBulgariaBeninBoliviaBrazilBotswanaBelarusCanadaRepublic of the CongoSwitzerlandCôte d'IvoireChileChinaColombiaCosta RicaCubaCabo VerdeCzechiaGermanyDenmarkDominican RepublicAlgeriaEcuadorEstoniaSpainFinlandFranceUnited KingdomGhanaGuineaGreeceGuatemalaHong KongHondurasCroatiaHungaryIndonesiaIrelandIsraelIndiaIcelandItalyJamaicaJapanKenyaSouth KoreaKazakhstanSaint LuciaLesothoLithuaniaLuxembourgLatviaMoroccoMoldovaMontenegroMadagascarNorth MacedoniaMaliMacauMauritiusMalawiMexicoMalaysiaMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaNetherlandsNorwayNepalNew ZealandPanamaPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalParaguayRomaniaSerbiaRussiaSwedenSingaporeSloveniaSlovakiaSenegalSurinameEl SalvadorThailandTürkiyeTrinidad and TobagoTaiwanTanzaniaUkraineUgandaUnited StatesUruguayVenezuelaVietnamKosovoSouth AfricaZimbabwe
  • Collecting now
  • On the map

What a song earns

  • PerformanceComposition · PROs
  • MechanicalComposition · MROs
  • Neighbouring rightsRecording · societies like SoundExchange
  • Master recordingsPaid directly by DSPs everywhere a song streams — distribution, not a society

The map shades the society-collected layer — the part that differs by territory. Master recordings are paid worldwide through distribution, so they sit outside the map.

Distribution + collectionsMaster worldwide, societies in every territory
Notes reconcilesOne place, no percentage taken
Paid to youThe musician, in full

Collection Sources

Questions musicians ask

Common questions about GEMA

How do I register with GEMA?
If you're affiliated with GEMA, Notes submits your compositions, publisher data, IPI numbers, and splits so the performance royalties it collects are matched to you.
What does GEMA collect for me?
GEMA is the performing rights organization (PRO) for its territory — it licenses the public performance and broadcast of your compositions and collects the performance royalties. Notes makes sure you're registered so none of what it collects goes unclaimed.
Does Notes take a percentage?
No. Notes is a flat subscription — the royalties GEMA collects on your behalf are paid to you in full.
What royalty types does GEMA collect?
GEMA collects Performance royalties.
What territories does GEMA cover?
GEMA is available in Germany.
How often does GEMA pay royalties?
GEMA distributes royalties quarterly.
Where is GEMA based?
GEMA is based in Germany.

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