GWVR: Promoters’ Collecting Society Sets Tariffs

German collection agency GWVR has set tariffs regulating the amount promoters receive for live recordings of their events that are released on CD, DVD or BluRay.

GWVR does not only collect promoter royalties for concerts, but also for comedy shows, cabaret, revues, musicals, opera, theatre and other events.

The collecting society’s director, Dr. Johannes Ulbricht, said: “It finally became an economic reality that event organizers have ancillary copyright to their events and can have a reasonable share in the proceeds of the commercial exploitation.”

Additional tariffs regulating online usage, radio and television broadcasts of event recordings are to follow in the near future.

The plan to launch the first collecting society for promoters was made in 2001. Communicating with the German copyright board is a lengthy affair, and permission to found the GWVR was only granted at the end of 2014.

Ulbricht recalls the lengthy process: “Both the approval process for the society and the discussions on setting the rates were quite difficult and time-consuming. But in my position at the GWVR, I’ve had to learn that the clock runs much slower in this business and that one needs a lot of patience. I’m glad that this is the second major step after the official approval for the society makes sure that event organizers finally will receive first payments.”

The German promoters society bdv is the sole proprietor of GWVR. “By efficiently safeguarding their rights, event organizers will for the first time be able to enjoy a lasting benefit from their services that allows them to generate a long-term profit – as opposed to fleeting success from individual concerts,” said bdv President Prof. Jens Michow.

Details about the tariffs can be found on GWVR’s website, which will be translated into English over the coming weeks.