BERLIN (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — German performance rights organization GEMA has released its 2006 annual report and financial statements and it appears to have been a good year…for the artists at least.
In 2006, GEMA's royalty collections rose 2.6% from the previous year, to €874.4. Of that, €752.7 million was actually dispersed to royalty holders with the remaining €121 million going to GEMA overhead.
Dr. Harald Heker, Chief Executive Officer of GEMA noted that "GEMA's positive annual balance for 2006 shows that at a time of radical changes to music markets in the national and international music licensing business the German music authors' society is working innovatively and so protecting the interests of all music authors and rights owners in a reliable and successful manner."
Things weren't all cupcakes and kittens at GEMA though. Reflecting general trends in recorded music sales, GEMA saw an overall decline in income for the year by 1.2% from 2005.
Heker added "we are increasingly concerned to see that the gap between omnipresent music consumption and low income development for the music authors has continued to widen last year as well." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
