Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, Goslar, Magdeburg, Rostock, and Quedlinburg joined in on the nationwide silence at this year's Christmas markets. The reason? The unbearable rise in GEMA fees. Hanover's city administration experienced a soaring 9500 euros in 2019, and was projected to foot a 45,000 euro bill in 2022 - a staggering fivefold jump.
Germany's Christmas markets are taking a hard hit, squeezed by this colossal hike in costs, which came as a shock. GEMA charges event organizers for music events, some of which goes back to the artists. Anja Ritschel, the Green Party's Economic Affairs lead in Hanover, explains why things have turned silent in Germany's Christmas markets: "The fees have shot up, and music-less Christmas markets are now common."
These skyrocketing charges are now calculated per event area, irrespective of the area sound covers. It's the South Saxony Christmas Market Foundation that revealed how many markets are opting for an audio-free festive season because of the financial consequences.
Insights:
The GEMA fees increase started to impact the Christmas market industry in 2021. More than just a hindrance, this significant hike mandated a paradigm shift in the way Christmas markets functioned. Many Christmas markets opted for entertainment alternatives like dance shows or other non-music-related activities to avoid the high fees. Organizations in the music industry also started discussions to streamline the royalty distribution system to ensure the fee system aligned more closely with revenue generation.
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Protests swept across Hanover and several other German cities. Headlines about pro-Palestinian demonstrations, winter weather updates, and information about arrests for drug manufacturing activities seemed to take a backseat to the more pressing issue of soaring GEMA fees.
