YouTube heralds ‘big day for music in Germany’ as a truce is finally struck with GEMA

Streaming music videos will not be much easier

Watching music videos on YouTube has long been a frustrating experience in Germany, thanks to a longstanding dispute between the site and the state-authorised copyright collecting society GEMA.

The Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (hence the abbreviation) looks after the copyright for over 70,000 artists, and following a court ruling in 2012 imposed very stringent rules about what YouTube can and can’t stream.

That ‘this video is not available in your country’ message will be cropping up a lot less from today though, as the two parties have struck a deal.

“Today is a big day for music in Germany. YouTube has reached a landmark agreement with the Germany-based music rights organization, GEMA, meaning that starting today, more music will be available on YouTube in Germany,” YouTube said in a statement.

“This is a win for music artists around the world, enabling them to reach new and existing fans in Germany, while also earning money from the advertising on their videos. And for YouTube users in Germany, who will no longer see a blocking message on music content that contains GEMA repertoire, for the first time in seven years.

"This agreement reflects a long-held commitment that composers, songwriters, and publishers should be paid fairly, while ensuring fans can enjoy their favorite songs and discover new music on YouTube. That commitment has helped YouTube evolve into an important source of promotion and revenue for musicians.

"As such, we continue to invest in our rights management system, Content ID, to protect rights owners while continuing to innovate and create new and exciting YouTube features such as VR and 360, that can heighten the music experience on YouTube even more."