GVL (Germany)

GVL (Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten) is Germany's collective management organization for neighboring rights, representing over 185,000 performers and producers of sound recordings. Founded in 1959, it collects and distributes remuneration when recorded music is broadcast on radio or television, played in public venues, or subject to private copying levies. GVL is one of the largest neighboring rights collecting societies worldwide.

How GVL Works

GVL manages so-called secondary exploitation rights on behalf of its rights holders. These include statutory remuneration for radio and television broadcasts, public performance of recordings in venues like bars and cafes, and private copying levies collected from the sale of smartphones, storage media, and other devices. The online streaming sector is not covered by GVL's collective management, as streaming rights are governed by individual contractual arrangements between rights holders and platforms.

In 2025, GVL collected EUR 257.9 million in total revenue, slightly exceeding the previous year. Collections from foreign sister societies amounted to EUR 9.8 million, a 6.3% increase from 2024. GVL represents over 185,021 direct rights holders, including 169,597 performers, 15,351 producers, and 73 event organizers. Through more than 80 representation agreements with international sister societies, GVL represents over one million performers and over 100,000 producers worldwide.

GVL distributes remuneration based on broadcast minutes reported for each individual recording. The organization analyzes over 34 million broadcast minutes annually to calculate payments. Distribution plans are determined by delegates elected by rights holders at the Assembly of Rights Holders, not by GVL management.

In 2025, GVL launched lizenz.gvl, a new digital licensing portal for license holders. The platform was initially opened to private radio stations and expanded to web radio operators in 2026. This complements the existing rights holder portals my.gvl and label.gvl.

Membership is free. Performers sign a rights administration agreement online and register their productions through GVL's portals. Producers register tracks via the label.gvl portal with metadata including ISRC codes, playing time, genre, and recording details.

Real-World Example

A violinist performs on a recording that receives regular airplay on a German public radio station. The recording is broadcast for a total of 500 minutes in a given year. GVL logs those 500 broadcast minutes through its monitoring system and calculates the violinist's share based on their role in the production and the applicable distribution plan.

If the same recording is also played in a Berlin restaurant, the restaurant's GVL license fee contributes to the public performance remuneration pool. The violinist receives a proportional payment from both the broadcast and public performance distributions.

GVL also administers the German implementation of EU Directive 2011/77/EU, which extended sound recording protection from 50 to 70 years. Under Section 79a of the German Copyright Act, producers must pay 20% of income from exploitation to contributing artists. GVL administers this remuneration right on behalf of performers.

In 2026, GVL began distributing remuneration from the protection term extension (Section 79a UrhG) for usage years 2014 to 2024, providing additional payments to performers who contributed to recordings during that period.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a performer or producer based in Germany, GVL membership is the only way to collect neighboring rights remuneration for the broadcast and public performance of your recordings. Unlike PROs such as GEMA that collect performance royalties for songwriters, GVL collects for the people who perform on and produce sound recordings.

Sign the rights administration agreement with GVL and register your productions through their online portals. For producers, use label.gvl to register tracks with complete metadata including ISRC codes. For performers, use my.gvl to declare which productions you contributed to. Incomplete registrations mean missed payments, as GVL can only distribute based on registered repertoire.

GVL can also manage your neighboring rights internationally. When signing the rights administration agreement, you can grant GVL a mandate for territories beyond Germany. Over 80 bilateral representation agreements allow GVL to collect your royalties in countries worldwide. Check your mandate settings in label.gvl or my.gvl to confirm you have granted worldwide rights where appropriate.

GVL distributes remuneration for a wide range of contributions, including singers, instrumentalists, conductors, actors, dancers, dubbing artists, and stunt performers. If you contribute to any type of recorded production that is broadcast on German radio or television, you may be entitled to remuneration.

Territory Covered

GVL collects neighboring rights royalties exclusively within Germany. The organization licenses radio and television broadcasters, public performance venues, and other entities that use sound recordings within German borders. This includes public and private radio stations, television networks, bars, cafes, restaurants, gyms, and retail stores operating in Germany.

For royalties generated outside Germany, GVL relies on its network of over 80 bilateral representation agreements with international sister societies. Rights holders must grant GVL a mandate for territories beyond Germany through the label.gvl or my.gvl portals. Major partners include SoundExchange (US), PPL (UK), SCPP/SPPF (France), and AIE (Spain).

Membership and Fees

GVL membership is free. Performers and producers sign a rights administration agreement online through the my.gvl or label.gvl portals. There are no signup fees and no annual fees.

Performers

Performers sign a rights administration agreement through my.gvl. They must declare which productions they contributed to, including their role in each recording. GVL accepts singers, instrumentalists, conductors, actors, dancers, dubbing artists, and stunt performers.

Producers

Producers register tracks through label.gvl with complete metadata including ISRC codes, playing time, genre, and recording details. Producers can also grant GVL mandates for international territories.

Event Organizers

Event organizers can affiliate with GVL to manage rights for events they produce. GVL represents 73 event organizers as of 2025.

Overhead Rate

GVL deducts administrative and collection costs from collected revenue before distribution. In 2021, GVL's own administrative cost rate was 9.7% of total revenue. This rate decreased 1 percentage point from the prior year due to increased revenues.

Additional collection costs are deducted based on the source of revenue:

• Private copying (collected by ZPUE): up to 5%
• Cable retransmission (collected by ARGE Kabel): up to 10%
• Rental (collected by VG Wort/ZBT): up to 3%
• Rental (collected by GEMA/ZVV): 30%
• Public reproduction (collected by GEMA): up to 12.5%

These collection costs are deducted from the relevant revenue streams before distribution to rights holders.

Royalty Distribution Schedule

GVL distributes remuneration through multiple distribution cycles per year. Each distribution period consists of three phases:

1. Registration phase: Rights holders have 3 years to report contributions to productions. The phase ends with a registration deadline.
2. Initial and follow-up distributions: At least two follow-up distributions occur after the initial distribution. Newly reported participations and subsequent income are distributed in these cycles.
3. Final distribution: After the registration phase expires, all unclaimed remuneration is released and paid to registered beneficiaries.

GVL publishes its distribution schedule annually. Distribution dates are announced on the GVL website and social media channels. Rights holders can view current deadlines and target dates in the performers and producers sections of gvl.de.

Reciprocal Agreements

GVL maintains over 80 bilateral representation agreements with international sister societies. These agreements allow GVL to collect neighboring rights royalties for its rights holders when their recordings are broadcast or performed outside Germany.

Major reciprocal partners include:

• SoundExchange (US): Digital radio royalties for satellite and internet broadcasts
• PPL (UK): Public performance and broadcast royalties
• SCPP and SPPF (France): Broadcast and public performance royalties
• AIE (Spain): Broadcast and public performance royalties
• SENA (Netherlands): Broadcast and public performance royalties
• SAMI (Sweden): Broadcast and public performance royalties
• Gramo (Norway): Broadcast and public performance royalties

Through these agreements, GVL represents over 1 million performers and over 100,000 producers worldwide. In 2025, collections from foreign sister societies amounted to EUR 9.8 million, a 6.3% increase from 2024.

Rights holders must grant GVL the mandate to manage their international rights through the label.gvl or my.gvl portals. Without this mandate, GVL cannot collect royalties from foreign territories.

Notable Members

GVL does not publicly disclose its full membership roster. The organization represents over 185,021 direct rights holders as of 2025, including 169,597 performers, 15,351 producers, and 73 event organizers.

Several notable voice actors have contributed to GVL's explainer video series:

• Daniela Hoffmann: German dubbing voice of Julia Roberts. GVL member and narrator of GVL's overview explainer video.
• Manfred Lehmann: German dubbing voice of Bruce Willis. Narrated GVL's committees and actors explainer videos.
• Arianne Borbach: German dubbing voice of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Cate Blanchett. Narrated GVL's labels explainer video.
• Johannes Raspe: German dubbing voice of Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Pattinson. Narrated GVL's performers explainer video.

PRO Comparison Table

Videos

Compare GVL with Other PROs

• SoundExchange - US digital performance rights organization
• PPL - UK neighboring rights organization
• PPCA - Australia's neighboring rights organization
• SENA - Netherlands neighboring rights organization
• SAMI - Sweden neighboring rights organization
• GEMA - Germany's performing rights organization (complementary to GVL)
• Full PRO Directory - Browse all performing rights organizations

Related Resources

• Neighboring Rights - What neighboring rights are and how they differ from performance royalties
• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - How PROs like GEMA collect songwriter royalties in Germany
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• GVL Official Website - Visit GVL for membership and rights management information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings