Professionelles Musikleben
The German Music Council is committed to improving the framework conditions in professional music life in discussions with decision-makers and through public statements. In addition to the social security of freelance musicians, copyright is also a recurring topic of discussion.
Social security for freelancers
Statement on fee floors in publicly funded projects
In order to improve the situation of self-employed musicians, the German Music Council is drawing up a joint statement on lower fee limits for publicly funded projects and institutions. The corresponding calculations take into account, among other things, the high level of qualification and the ‘invisible’ work performance with planning, rehearsal and travel times, operating costs and the financing of reserves and holidays.
The DMR's recommendations from 2023 will be updated; we currently refer to recommendations from our member associations:
Here you will also find the recommendations of:
unisono, Deutsche Musik- und Orchestervereinigung
BDKV, Bundesverband der Konzert- und Veranstaltungswirtschaft & Live Musik Kommission
Appropriate political efforts are needed to establish fee floors responsibly and sustainably:
The establishment of lower fee limits must be accompanied by a sufficient increase in funding programmes and cultural budgets. At the same time, the development of further funding models that can be used to support the closing of fee gaps must be examined.
Introduced fee floors must be evaluated annually so that necessary adjustments can be made in good time, both with regard to the level of the recommendation and corrections in application practice.
In order to be able to address questions in the application at an early stage, the funding administrations should offer appropriate information events for applicants.
Programmes for students that impart knowledge about working as a freelancer and calculating and negotiating fees in the sense of professional orientation are an important building block on the way to improving the income situation. The cooperation of music academies and other educational institutions is urgently needed here in order to sensitise teachers and students to these topics and to further develop the curricula.
For the long-term discussion of the issue of lower fee limits, it is urgently necessary to gain more knowledge about the working reality of self-employed musicians. This should take the form of studies that focus on the specifics of self-employed musicians.
Recommendations on fee floors and appropriate remuneration in the field of music education and in the conservatoire sector
Music education plays a central role in the cultural development and personal development of people of all ages. It is part of social services of general interest and must remain accessible to all in the interests of equal opportunities. Music teachers are highly qualified professionals who have been carrying out valuable educational work for decades.
In Germany, there are more than 25,700 music teachers and over 7,000 lecturers at conservatoires.
Despite their important work, this is often not reflected in their remuneration. Many freelance teachers live in precarious conditions and are at risk of poverty in old age. The median income of music teachers in 2024 was €14,650 gross. In order to secure the existence and quality of music education, it is necessary to set lower fee limits. Appropriate remuneration recognises the value of the work and strengthens the social security of cultural workers and the professional image of music education.
The recommendations should be applied to publicly funded projects and institutions. In view of the different national and regional conditions and financial situations, e.g. at music schools or conservatoires, the recommendations can certainly not be implemented immediately at present, but should be strived for successively with the support of the respective funding bodies.
Copyright
Copyright law is of central importance for authors, performing musicians, the entire cultural and creative industries and cultural institutions. However, the coalition agreement between the SPD, Bündnigs 90/Die Grünen and FDP for the 20th electoral term of the German Bundestag (2021 - 2025) contains only a few statements on the legal framework in the area of copyright. In addition, advancing digitalisation and the many technical changes, such as the use of artificial intelligence in music, are constantly giving rise to new questions about copyright that need to be clarified. The German Music Council is in favour of strengthening copyright law and adequate framework conditions, including in the digital space. The Federal Expert Committee on Legal Affairs regularly deals with this topic at its meetings.
The topic of copyright was also discussed at the symposium ‘Artificial Intelligence and Music’ on 20 October 2023. Among other things, the implementation of EU Directive 2019/790 on ‘Copyright in the Digital Single Market’ played a role here. Authors must be able to licence the commercial use of their works in the context of AI technologies.
Study „Professional Music-making in Germany“
In April 2023, the German Music Information Centre (miz) published the study ‘Professional Music Making in Germany’. The study was carried out on the basis of a nationwide, cross-genre survey by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research (IfD), focussing on the situation after the coronavirus pandemic. The results show: Only 30 per cent of professional musicians in Germany live exclusively from music. Almost half of musicians also work in music education and just under a third in non-musical activities to support themselves. The average monthly net income is €2,660, although a fifth of professional musicians earn less than €1,500. Significant differences can be seen not only in the income situations of employees and freelancers - the monthly net income of the latter is on average around 500 euros lower - but also in gender-specific matters.
The complete results and methodology report of the study can be found in the corresponding focus of the German Music Information Centre.
©Andreas Schoelzel
Representative data on the working reality and income situation of professional musicians has long been lacking. Following the coronavirus pandemic, the miz study provides us with a valid basis for discussion that significantly supplements the data from the Artists' Social Security Fund, the microcensus and individual studies on the social situation of cultural professionals. It is now up to those responsible in cultural policy and cultural institutions to draw the right conclusions.
President of the German Music Council