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An emergency coronavirus fund for musicians, worth up to €40million, has been launched in Germany. 

GEMA, the German performing rights organisation, made the announcement today, Monday 23rd March, with the intended recipients songwriters and composers. 

“It is already foreseeable that the economic consequences of the corona pandemic will be devastating for the entire creative industry,” says Dr. Harald Heker, CEO of GEMA. “GEMA will use all available means to support its existentially threatened members as best [we can] to cushion the economically catastrophic effects for our customers.”

The first payments will be allocated to eligible artists who also perform live and have therefore lost significant earnings amid ongoing global event cancellations. The second batch of revenue will be given to ‘individual hardship cases’ within the songwriting industry. 

This is the latest measure in Germany to try and mitigate the economic devastation the ongoing pandemic is having on creative industries. A fund aimed at assisting those working directly in Berlin’s nightlife has already been established, and the city’s Room 4 Resistance collective has compiled a document of vital information and organisations offering support. Meanwhile, by waiving its own fees last Friday, Bandcamp helped labels and artists collectively reach sales of more than $4million.