Establishment for the protection of the performance and reproduction rights in the field of music

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"AWA" lettering on a long-playing record

The establishment for the protection of the performance and reproduction rights in the field of music (AWA) was created at the instigation of the German Democratic Republic Ministry for Popular Education on January 1, 1951 under the name establishment for the protection of the performance rights in the field of music as a counterpart to GEMA in the Federal Republic of Germany . It was a legally independent institution and was subordinate to the Ministry of Culture of the GDR . The AWA had branch offices, AWA district administrations and a property as a holiday and training facility. From 1974 the general management of the AWA was located in Berlin, Storkower Straße 134. The AWA had been a member of the CISAC Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs since 1956 and also from 1956 a member of the BIEM Bureau International de l'Edition Mecanique . After the fall of the Wall , a resolution was up for debate, but this dragged on until the mid-1990s.

history

The Ministry for Popular Education of the GDR founded the AWA on January 1, 1951. The 1st AWA regulation was mainly due to the work of Professor Max Butting . Josef Morche became general director. The central management of the AWA had its seat at the Berlin Taubenstrasse 4 to 6. The Lied der Zeit GmbH was located in the same building , from which the VEB Deutsche Schallplatten later emerged. The AWA had six regional administrations within the former GDR countries . When the states of the GDR were converted into districts from 1952 , AWA branches and district administrations were established at AWA. In 1957, the management and the advisory board of the entitled persons moved to the street at Potsdamer Bahnhof. In 1958, the establishment of the field of mechanical reproduction began , as the use of musical works in the form of tape recordings became topical.

In 1961 the AWA had to give up its premises at Potsdamer Bahnhof due to the construction of the Berlin Wall . For the time being, the administration was located in the Marstall building . From 1970 onwards, the number of AWA authorized persons increased steadily. New international cultural relationships brought an increase in fee income. Musical works from the GDR, especially from the field of symphonic and chamber music, were to be found more and more often in concert programs in many countries around the world, and many reciprocity agreements were concluded with foreign companies.

After the death of Josef Morche in 1972, Klaus Eisenbarth took over the position of general director. In 1974 the new administrative headquarters at Storkower Straße  134 was completed. From 1976 employed lawyers held courses on legal regulations and copyright at the Humboldt University in Berlin , Law Section, Chair of Copyright. Language courses were also offered at the company academy. As early as 1981 the AWA worked with 36 copyright societies in 25 countries on the basis of bilateral agreements.

After reunification , in March 1990, the AWA had around 8,000 members or beneficiaries. On May 30, 1990, the general assembly passed a new statute. Well-known authors, composers and representatives of publishers were still members of the AWA at this time and worked on the advisory board of entitled persons, on the members' council and on the board of directors. A changed tariff should also bring changes to the existing license agreements with music users. Due to the upcoming currency reform in July 1990, monetary policy securities had to be created for the funds of the authors administered by the AWA. In addition, it had to be ensured that the authors' income from work was still available in the accounts of the GDR state bank , the savings bank and the postal check office . Finally the liquidation of the AWA was decided. Therefore, many composers, lyricists and publishers in the GDR joined GEMA and VG Wort Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort . In 1992 the AWA was still in liquidation and legally continued to exist as a company in liquidation .

tasks

The AWA exercised the performance and reproduction rights (so-called "minor rights") in the field of music. It was therefore regarded as the society for the copyright of composers, text writers and arrangers in the GDR. It registered and scored all performances of notifiable works. According to the number of points, the AWA distributed the collected fees to the authors and publishers in Germany and abroad. On the basis of international treaties, it secured the rights of GDR authors abroad. The beneficiaries in the GDR were paid the remuneration as a percentage in value dates. Since 1978 the AWA has had an arbitration commission for copyright matters, the task of which was to attempt to settle disputes independently and out of court between those entitled to the AWA.

In addition, the AWA was an important state instrument for the implementation of the cultural policy of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , for example by monitoring compliance with the "60/40 rule". This rule was part of the order on program design for dance and light music of January 2, 1958 by the Ministry of Culture of the GDR: it limited the foreign share of the repertoire of entertainers subject to foreign exchange to 40 percent. On the one hand it was politically and ideologically founded and on the other hand it was due to the GDR's chronic lack of foreign currency. As a result of the 60/40 rule, the independent development of pop and rock music in the GDR was promoted.

The AWA supported numerous international music festivals with its sponsorship funds, for example the GDR Music Days and the International Music Biennale in Berlin ( MaerzMusik ). In 1989 an AWA interpreter award was awarded for the first time.

Others

The AWA logo is a lettering made up of the three capital letters AWA . The W in the middle of the last up stroke ends as a note. The color representations vary, but mostly the colors green and black were used. The AWA had its own house chapel and a mixed choir, which consisted only of employees. In addition, from 1973 the AWA had a built-up forest plot in the Nibelungensiedlung in Wandlitz , which served as a training and holiday home. In the first few years, many employees mainly worked in the field . Right where the music was being played, often by bands, the employees were on site with the stopwatch to record the exact playing time. From 1963 the task was added to record all jukeboxes and later all devices for mechanical music reproduction and to charge them according to valid tariffs. From 1972 the music reproductions at discotheque events were also included in the calculations so that composers and lyricists also received royalties for their works .

The word AWA was printed on almost every record and music cassette from the GDR . There was also the regular company newspaper AWA aktuell .

Honorary members of the AWA

See also

literature

  • HP Hofmann: Beat Lexicon . Song of Time , Berlin 1977.
  • Klaus Eisenbarth: The AWA . In: Ernst Günther, Heinz P. Hofmann, Walter Rösler (eds.): Cassette. An almanac for the stage, podium and ring (=  cassette ). No. 2 . Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1978, p. 68-72 .
  • Götz Hintze: Rock Lexicon of the GDR . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-89602-303-9 .
  • Matthias Wießner: The GDR and the international copyright regime . In: Hannes Siegrist (Hrsg.): Delimitation of property in modern societies and legal cultures . Comparativ 16 (2006) 5-6, pp. 249-267.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Festschrift from 1981, 30 years AWA
  2. ^ A b Lutz Peter Christian Johannes Kuppe: GDR manual . Ed .: Federal Ministry for Internal German Relations. 1st edition. Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik, Cologne 1979, ISBN 978-3-8046-8515-4 , p. 45 .
  3. ↑ a b edition of awa-aktuell from March 21, 1990 and the commemorative publication from 1981 30 years AWA
  4. ^ Edition of awa-aktuell from March 21, 1990.