Pledge: GEMA Hack

There’s a German explanation by the creator of the pledge here

As you may know or not, the GEMA (German equivalent to ASCAP e.a.) does not allow their members to publish any work under any other license, but their own (which is strictly commercial and exclusive “all rights reserved”). GEMA does not permit any per-track/label or per-album licensing models – if you sign up with them, they will own everything you will ever produce. No exceptions. Due to the facts that GEMA holds a 100%  monopoly  in Germany and that most radio stations will not play records without a GEMA-label and many big record stores won’t sell records without one, you don’t have much choice.

This means: as an artist in Germany you are not allowed to publish your own content under CC license – or you will lose all royalties for anything else you have published or will publish in the future to the GEMA.

(I don’t understand, how this is compatible with the 5th amendment (liberty of arts, science and research), but me  no lawyer,  me just bongo-bongo. so me better no ask questions – amendment no good for bongobongo anyway.  amendment only good for lawyerman.)
But bongobongo may sign pledge (and hope lawyerman don’t read).

To be honest, I think it’s a shame, that a lousy “pledge” is all we can actually do against this sort of clear discrimination. But it’s still better that nothing.