German Music Archive

The Deutsches Musikarchiv Berlin (DMA, "German Music Archive") is the central collection of printed and recorded music and the music-bibliographic information centre for Germany. It is a federal agency founded in 1970 with the task to collect all music published in the country. Its precursor was the Deutsche Musik-Phonothek (1961-1969). Situated in Berlin's Lichterfelde, the DMA constitutes a department of the German National Library (Die Deutsche Bibliothek). The DMA is planned to move to Leipzig, to be housed in an extension of the Deutsche Bücherei, which since the German reunification is the other half of the national library. Construction work began in 2006 and is to be completed in 2009.

Publishers of printed and recorded music in Germany are required by law (since 1973) to deliver two copies of every edition to the archive. One copy is kept at the DMA in Berlin, the second is deposited in the music collection of the Deutsche Bücherei in Leipzig.

In July 2000, the DMA also assumed the role as repository for GEMA, Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte, a German music copyright organization. Since then, music publishers only have to submit copies to DMA, which covers both national archiving and copyright registration. The 210,000 works of printed music previously held by GEMA were transferred to DMA.

External links

* [http://www.d-nb.de/eng/wir/ueber_dnb/dma.htm Deutsches Musikarchiv Berlin]
* [http://www.d-nb.de/eng/sammlungen/kataloge/opac_b.htm Online catalogue] (covering 1976 to present time)

ee also

*Berliner Phonogramm-Archiv