Adesso : receives follow-up order from GEMA to modernise its online services for music users

The IT provider successfully completed the software-based reorganisation and modernisation of the GEMA events and radio business segments in summer (Trinity project). GEMA has now entrusted adesso with another project in the field of software modernisation. adesso will develop a totally new concept and design for GEMA's online services for music users.

GEMA provides a research and information service platform on its website for its customers and music users. The service includes a repertoire search in the works database and a tariff calculator for calculating licence fees for musical works. As a trustee recognised by the German government, GEMA currently manages the rights of around 70,000 members - composers, lyricists and music publishers - in Germany and boasts more than one million authorised users worldwide.

With these modernised online services, GEMA plans to provide its customers with an appealing web portal where they can carry out music-related registrations and requests themselves quickly and independently. 'We want to give our customers, the music users, an even faster and more efficient online service with the comprehensive relaunch of our self-service offering,' commented Dr Markus Grimm, CIO of GEMA. This also helps to reduce the amount of calls that the call centre receives during peak hours when employees have to process requests over the phone. This is an enormous help when it comes to reducing the burden on our overall processes.'

It allows customers to carry out tasks such as maintaining their master data, managing their invoices and viewing their licenses for music usage quickly and easily via the modernised self-service function. The component that automatically supports the various administrative tasks for the general contract partners is a new feature. This provides service functions to associations and organisations that have arranged for special conditions for their members.

Dr Damir Ismailović, the software project manager at adesso, describes the challenge as follows: 'We attach a great deal of importance to convenient user guidance and an appealing interface design for software development at GEMA. The objective is to make the offer and user experience as attractive as possible so that of all the offers and channels available, customers prefer using the online services on the GEMA website most of all.'

The go-live date for the new self-service function is scheduled for early summer 2018.