Warning: Suspected Clone of “Musik in Bayern” — Do Not Submit

By /

Alert: Suspected Clone Site Using the Name “Musik in Bayern”

Published by Lumina Literati Publishing — Investigation concluded 09-03-2025

Summary: An anonymous group of scholars has identified a website operating at https://www.musikinbayern.com/ that appears to be a clone or unaffiliated copy of the established yearbook Musik in Bayern (the original sits at https://jahrbuch.gfbm-online.de/). Authors and editors are strongly advised to verify journal provenance before submitting manuscripts.

What we found

The site at musikinbayern.com hosts content and downloadable files that mimic the look and descriptive copy of the original yearbook, but its appearance on search engines and the presence of certain uploads are inconsistent with the established publisher pages at the Gesellschaft für Bayerische Musikgeschichte (GfBM). The clone domain shows active uploads dating from 2023 onward that are not referenced from the GfBM official pages. Authors should treat submissions to unmapped or unfamiliar domains as high-risk until provenance is confirmed.

Why this matters to authors and readers

Cloned or unaffiliated journal sites may:

  • Display legitimate-looking archives and editorial boards that are fake or incomplete.
  • Charge publication fees without running proper peer review.
  • Index papers under deceptive DOIs or host files that mislead search engines — reducing discoverability of the legitimate journal and potentially compromising authors’ rights.

How to verify a journal (quick checklist)

1. Confirm the publisher: compare the journal website with the publisher’s official domain (example: gfbm-online.de for Musik in Bayern).
2. Look for consistent ISSN listings and archival records on recognized library sites or publisher pages.
3. Check editorial board members independently (institutional pages, ORCID profiles).
4. Watch for recent domain registration dates or odd upload patterns (unexpected subject matter, odd contact emails, or aggressive fee requests).
5. Contact the legitimate society or publisher directly (GfBM in this case) to confirm whether a site is an official host.

Our recommendation

Lumina Literati Publishing and the anonymous scholar group recommend: do not submit manuscripts to musikinbayern.com or any similarly suspicious site until direct confirmation from the journal’s official publisher. If you have submitted or published with the suspected clone, document the transaction (screenshots, receipts, correspondence) and contact your institution’s library or research office for guidance.

Further reading

See our related industry advisory on predatory and cloned journals: Eksplorium Journal Alert.

    Scroll to Top