Tom Hugo Hermansen is TONO's chairman (photo: Willy Martinsen)
As a six-year-old, he stood in front of his mother's cassette player with earphones and sang self-composed songs. Now he will fight for and together with the TONO members to increase the value of music and those who make it, in the face of artificial intelligence, a more confusing rights picture and foreign actors. At the annual meeting on June 9 this year, Tom Hugo Hermansen was elected as the new chairman of Tono.
/ 01/07/2026 / Willy Martinsen– What has been the path from songwriter and artist to becoming chairman of TONO?
– I have always been aware that the lyrics and music are the beginning of a value chain that can be very long, and therefore, in addition to my career as a songwriter, producer and artist, I have built up music companies that manage rights since the beginning of my career.
After receiving training in union representative work on the NOPA board, the Norwegian Music Industry Council and the Rights Alliance, I have realized that working for the community gives me just as much joy as seeing one of my songs become number one on the charts. "Impossible tasks" inspire me, and making TONO an even more efficient sales and collection center, simultaneous as we contribute to increased value creation among our 46,000 members. That's a great motivation!
– Where do the most important battles for Norwegian music life stand going forward?
– I am passionate about the music industry getting the best possible framework conditions, and that making a living from creating lyrics and music does not appear like a utopia for those in the starting group. We take it for granted that there will always be songs made that connect us in celebration and sorrow, and that there will always be new songwriters and artists who manage to put words to first love and adolescence. Will that be the case when the big tech giants' AI gets to create these and keep one hundred percent of the money, even though they have demonstrably trained on other people's songs?
We must also work to ensure that what remains of the catalogue among Norwegian copyright holders does not end up in foreign hands. Politicians and state investment funds must understand that the cultural heritage we manage is an important piece in the defense of democracy and the diverse society we have built over time. What we manage, unlike oil, never ends. If it is managed correctly. I want to contribute to that.
– How will you, as chairman, equip TONO to fight that battle?
– The main task for TONO is to ensure that the rights holders are paid correctly for the music that is performed, as quickly as possible. At the same time, we must ensure that the heritage we have in the cultural bank here in Norway is kept alive, and in the narrow genres that have incredibly great added value for a few right now, can be the best investment for future commercial successes.
I believe unity is the foundation for success. But to achieve that, we must ensure a better understanding of each other's everyday lives. TONO must become better at communicating, and at explaining complex arrangements and systems in an understandable way. And then we must be honest that there is potential for improvement in many areas.
In TONO, we are in the midst of an important and necessary system change that will make us much better equipped in the years to come. We must be able to stick together even if we disagree on certain priorities, and raise our sights. Because the real fight is about external challenges, the place of music and creative values in society. I hope that after September 1st we can raise our sights and focus on what really matters: how do we get the most back to our members and strengthen a diverse and vibrant music life?
– TONO has individual members, associations and large commercial publishers under one roof. Is it possible to bring them together?
– The first weeks in office have been tough, because we have had some important challenges come to light. But I have worked as a composer, songwriter and music producer in constellations throughout my life. And where I have had the greatest commercial success is when people from different backgrounds manage to get along, when the commercial and the "special" work together.
Everyone starts somewhere, and we can help lift each other up. Think of the commercial super success Rosalía! She would never have been where she is if it hadn't been for avant-garde music and art on all sides that she can be inspired by and draw on. And I think most people would agree that many of the biggest music exports from Norway are inspired by our cultural heritage to a greater or lesser extent. We must be able to think big and long-term, and we must understand each other's situation better.
– Where does TONO stand today?
– We have a job to do in communicating complex systems both to members and the public. We are also in the process of many important change processes, and I am very much looking forward to the process of the extraordinary annual meeting. As chairman of the board, I hope we can anchor good, well-thought-out proposals, for the best for our members. For Tono ER the members. We are neither more nor less than that. And the newly elected board is firmly motivated to ensure that we are able to involve and capture different opinions, and preserve the important diversity.
One of the bigger areas of conflict we are in now is about the cultural contribution. Ideas never come from nowhere. That exact phrasing, those exact words. There's probably a bit of Knutsen and Ludvigsen, a bit of folk tune, a bit of Bjørn Eidsvåg, and maybe a bit of joik or Sami music in there, without you really thinking about it. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. And then it's positive to contribute some percentage back to the community, and to new ideas and new music. Then we have to agree on the right level, the right distribution and the right system for this. And we are ready for that process.
The most important thing going forward, and my most important goal as chairman, is to facilitate compromises between commercial considerations and the diversity of rights holders. I am used to cheering from large crowds. In this position, I must realize that if most people are a little dissatisfied, but no one goes to the basement or the roof, then we are on the right track. Some will always think it goes too far, others too short. But I am convinced that we will all come out stronger on the other side.
Because we are strongest when we stand together.
