over 60 democratically elected representatives and deputies. Finding the most suitable candidates among almost 2,000 cooperative members is no small task – but someone has to take it on.
/ 17/03/2022 / Kristian DugstadTONO is a cooperative, which means that the company is owned and managed by its members. Anyone can become a member of TONO and receive money when their music is used, but it is the cooperative members, members who meet certain financial requirements, who sit on the company's board and other political bodies.
In 2022, just under 2,000 of TONO's nearly 38,000 members are members of the cooperative TONO SA. These 2,000 have the right to attend and vote at TONO's annual meeting, and can stand for election.
Finding around 60 suitable and motivated candidates among the cooperative members is no small task, but someone has to take it on.
Said some is the election committee.
The election committee's sole task is to prepare a recommendation on which candidates should hold which positions on TONO's board and management. They do this based on formal criteria and personal qualities.
In principle, the Nomination Committee has no power. The Annual General Meeting is completely free to reject the Nomination Committee's recommendation.
– The election committee has no decisive power, but they have great influence on who is elected if they do a thorough job with the nomination. The goal will be to find candidates who win the approval of the annual meeting, says Svein Korshamn, deputy director of TONO.
At the time of writing, the committee consists of Lars Martin Myhre from NOPA, Kristin Andersen from Musikkforleggerne, Klaus Sandvik from the Norwegian Composers' Association and Dag Erik Knedal Andersen, who represents TONO's independent shareholders. The latter is the committee's chair.
The work on the proposal for this year's annual meeting on June 8 is Andersen's first round as leader, and this is a task he takes very seriously.
– We in the nomination committee are aware that we have a great responsibility to make a recommendation that is as good as possible. Finding new candidates, both on the board and in the various committees that will work for the TONO community in the years to come, is both important and meaningful, says Dag Erik Knedal Andersen.
Everyone who is elected to office on TONO's board and management is affiliated with a "faction", whether it is the Music Publishers, NOPA, the Norwegian Composers' Association or the independents, i.e. those who are not members of any of the three group associations. This composition applies to the members of the election committee, as well as the candidates the election committee recommends.
Although each group association has its own interests both within and outside TONO, it is an important principle that those elected to TONO's bodies should act in the best interests of TONO as a whole.
This is particularly important in the work of nominating candidates for such positions.
– The members of the election committee are elected as individuals, and are not bound by their respective factions. There can certainly be extensive tug-of-war within the committee, but ultimately the recommendation should be based on an agreement between the committee members on what is best for TONO, says Svein Korshamn
Dag Erik Knedal Andersen is confident that all of the committee members have the same goal in mind: A TONO that is best for all members, now and in the future.
– It is natural that the representatives of the various groups in the election committee have the best overview of candidates associated with their part of the membership. At the same time, we work as a unified committee, with open discussions about the nomination of candidates. We are in a privileged situation, where we can choose from the top shelf of authors in Norway for the positions that we nominate. The fact that TONO gets access to the enormous expertise that its members possess is also one of the organization's greatest strengths.
TONO's annual meeting will be held this year on June 8. Read more here..