Erik Brataas will be the new CEO of Polaris Hub, a company owned by TONO, Teosto (Finland) and Koda (Denmark), which negotiates and enters into agreements with international digital audio music services for the owner companies.
/ 07/09/2022 / Willy MartinsenErik Brataas will take up the position as the new CEO of Polaris HUB on December 1. He takes over from Linda Collin, who has served as interim CEO for the past year. Collin will continue in a role as head of licensing.
Brataas' mission will be to further develop the business and strengthen relationships with Polaris HUB's customers, while also ensuring Nordic composers, lyricists and music publishers receive remuneration when their music is used on digital music services.
– I feel privileged and look forward to joining Polaris Hub. The board and I aim to take the company to the next level and ensure that the rights holders we represent receive the best possible terms. The collaboration established by Koda, Teosto and Tono positions Polaris Hub as a strong and reliable partner for both the rights holders we represent and customers in the Nordic music market. I am humbly excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, says Erik Brataas.
Erik Brataas has worked in the Norwegian music industry for over 25 years. He was CEO of the largest independent music distributor in the Nordic region, Phonofile, from 1999 to 2017. Since leaving Phonofile, he has co-founded several music industry start-ups, including the Norwegian music publisher Arctic Rights Management. Since 2021, he has been CEO of FONO, the industry association for independent record labels in Norway.
– We in Norway are familiar with Erik's efforts as head of Phonofile for 18 years, and he enjoys great trust in the Norwegian music industry. We are pleased to welcome Erik to Polaris Hub. Erik has great insight into the music industry, and brings with him expertise in the development and operation of young organizations. We have high expectations that the appointment of Erik will contribute to further growth in the licensing of our repertoire on digital music services in Europe and in other parts of the world, says Cato Strøm, CEO of TONO.
Polaris Hub is a joint venture established by the Nordic fundraising companies Koda (DK), Teosto (FIN) and TONO (NO). Polaris Hub acts on behalf of all three organizations when negotiating and concluding agreements with international digital music services. Since the hub was established in 2018, it has negotiated Nordic agreements with Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Spotify and YouTube, among others. Visit https://polarismusichub.com/
Erik Brataas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikbrataas/
Cato Strøm, managing director of TONO, mob 922 16 319, cato.strom@tono.no
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO, mobile 909 65 254, willy.martinsen@tono.no