TONO's annual meeting 2026:
Tuesday, June 9th is the annual meeting of TONO. This year, voting members will decide, among other things, whether TONO should be able to license song lyrics for AI services, whether there will be changes to who can become a member of TONO's board, and how the cultural funds will be handled.
/ 21/05/2026 / Willy MartinsenAt the annual meeting, the more than 6,000 TONO members who have the right to vote are invited to participate and decide what TONO should be like.
TONO's board of 11 members, consisting of composers, songwriters, lyricists, music publishers and employee representatives from the administration, is now proposing to the annual meeting that changes be made to TONO's statutes, i.e. the rules that apply to TONO.
– TONO and the world around us are developing rapidly. The board's task is to ensure that TONO can do its job in the best possible way, also in the future. We are therefore proposing a number of changes that I believe will collectively give TONO a more robust, clear and future-oriented framework – while continuing the purpose and the fundamental membership anchoring, says TONO chairman Ole Henrik Antonsen.
The annual meeting documents were sent out to TONO members who have the right to vote on May 13. There can be a lot to understand. Therefore, we will briefly explain here what the most important changes are.
The board proposes that TONO should also be able to manage song lyrics in digital platforms. This is particularly true for the use of song lyrics in artificial intelligence, for example when AI services train their models on song lyrics. TONO must be well equipped to be able to license such companies, and to be able to secure payment to those who have written the music and song lyrics they train their models on.
If the members at the annual meeting agree to this, TONO will be in a stronger position when it comes to licensing AI actors and ensuring that the authors get paid.
TONO also collects all licensing related to KI in the same category in the membership agreement, so that the individual TONO member can say no to TONO licensing their work and song lyrics for use in a KI context.
TONO is owned by its members, and it is at the annual meeting that the major decisions are made. Today, you must attend the annual meeting itself, physically or digitally, or give your proxy to someone who can attend, in order to vote. Now the board is proposing to introduce advance voting. This means that those of you who have voting rights in TONO will in the future be able to cast your vote electronically on the various matters in advance of the annual meetings.
If the proposal is adopted, more people will be able to exercise their voting rights.
Each year, TONO's election committee proposes new members to TONO's board and other bodies and committees.
TONO's board now proposes to expand the nomination committee from four to five members. They also propose to include one external member, that is, a person who does not necessarily write music or run a music publishing company, but who can contribute other insights.
The goal is to ensure trust in how positions in TONO are filled. It can also help ensure that the nomination committee is well equipped to do its work in the best possible way into the future.
TONO's board currently consists of 11 members from authors, publishers and employees. The board is now proposing to adjust the composition. The most important thing will continue, there should be a majority of authors. However, it is completely new that it is proposed that there should also be a person from outside, who does not necessarily write music themselves.
TONO has grown a lot in recent years and has become a billion-dollar company. The proposal to create a permanent position for an external person is about enriching the expertise on the board, for example in technology or strategy.
Several of TONO's sister organizations internationally have already done the same. The proposal also contains some practical adjustments, including those related to deputy representatives and continuity in board work.
TONO's control committee monitors that the board and administration operate the business in line with our statutes and guidelines, and with the use of cultural resources.
The board is now proposing a new composition of the control committee, which will still have five members. The proposal means that the committee will have members from NOPA, the Norwegian Composers' Association and the Music Publishers Association, from other members/heirs and one external member who will also be the chair of the committee.
The goal is to make the control committee more independent and ensure trust in the work it does.
TONO can allocate up to 8 percent of its profits to cultural funds. This is used for scholarships and for national music cultural purposes through NOPA, the Norwegian Composers' Association and Music Publishers. Now the board is proposing a new structure with a three-part division of how the funds will be distributed, with up to 1/3 to each category:
At the same time, the board proposes that a separate allocation committee be established.
The changes will be phased in from 2027, with the first allocations under the new model to be made in 2028.
The aim of this is to ensure that cultural funds are used in the best possible way, while at the same time strengthening trust in how they are distributed. It is also a goal that this should make it transparent, open and easily understandable how cultural funds are used.
In addition, some minor adjustments are proposed that are not of great practical importance, including:
Because these issues are important, and because it is important for TONO's board and administration that members understand the issues as best as possible, we are arranging two information meetings. The first is on May 26th, and will be arranged both as a physical meeting in the TONO building in Kongens gate in Oslo and as a digital meeting.
The second will be held as a digital-only meeting on June 1st.
At these meetings, you will receive a review of the proposals, and you will be able to ask questions directly to the board and administration.
The information meetings are open to TONO members who have voting rights. Register for the meeting on May 26th. here.! There is no pre-registration for the information meeting on June 1st.
If you have voting rights in TONO, you can register for the annual meeting! You do that here.
If you are unsure whether you have the right to vote in TONO or not, please contact medlem@tono.no. The people working there are both nice and smart, and would love to hear from you.