Norwegian music life is more vibrant than ever. “The road has been long, but the result is a music industry we can be proud of,” says Audun Molde.
/ 18/05/2018 / Willy MartinsenFrom a musical little country to a diverse music nation. Norwegian music history over 90 years extends from classical composers and revues in the pre- and interwar period, through pop and rock in the 60s, the jazz scene of the 70s, the electronica of the 90s and right up to the present day. With ever-increasing uniqueness, self-confidence and quality.
– Norwegian music has grown like a tree. From a small trunk to today where we have many flowering branches extending in all directions. Today, Norwegian music life has a diversity, a richness and a level within all genres that composers, musicians and the industry can be proud of, says musicologist Audun Molde, who himself has been a TONO member for 34 years.
He is a senior lecturer and responsible for the popular music study program at Westerdals Oslo ACT, in addition to being a senior lecturer II at the Creative Studies Management program at BI Norwegian School of Business. Molde is the author of a number of professional books on music, and is currently working on the book POP: A Story.
Molde says that TONO's birth in 1928 occurred at the start of an exciting turning point in the music world.
– When TONO was founded, radio was still new, sound films had just made their breakthrough with The Jazz Singer, the recording industry was electrified and singers were starting to use microphones. At the same time, the world's music industry was entering its biggest crisis ever, namely the stock market crash of 1929. Record sales were plummeting worldwide, he says.
Bad economic times meant that music consumption before and after the war was largely about radio, jukeboxes and concerts. Gramophone records were expensive. Therefore, the radio and NRK, which was established in 1933, set the tone for people's musical habits. You hear something on the radio, the dance orchestras play the same songs and people buy sheet music and play themselves.
Radio time and live performances are the key to a composer or songwriter's success before and after the war. The music community itself is small and characterized by a handful of composers everyone knows who they are, such as Arne Bendiksen and Alf Prøysen.
This changes in the 50s and beyond the 60s. Radio, and eventually TV, is still important. But the new criterion for success is now selling a lot of records. The vinyl record becomes a "game changer". This only grows with the cassette and the CD - and until 2008.
– Then several technological innovations coincide. The smartphone becomes common, internet coverage is constantly improving and Spotify is launched. The streaming era begins, with enormous access to music – and a completely new competitive situation for everyone who creates music, Molde states.
Norwegian music has not only developed qualitatively, but also developed self-confidence. It is the story of different genres that, through different decades, find their shape and assert themselves in competition with the best the world has to offer.
– Art is often such that you first imitate an expression or a performer you admire. Then you eventually find your own identity. That has also been the development in Norwegian music – across genres, he says.
Molde refers to how Norwegian contemporary music flourished in the 60s and achieved international recognition with talents like Arne Nordheim and Gunnar Sønstevold, and how Norwegian jazz found its voice in the 70s with stalwarts like Jan Garbarek, Karin Krog and Terje Rypdal at the forefront. The outside world discovered Norwegian music.
In the 80s and 90s, rockers like Åge Aleksandersen, Raga Rockers, DumDum Boys, Jokke og Valentinerne and DeLillos made Norwegian the language of rock. And in the 90s, a vibrant Norwegian electronica scene emerged, originating in Tromsø and Bergen, opening eyes all over the world. At the same time, Norwegian metal was making its way around the world.
The Norwegian music industry is becoming what it is today. (The story continues below the image)
If there is one group Audun Molde wants to take a stand for, it is the forgotten heroes of Norwegian music.
– We must remember the revue songs and ballads from the 40s and 50s, and all those who wrote hymns, church music, band music and workers' songs. I also think of all the children's songs that have been a part of Norwegians' childhood for decades. These composers, arrangers and lyricists are Norwegian music's "unsung heroes." They have engaged broadly and popularly, and have had enormous cultural significance. Their songs live on, he says.
– Norwegian music is moving from importing impulses and inspiration to becoming an export product, explains Molde.
Contemporary composers and jazz achieved early international recognition in the 60s and 70s. Then there are artists who also make a mark in popular music. Today, few remember the band Titanic and their hit "Sultana" from 1971. But they were the first Norwegian band to enter the English charts – 14 years before a-ha.
The 80s is the decade when Norwegian artists and songwriters really start to sniff out international commercial success. From Lippo Lippi and The Monroes show international appeal. And a-ha's "Hunting high and low" in 1985 places Norwegian pop on the international stage – with two international number 1 singles: "Take on me" and "The sun always shines on TV."
– The internationalization of Norwegian music is increasing again in the 2000s with names like Röyksopp. And today, Norwegian music and composers are a more sought-after export commodity than ever. In recent years, this has increased sharply with names like Kygo, Astrid S, Cashmere Cat, Seeb. In addition, we have a number of successful songwriters like Caroline Ailin and Dsign Music who write hits for artists and stars around the world. And not least, we see that large parts of Norwegian jazz, contemporary music and traditional music also reach an international audience, he says.
Molde's analysis is reflected in TONO's foreign revenues, which rose from NOK 35,2 million in 2014 to almost NOK 70 million in 2017.
The music industry we see today has come a long way in 90 years, Molde asserts. Norwegian rappers and hip-hop artists continue the Norwegian language heritage, which both folk singers and children's song writers have cultivated through generations. Industry organizations are collaborating more closely than ever, and it is still the creators – those who create the content – who are the bedrock of Norwegian music.
The changes have been enormous since 1928. But what remains the same?
– Music listeners always want music that touches and is experienced as relevant. And we want music that is available where we are. Accessibility is the big technological driver in the music world – from the radio through all physical formats and to the streaming services that we have with us everywhere in an app.
– Something else that doesn't seem to change is that we are social beings. That's why the festival flora is more flourishing than ever and concerts sell out. And just as we made mix tapes for friends and lovers, we now share playlists on Spotify and Tidal. The joy of sharing musical experiences with others is the same, concludes Audun Molde.
NB: This article can also be found in print in the paper magazine TONO has printed on the occasion of our 90th anniversary. We must unfortunately acknowledge that some errors occurred during the proofreading phase, which has resulted in some things in the printed version being incorrectly reproduced. These things have been corrected in this digital version. We point out in particular that Molde in the interview referred to the composer Gunnar Sønstevold, a name that is unfortunately incorrectly reproduced in print. Furthermore, "Røyksopp" corrected to "Röyksopp" and some other minor adjustments of a particularly linguistic nature have also been made.