TONO has had a busy six months, during which we can also note a six-month record in foreign income. Read CEO Cato Strøm's summer greetings to the members here.
/ 30/06/2017 / Willy MartinsenPhoto: istockphoto
From experience we know that summer is a very active time for TONO members. TONO's member service is naturally staffed throughout the summer. If you are playing concerts this summer, we encourage you to report all performances on My TONO as soon as possible after the concerts. Please call us at 22 05 72 00 if you have any questions.
From 235 million to 450 million to be distributed over ten years
The past six months have been very hectic and exciting. In May, we presented TONO's accounts for 2016. We are pleased that we have managed to increase our profit for distribution to the rights holders from approximately NOK 235 million in 2006 to almost NOK 450 million last year. The good results are due to more music being written and performed than ever before, while TONO's employees constitute an effective organization that creates results for its members.
The results for the first half of this year also promise well. In both the background music and concert areas, we are well on track in relation to the annual goals. We are particularly looking forward to seeing the results of this summer's festivals. In the online area, we have secured a number of new agreements. We are also in demanding negotiations with a number of associations and organizations. Some have been long-standing and have not yet been resolved, and this is work we will continue with throughout the autumn. We can also mention that during the first half of the year, we have collected almost 31 million kroner from abroad, approximately 8 million kroner more than in the same period last year.
Hectic activity in the administration, board and other committees
TONO is currently undergoing extensive IT development, several of which are being carried out in collaboration with its sister societies in Finland and Denmark – Teosto and Koda, through the jointly owned company Polaris Nordic. We are working on a digital reporting solution for music users, as well as a new version of “My TONO”. The goal is to launch these in the first half of 2018. We also recently announced the start of the Polaris Futures Lab, where the purpose is to develop innovative, world-leading solutions for Nordic rights holders and music users.
We have completed two ordinary quarterly settlements so far this year, with approximately NOK 147,5 million settled to licensees at home and abroad, as well as more than NOK 21 million settled to TONO members via NCB.
TONO's board has had five meetings this spring, and there has also been hectic activity in other committees and committees. At the annual meeting in May, new board members were elected, and on June 22, the board appointed a new chairwoman in Ingrid Kindem.
In May, we awarded TONO scholarships and Young Talent scholarships totaling nearly 12 million kroner.
New copyright law
On April 5 this year, the government submitted a proposal for a new copyright law to the Storting, Prop. 104 L (2016-2017). There was a lot of noise surrounding this proposal. On the rights holder side, it was believed that the bill, in contrast to the consultation paper sent out in the spring of 2016, did not fulfill the government's original promise to strengthen the position of rights holders. TONO and the group associations have put in a lot of work to reverse the content of the proposal. We have presented our views to key politicians, and have, in collaboration with leading copyright experts, developed proposals for new legal texts and comments, which have been submitted to the Storting's Family and Culture Committee.
This ended with the government sending a letter to the Storting and withdrawing the disputed provision in §71, and the Storting itself decided to postpone further consideration of the bill. It seems to us that the interested parties are very far apart on this matter, so it would be well for the Storting to reach a solution this year.
The EU's "copyright package"
TONO is naturally also involved in the EU Commission's work on European copyright legislation. The so-called "copyright package" with its various elements, which the EU Commission sent out in the fall of 2016, is being processed by the Parliament, and we already know that it is a time-consuming process.
The most important battle, in our opinion, is “The Value Gap” or “Transfer of Value” as it is also called. Here too, the fronts are steep and the players are powerful. We believe that the rights holders have good arguments when we see, for example, how Facebook has developed into a channel where music is discovered and made available.
Haven't you signed yet?"Make the Internet Fair” campaign, then please do so.
We wish all TONO members a really good summer!
Cato Strom
CEO
TONO