International cooperation for the benefit of TONO's members

Dear TONO members,

Last year, TONO sent 374 million kroner out of the country to music creators all over the world. This is payment for their music that has been played and performed in Norway the previous year. At the same time, TONO received 73 million kroner from the “TONO companies” all over the world for the music that you TONO members have made and that is used outside Norway. This is how collective management of copyright works across borders. It is possible because we at TONO have reciprocal agreements with our sister societies around the world. In addition to these agreements, we collaborate with many of these organizations on the development of practice, regulations and technology. We learn from each other and stand together when we try to influence authorities and politicians to promote copyright in law and technology development.

As I write this, I am returning from meetings in Helsinki with our Nordic sister societies. This time we have discussed licensing music for audiovisual productions, sustainability and, of course, artificial intelligence. In some areas we collaborate very closely, for example through joint companies such as Polaris Hub. At other times we join forces on joint projects, such as in the area of ​​sustainability.

There are several international organizations that work actively to promote copyright in the music field. Some of the largest are GESAC, which works particularly with legislation in the EU, and CISAC, which is the international umbrella organization that brings together all the rights managers around the world. For us at TONO, it is very useful to get involved in this work. Not only is there a lot to learn from how other organizations solve small and large challenges that we also face daily. It also gives us the opportunity to be part of a stronger "voice" that can help create better conditions for TONO's members.

At TONO, we have recently appointed former media director, Inger-Elise Mey, to a newly created position as responsible for international work. She will be able to use her network for the benefit of TONO members, and her expertise from many years of work in the media field to the benefit of international cooperation.

It is gratifying when Norwegian music creators succeed outside the country's borders, and they can at the same time be confident that their rights and income are well taken care of by us at TONO and through our good cooperation with our sister organizations all over the world.

All the best, regards Karl