Around 30 TONO employees are involved in Mjølnir. Here are some of the most important ones. Behind from left: Marketing Director Tommy Tangløkken, CRM/portal manager Tove Strauss, CEO Karl Vestli, trainee Vilde Sætra Lund, senior developer Stine Aas, trainee Kaspar Kvammen Bjerke, IT manager Jonas Lantto and department manager for the membership department Jan Espen Storo. In front from left: Department manager for the billing department Elin Heer and project manager in the development department Jørgen Hansen. (Photo: Willy Martinsen / TONO)
Mjølnir, TONO's ambitious technology initiative, is named after the hammer of the Norse god Thor. The program will elevate TONO to new heights and make it easier and better to be both a TONO member and customer.
/ 18/12/2024 / Willy Martinsen– We look forward to 2025 when both members and customers will begin to feel the effects of our great technological promise, says Christian Onshus, Development Director at TONO.
TONO simplifies the everyday lives of media companies, streaming services, concert organizers and other music-using businesses by providing easy access to the world's best music. At the same time, we ensure that those who create the songs and works get paid when the music is used.
TONO handles enormous amounts of data and money every day. With the Mjølnir program, which started in 2023, we are upgrading the entire technological infrastructure. This investment in new technology responds to clear wishes from both members and customers of TONO, and following clear signals from TONO's annual meeting in 2018.
The goal of the technology promise is simple, effective and user-friendly solutions for everyone involved – TONO itself, its members and its customers. It is a comprehensive program that involves large parts of TONO's organization:
– Around 30 TONO colleagues are involved in the program and the various sub-projects. In addition, we get help from external consultants and people from the companies that deliver new technical solutions, says Onshus.
Mjølnir is divided into six major focus areas, each of which plays a crucial role in TONO's technological renewal.
– We are replacing everything. From new billing systems to new portals for members and customers to a new search in billings. Everything is being developed and tailored to our needs today and in the future. This is absolutely necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best services to members and customers, says Onshus.
– So far, much of the work has been about creating a good foundation, so that we develop exactly the services that members, customers and we at TONO actually need. Now we are slowly starting to get to the phase where customers and members will notice the changes.
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Mjølnir's first delivery was the new tariff and settlement models that were adopted at the annual meetings in 2024. This laid an important foundation for the modernization of TONO.
A beta version of the new search solution on Mitt TONO described above will be launched in May, according to plan. The beta version will allow members to test out the solution and provide valuable feedback leading up to the launch of a final version later in 2025.
– The new search will be a long-awaited improvement for members. It will provide detailed information in a simple way about where their music has been played, and what they get from TONO for it. For the first time, all information is collected. Radio play, streaming and concerts in one and the same search result. They will thus not have to log in to NCB's website to find billing information from online and physical media as is the case today, says Onshus.
A completely new settlement system will be implemented in June 2025. This will ensure high precision in payments going forward and will also reduce the time it takes from the customer paying TONO until the member receives the money. This will open the way for more frequent settlements in the future.
And in the second half of 2025, new portals for customers and members will be launched. Here, new functionality will be released continuously in 2025 and 2026. TONO is now in the process of selecting a supplier for a new customer and member processing system, which will lay the foundation for this. This will allow us to have efficient and good dialogue with members and customers, while automating internal work processes.
The portals will provide a completely new everyday life for both TONO's members and customers:
– Both members and customers will receive much better digital tools. Members will receive more and better information, and it will be easier for customers to purchase a TONO license. Concert organizers will be able to look forward to simple, digital solutions for reporting concerts as well, concludes Onshus.