Three different organizations are represented on TONO's board and other committees, in addition to vacant seats where independent members can also sit. Here you can read a little about the Norwegian Composers' Association, NOPA and the Music Publishers. It is difficult to avoid the group associations Norwegian Composers' Association, NOPA and the Music Publishers when we now summarize TONO's 90-year history. These three […]
/ 18/05/2018 / Willy MartinsenIt is difficult to avoid mentioning the Norwegian Composers' Association, NOPA and the Music Publishers' Association when summarizing TONO's 90-year history. These three professional and interest organizations have shaped TONO over many decades.
Contributes expertise
The Norwegian Composers' Association was founded in 1917, the Norwegian Music Publishers' Association in 1936 and the Norwegian Schlagerkomponistforening – today NOPA – in 1937. These are heavily involved in the strategic and governing work of TONO, and hold positions in all bodies. In recent years, TONO's bodies have also had so-called "free seats", which are also open to TONO members who are not members of the associations.
– The employees in the administration are professionals in various areas of management, but the steering committees include composers, lyricists and music publishers. This adds invaluable expertise to the company, says Deputy Director of TONO, Svein Korshamn.
But the organizations also live their own lives independent of TONO. Because where TONO is a management company, the organizations are professional and interest organizations, which enable completely different types of measures and activities than TONO can do.
Norwegian Composers' Association
The Norwegian Composers' Association works to promote the use of Norwegian music in all forms and expressions, and has a main task of strengthening the cultural policy framework conditions for everyone who creates music in Norway. The association does this, among other things, through political work, and through information work on everything from copyright, gender equality, to the breadth of Norwegian music. In its daily work, the association assists authors with legal and professional advice, and also has a wide range of professional offers for composers, such as courses, workshops and seminars. The organization also has support schemes, most of which are open to all TONO members.
– The Norwegian Composers' Association is proud to have established TONO in 1928, and that we have been involved in managing and building the organization for 90 years. Our association and TONO live closely together, where we contribute to ensuring the authors' perspective in TONO's operations and activities, and where we, like NOPA and Musikkforleggerne, fulfill a supplementary function to TONO, says Jørgen Karlstrøm, chairman of the Norwegian Composers' Association and deputy chairman of TONO's board.
NOPA
NOPA works to promote Norwegian creative music, Norwegian musical works and song lyrics, strengthen professional communities, create meeting places and work for composers and lyricists' artistic and economic interests. NOPA focuses on promoting the Norwegian repertoire in all genres and musical forms of expression. They work for good framework conditions for Norwegian music, both politically and in collaboration with other music and artist organizations. NOPA supports professional forums, panel debates, songwriter camps, offers consulting, contract painting, and has three work residences abroad, of which one apartment in Berlin can be used by all TONO members within the field of popular music. The organization also has scholarship and project support schemes.
– TONO and the group associations all fight for copyright. But we do a lot that TONO cannot do, for example fighting for a higher Norwegian share in radio and TV. There TONO's hands are more tied, as the company is obliged through international reciprocity agreements to treat all repertoire equally, says NOPA chairwoman Ingrid Kindem, who is also chairwoman of TONO.
The music publishers
The Music Publishers Association has 39 Norwegian publishers as members. The organization works to give Norwegian music publishers good conditions to create a sustainable music industry. This includes working for the best possible legislation, standard agreements, industry standards and attitudes in society. The Music Publishers Association offers advice on publishing and rights issues and also has professional forums for its members. The organization established the Music Publishers Award in 2015, among other things to create increased visibility for Norwegian authors and music publishers.
– We contribute to a holistic perspective in TONO's board and other bodies. One of our main concerns is to keep Norwegian rights in Norwegian hands by helping to promote new Norwegian talents with connections to Norwegian music publishers and TONO. This is fundamental to creating growth in the Norwegian music industry in general, and a prerequisite for creating value through exports. TONO and the group associations form a natural whole that works together to contribute to this, says Chairman of Musikkforleggerne, Kai Robøle, who is also a board member of TONO.
Cultural means
TONO's first laws from 1928 defined that funds should be allocated to a "support fund for Norwegian composers and their survivors". This was the precursor to today's cultural funds. TONO's statutes §58 today state that TONO shall make up to 10 percent deductions in settlements for cultural funds. These funds are distributed with 1/3 to scholarships, while the remaining 2/3 go to "promotion of national musical cultural purposes" through the group associations. This is distributed with 50 percent to NOPA, 40 percent to the Norwegian Composers' Association and 10 percent to Music Publishers. The organizations report annually to the board and the annual meeting on how the cultural funds are managed, and TONO's control committee carries out annual control of the use of the funds.
– The vast majority of management companies in the world have arrangements with cultural funds. TONO's cultural funds are used to work for copyright and other framework conditions for creators. The organizations carry out important tasks for the benefit of the community and the cultural funds thus contribute to carrying out an important part of TONO's activities, concludes Korshamn.
