Photo: iStockphoto.com/ipopba
– AI music must be licensed collectively in three stages: training, making available and use
(Oslo, April 29, 2025) The five Nordic music copyright organizations are today launching common principles for licensing generative artificial intelligence (AI). “The principles provide clear direction for how AI services should relate to music rights, and facilitate a responsible and sustainable creative economy,” says Inger Elise Mey of TONO.
/ 29/04/2025 / Willy Martinsen
Artificial intelligence is changing quickly how music is made and used. The Nordic collective management organisations – STIM (Sweden), KODA (Denmark), STEF (Iceland), TEOSTO (Finland) and TONO today launches new principles for licensing music in AI services.
The organizations are among the first in the world to launch such principles.
– Technology companies must respect the rights of music creators, be open about the kind of music they use and pay those who have created the music they build AI music services on. The new principles will give rights holders legitimate income while giving AI companies easy access to copyrighted music, says Inger Elise Mey, Department Director for International at TONO.
– The principles show clear direction for how AI services should relate to music rights, and facilitate a responsible and sustainable creative economy, she says.
Read the joint Nordic principles document here (pdf)
The five organizations require licensing of music rights in three links of the AI value chain. Licensing at all these levels is necessary to ensure fair remuneration and preserve the value of human creativity. At the same time, licensing gives AI companies the assurance that they have acted responsibly and legally towards songwriters, composers and lyricists and their rights.
The three links are:
– Through our common AI principles We commit to supporting the responsible development of AI, while protecting the rights and livelihoods of creative artists. Innovation must not come at the expense of human creativity. The contributions of rights holders must be respected, valued and licensed on fair terms, says Mey
For AI companies, collective licensing of copyrights in music is the best possible solution. This ensures easy access to rights, fair remuneration for rights holders and transparent distribution. The model is both well-functioning, sustainable and resource-saving for the companies.
The organizations are now working on developing detailed licensing models and are ready to enter into agreements with AI players. They encourage AI companies to contact them for collaboration.
About the Nordic collective management organisations:
STIM (Sweden), Koda (Denmark), Teosto (Finland), Stef (Iceland) and TONO are all owned and managed by songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers in their respective countries, and collectively represent close to 250,000 members in addition to repertoire from the rest of the world that they represent through reciprocal agreements with similar companies worldwide. For more information, visit stim.se, koda.dk, teosto.fi, stef.is and tono.no.
Contact:
Inger Elise Mey, Department Director for International at TONO, mobile +47 922 37 982, mey (a) tono.no
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO, mob 909 65 254, willy.martinsen (a) tono.no