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After thorough analysis, TONO, Koda (Denmark) and Teosto (Finland) have decided to wind up their joint company for licensing music streaming services, Polaris Hub. The organizations will go forward, and each separately, explore other solutions for licensing their rights to digital services. – It is important for TONO to have the best possible agreements with streaming services, and we are already well underway in evaluating new partners for licensing our rights to music streaming services, says CEO of TONO, Karl Vestli.
/ 27/08/2025 / Willy MartinsenOn behalf of the three owner organizations and Icelandic STEF, Polaris hub has negotiated competitive licensing agreements, developed new solutions and processes, which has resulted in good agreements, reduced costs and efficient rights management. Among the agreements Polaris hub has negotiated are major global platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Apple Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, TikTok etc.
The digital music market is becoming increasingly competitive, complex and scale-driven. This has led the organizations to conclude that cooperation at the Nordic level is no longer sufficient. The board of Polaris hub has therefore decided to wind up its operations by the end of 2025.
This also opens up new strategic opportunities. It is fundamentally important for TONO to ensure the very best conditions for TONOs members w/ streaming services and platform companies. TONO is already well underway in exploring alternative solutionsThe goal is to strengthen spring international licensing, and secure even better deals.
– We are very grateful to Erik Brataas and his colleagues at Polaris hub for securing the best possible terms for rights holders with large streaming services and platform companies. Going forward, TONO will seek even stronger alliances, and in this context is also looking beyond the Nordic region. In this work, it is also central for us to secure more and better data to track music usage precisely across services. We are confident that we can achieve this through new collaborations on a larger scale, says TONO CEO Karl Vestli.
As part of the Polaris collaboration, the Network of Music Partners (NMP) has handled the administration of data, reporting and billing of digital music services on behalf of the four organizations. NMP has carried out this work with great professionalism, for which the organizations are grateful. As the Polaris hub is now being closed, this agreement will also be terminated.
Although Polaris Hub will be wound up at the end of the year, the licensing agreements entered into with assistance from Polaris Hub will continue until the various agreements expire. The licensees' revenues will be invoiced and paid in the usual way by new partners.
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO, mobile 909 65 254, email willy.martinsen@tono.no