Clarification to Morgenbladet article

The newspaper has TONO's new billing model discussed. That's good, but we fear that the case, which has the headline "Dramatic TONO change for Norwegian musicians: Payments reduced by 90 percent", may cause confusion. No music creator has had a 90 percent decrease in TONO payments due to the new settlement model alone.

For a drop in income of that magnitude to occur, several factors must coincide. TONO income is based on, among other things, concert activity and airplay. It is possible that fewer concerts have been played, and/or that the concerts have provided lower income to the organizer, fewer airplays on radio, streaming services, and so on.

There is no doubt that the new settlement model will be a contributing factor. We have been clear that the changes are dramatic from the first time we informed about the model in May 2024.

The model means, among other things, that when TONO receives income from the use of a specific work, it is the music creator who wrote this work who will receive the income. Money cannot be moved from one rights holder to another.

In recent years, approximately 20 percent of TONO payments to creators for playing on NRK's ​​channels and approximately 50 percent of payments for concerts have come from other income. This concerns income for which we do not have usage reports, or from other areas that we cannot allocate to actual use. Now the money is distributed on a representative basis.

The new settlement model gives many of our members lower incomes, while others receive higher incomes. We understand, of course, that those who experience a decrease find it demanding. At the same time, it is important to nuance the picture so that the debate takes place on the right premises.

TONO has sent a response to Morgenbladet in connection with this matter.

(A few minor linguistic changes were made to the text for increased clarity on January 19 at 7:15 p.m.)