The introduction of a new settlement model in TONO has created unrest and reactions. When the income base of the creators is affected, it is legitimate to ask questions, even critical ones. We have had a necessary process, but we still understand that some people think it has taken a long time.
/ 27/01/2026 / Willy MartinsenFollow the law, artist managers tell TONO in VG. We emphasize that we do. As a manager of copyright revenues, TONO has a long history of living closely to the law. The development of a new settlement model is a good example of this.
TONO has made extensive changes to its entire business over a long period of time. The changes are not just a result of a change in the law, but because we operate in an industry that is undergoing rapid transformation. The music market is global, competition is fiercer, and members and international partners are making new demands on precision, transparency and verifiability.
Technological developments are changing how music is created and used, and how rights are managed in an international market. Over several years, we have therefore gone over TONO's entire practice from top to bottom: licenses and tariffs, systems, rules and processes, who we collaborate with – in short, all parts of the work with licensing, management and payment of remuneration. This work is not yet finished.
Such a comprehensive process is complex. This also applies to the work on new settlement rules. It has taken time, even though we know that pace and communication are also part of building trust. In the management of billions of dollars, close to laws and regulations, changes must be thoroughly worked out. This requires legal assessments, the development of principles and a new model for settlement based on these. We must consider what is technically and practically possible, and develop new technical systems, processes and routines. As a member-controlled organization, the settlement principles must also be anchored in the member democracy with the necessary annual meeting resolutions.
The new settlement model is a crossroads in TONO's history. Previously, there has not been such a clear legislation for how remuneration should be distributed. TONO has always settled money thoroughly and in accordance with current legislation, but the model involves a change in how we manage rights on behalf of the community.
Audio group As a management organization, where music creators across all genres stand together in a community, TONO has previously had greater room for maneuver to make distributional decisions to safeguard diversity.
Cafes, shops, etc. do not report to TONO what they play. Therefore, TONO has long paid out money from background music based on reliable reports from NRK and concerts. This has for many years provided what can be called a reasonable precision in the payments for current music from year to year.
In simple terms, one can say that around 50 percent of the money we have paid out for concerts and 20 percent of the money for NRK broadcasts has come from TONO's income from areas without reports, mainly background music.
However, this has not been specified in the payments, which has created uncertainty and unrest among some members. This is reflected in the VG case where a lack of information from TONO led a songwriter to mistakenly believe that he had only earned 150 TONO kroner from background music for a world hit. Therefore, we are working on a new member portal that will provide detailed information about what you get paid for.
VG also mentions our previous premiere performance scheme and a concert pool for narrow music. These were for many years well-functioning and good schemes that also made it possible to fulfill the cultural policy mandate that the members have given TONO. It is easy to think after reading the VG case that such schemes in themselves are not legal. That is not true, and they are still legal. But they cannot be financed as they were previously.
In the notice of proceedings mentioned in VG, it is claimed that TONO has not addressed the artists' concerns in a realistic manner.
On the contrary. TONO has 45,000 members across the spectrum, from hit songwriters with international success to those who write music for bands. The organization is owned and managed by its members. We listen to our members' opinions and experiences daily. Often they are contradictory, but that doesn't mean we don't take everyone seriously. The members' opinions are always central to our work.
The new settlement model provides a more direct relationship between the use of works and who receives the royalties. With a few exceptions, this means that most TONO members will receive lower payments than before, while at the same time moving more money out of the country. This is a direct result of the large amount of foreign music being performed in Norway.
Implementing fundamental changes in a large organization like TONO, in parallel with other fundamental development work that is interconnected, is very complex. TONO manages billions of dollars in assets on behalf of 45,000 Norwegian authors and music publishers, and on behalf of millions from other countries.
Changes cannot therefore be made “overnight” without the risk of new biases. We have therefore had a necessary and responsible process to ensure an accurate, sustainable and trustworthy distribution that reflects modern rights management, where precision in payments is central. We have followed legal advice along the way so that we are on safe ground today.
We find that those who now criticize us in VG still support the current settlement model. It has become what it is precisely because we have had a responsible and good process. We nevertheless understand that this may be perceived as a long time from the outside. In the light of hindsight, we see that we should have communicated this better along the way. We take responsibility for correcting that.
In the last sentence, "this" was updated to "that" on January 27 at 12:38 for increased linguistic clarity.