Photo: Istock.com/Daniel Balakov
TONO's figures for 2024 are clear:
(Oslo, May 27, 2024) Norwegian music creators and publishers received NOK 374,8 million in copyright revenue from TONO in 2024 – more than ever before. In total, TONO paid out NOK 741,7 million to rights holders at home and abroad in 2024, and it is the young people who accounted for the greatest growth. TONO therefore highlights the “10 under 30”, the young creators with the greatest income growth in 2024.
/ 27/05/2025 / Willy MartinsenIn total, TONO paid out NOK 374,8 million to its members in 2024 – the highest amount ever, and an increase of over NOK 51 million from the previous year.
– The fact that we were able to pay out more to Norwegian music creators and publishers in 2024 than ever before is gratifying, and shows that music and copyright create value not only for those who listen and businesses that use music, but also for those who create it. It is also inspiring to see that it is those under 30 who had the strongest growth in payments in 2024, says Karl Vestli, CEO of TONO.
Read TONO's annual and transparency report 2024 here.
Creators under 30 had the strongest growth. Overall, they were paid around 10 percent more than in 2023. In this regard, TONO is highlighting a new generation of music creators through the "10 under 30" list, which shows the members with the largest percentage growth in TONO payments from 2023 to 2024.
Among the music creators with the highest percentage growth in 2024 are both established and new names: Eline Noelia Myreng, AXIE (Axel Flåten) and the Golfklubb trio Oscar Berggaard, Hallvard Sand Gimming and Frikk Lien Villard. Also among the ten most promising young music creators are songwriter Peder Elias Eriksrud Kjørholt, with great success in Asia, and Synne Sørgjerd, a strong voice in the singer-songwriter genre.
Read the story here: Top 10 under 30: Norway's fastest growing young songwriters
– TONO should be a safe haven for everyone who creates music, whether they have just written their first song or have an international career. Norwegian music creators registered 42,000 new works in TONO in 2024, and we gained over 2,000 new members, the vast majority of them young. Recruitment for music creation is good. This bodes well for the future of Norwegian music, says Vestli.
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Some of the TONO members who had the highest income in 2024 were – in random order – Alan Walker, Rolf Løvland, film composer Gaute Storaas (Harald and Sonja, A Man Called Ove), as well as Peder B. Helland and his Soothing Relaxation concept, a global YouTube phenomenon.
There were only 13 women among the 100 TONO members with the highest incomes in 2024.
Payments to TONO's members increased by over NOK 51 million from the previous year – a growth of 15,8 percent.
The largest payout areas for TONO members in 2024 were:
TONO also paid out NOK 366,9 million to foreign licensees via its 82 sister societies.
A total of NOK 741,7 million was thus paid out to rights holders at home and abroad in 2024. TONO also paid out NOK 54,4 million to scholarships and national music cultural purposes, where the funds came from TONO's income in 2022.
2024 also marked a milestone: TONO had a turnover of over one billion kroner for the first time - more specifically, 1,017,197,210 kroner.
After statutory allocations to the Norwegian Composers' Fund and deductions for costs, the profit for distribution was NOK 848,797,071. This will be distributed to rights holders in 2025 and onwards, and to scholarships and national music cultural purposes in 2026. The profit for distribution was approximately NOK 2 million lower than the previous year. TONO's cost ratio increased from 12,89 percent in 2023 to 14,49 percent, which is a result of investments in new technology across the entire business.
– We have never had higher income, but it is what we pay out that matters most. TONO's vision is to create value for everyone who creates and uses music. Therefore, it is gratifying that we can pay out more money than ever to composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers in Norway, says Vestli.
At the end of 2024, TONO had 43,272 members, of whom 2,041 joined during the previous year. They registered 42,000 works in TONO. TONO also awarded NOK 15,5 million in scholarships in 2024, bringing the total amount of scholarship funds disbursed to NOK 135 million over the past ten years.
The TONO's annual and transparency report here.
About TONO
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit cooperative owned and controlled by composers, lyricists and music publishers. TONO manages economic rights in musical works and grants licenses for public use against payment. TONO represents over 43,000 Norwegian members and millions of authors from around the world through agreements with sister societies. TONO's vision is to create value for everyone who creates and uses music. TONO's distributable profit in 2024 was NOK 848,8 million.
For more information, contact:
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO – willy.martinsen@tono.no – 909 65 254
Karl Vestli, CEO of TONO – karl.vestli@tono.no
The text was updated on May 27 at 4:09 PM when the number of female founders among the 100 with the highest payout was corrected from 12 to 13, and information was added about the decrease of approximately NOK 2 million in profit for distribution from 2023.