There was a record attendance at TONO's extraordinary annual meeting on September 1st, with 150 participants at Sentralen in Oslo, and a total of almost 800 including digital participants and proxies. (Photo: Kristian Dugstad)
– More than 90 percent of the annual meeting supported the board's proposal for a new board model and cultural funds
TONO's extraordinary annual meeting adopted by a large majority the board's own proposals for a new board model and a new model for cultural funds, but the proposal to make advance voting for the annual meeting possible did not receive the necessary majority. Participation was record high, with nearly 150 voting members at Sentralen in Oslo and around 800 participants in total, including digital participants.
/ 01/09/2026 / Kristian DugstadNorwegian songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers gathered on Tuesday evening for an extraordinary annual meeting of TONO.
– The annual meeting has adopted both a new board composition and a new model for cultural funds. This paves the way for a significant further development of TONO, which will professionalize and create even greater value for the members. We will now follow up on this and continue the work of developing TONO in close dialogue with the members. The goal is a TONO that is open, has trust and is even better equipped to safeguard the interests of the members in the years to come, says Chairman Tom Hugo Hermansen.
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The board's proposal for a new purpose statement was adopted with 92 percent approval. This clarifies that TONO shall safeguard musical diversity, while at the same time its activities shall be based on equal treatment, objectivity, cost-effectiveness, transparency and efficient rights management.
The board's proposal for a new board model was adopted with 90,5 percent support. The decision means that the board will be reduced from eleven to eight members. The model emphasizes competence, breadth and independence. There are no dedicated seats for named associations. The model will be used from the annual meeting in 2027.
The annual meeting also approved the board's proposal to new model for cultural funds with 91 percent approval. Cultural funds are drawn down to an 8 percent share of TONO's net income and finance, among other things, scholarships, support schemes and cultural policy work.
The previous distribution system is thus replaced by an application-based model with more open, objective and verifiable criteria. The funds will be distributed by an allocation committee elected by the annual meeting, between three main categories: scholarships and support for individual members, project and activity funds and long-term funds for cultural policy work and infrastructure.
The new model also includes clearer requirements for reporting, disclosure and control over how the funds are used. The scheme will be introduced from 2028, with transitional provisions for 2027.
– The goal has been to make the schemes more open, accessible and verifiable, and to strengthen the value creation in the music industry that arises from the cultural funds, says Hermansen.
The board's proposal for advance voting did not receive the required 2/3 majority of those present.
The demand for an investigation received support from around 1/3 of those present, which is more than the Cooperative Act's requirement of ten percent in investigation questions. This means that a TONO member can bring the question before the Oslo District Court within one month and ask the court to decide whether the conditions for an investigation have been met.
It is the district court that decides whether an investigation should be carried out.
– Today, the annual meeting has taken a position on several of the issues that are also part of the basis for the demand for an investigation. If the district court finds that the conditions for an investigation have been met, TONO will naturally cooperate fully. We believe that a thorough examination of the case will help strengthen trust in TONO, says Chairman Tom Hugo Hermansen.
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit cooperative owned and managed by composers, lyricists and music publishers. TONO manages the economic copyrights in their musical works and grants licenses for the public use of protected music for a fee. TONO's financial results are transferred to copyright holders in music that has been performed publicly in Norway and abroad. TONO has more than 44,000 members and also represents millions of international authors. In 2024, TONO paid out NOK 741,7 million to copyright holders at home and abroad.
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO, mobile 909 65 254, willy.martinsen@tono.no.