Neither TONO nor NCB oppose music films

We are surprised to read Audun Aagre's question about whether TONO/NCB does not want documentaries to be made about the music of its own members. Let it be stated at once: TONO's and NCB's task is to manage the economic rights of copyright holders in the public performance and recording of musical works in Norway. We do this by collecting remuneration for third parties' use of the music and passing this on to the copyright holders. We do this to ensure that copyright holders receive a fair return for their work as creators, not to punish filmmakers, Aagre. Our surprise stems from the fact that since August 2006 we have been hovering in the belief that we, together, the film producer Audun Aagre, the composer Jon Balke and NCB (Nordisk Copyright Bureau), arrived at a remuneration level that was acceptable to all parties. In relation to NCB, no proposal was made for a complete waiver of remuneration for the use of Balke's music in the documentary film "Magnetic Musician". However, it was obvious to both Aagre, Balke and us that our ordinary tariffs did not take into account the type of production in question. Therefore, the parties found an intermediate solution that was accepted. We understand the film producer Aagre to believe that NCB's tariffs are an obstacle to the making of documentary films about new Norwegian music. We have no problem agreeing that existing tariffs do not fit like a glove for a documentary film about and with composers and their music. NCB's tariffs in the audiovisual area cover the various types of image production that regularly require music. However, films such as "Magnetic Musician" constitute such a marginal part of total film production in Norway that NCB has not previously received and handled a single request for permission for such use of the repertoire we manage during the undersigned's 22 years in the service. From the above it follows of course that we have therefore never seen a need to prepare a fixed tariff for that purpose. It also follows that we therefore do not fully recognize that we and our tariffs should be the reason why documentary films with and about our members and their music are not made. If there is now a potential need for a tariff for such a production area, then we of course take this seriously. We want the members' music to be released and used. It is not a goal for us to be prohibitive on behalf of our members and their rights.