– Gjennom å styrke vårt internasjonale engasjement i verdens to viktigste internasjonale musikkforlagsorganisasjoner bygger vi opp om TONOs visjon om å skape verdi for skapere og brukere av musikk, sier adm. direktør i Karl Vestli.
TONO’s music creators and publishers can expect better terms and more frequent payouts from services like Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and YouTube, following TONO’s new agreement with licensing company ICE. “This agreement represents a deliberate new direction for TONO and marks an important shift for us,” says TONO’s CEO Karl Vestli.
/ 18/09/2025 / Willy MartinsenThe agreement between TONO and ICE was signed on Wednesday, September 17, and means that the ICE Core will now license and manage TONO’s rights with music streaming services and other major international platforms where music is streamed.
Among the services ICE will handle on behalf of TONO are Spotify, Apple Music, Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and many more. ICE licenses these services on behalf of organizations such as PRS (UK), GEMA (Germany), BMI (USA), and STIM (Sweden).
A comprehensive process led to the selection of ICE Core. TONO’s CEO Karl Vestli has high expectations for the work ICE Core will do for TONO and its members in the coming years:
“We’re pleased to announce our new partnership with ICE Core. The agreement gives us a broader international network, more competitive terms, the possibility of faster payouts to members, and we also expect cost savings. Additionally, we gain access to better data and analytics, which is important for TONO’s development and for our members. Our ambition is to create value for everyone who creates and uses music. This agreement is part of a deliberate new direction for TONO and marks an important shift in pace for us,” says Vestli.
TONO recently announced that the licensing hub Polaris Hub—owned by TONO, Koda, and Teosto—is being discontinued because the Nordic model is no longer sufficient in an increasingly competitive and global market. ICE Core, established in 2016, is owned by TONO’s sister organizations PRS, GEMA, and STIM, and currently licenses on behalf of 10 rights organizations. It has licensed more than 100 multi-territory services across over 245 territories worldwide.
“With ICE as a partner, our members join the same strong company as members of GEMA, PRS, BMI, and STIM, among others. In an increasingly global and competitive market, this gives us greater negotiation power, efficient rights management, cost savings, and the same terms as other organizations,” says Vestli.
Although the agreement with ICE Core is new, TONO has been a customer of ICE for many years in the area of “ICE Copyright.” That agreement covers maintenance of TONO’s works database and links to international registrations and sister organizations.
The transition from Polaris Hub to ICE Core begins now and will continue through the end of the year. Starting January 1, all licensing and administration of TONO’s rights with major international music streaming services will likely be handled by ICE Core.
The ICE Core is the market-leading representation for multi-territory online licensing. Having licensed more than 100 multi-territory services across over 245 territories and growing, it includes repertoire from collection societies PRS, STIM, GEMA, IMRO, BMI, Sabam, AKM, and soon Teosto and TONO, independent publishers Concord, Songtrust, and peermusic, and a range of additional indirect CMO and publisher customers. ICE’s expert licensing team includes dedicated resource focusing on data analysis and insight to ensure the delivery of best-in-class commercial outcomes and market data for ICE customers. https://www.iceservices.com
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit cooperative owned and governed by composers, lyricists, and music publishers. TONO manages the economic copyright in their musical works and licenses the public use of protected music for payment. TONO’s financial results are distributed to rights holders whose music has been publicly performed in Norway and abroad. TONO has more than 44,000 members and also represents millions of international creators.
Willy Martinsen, Communications Director at TONO
Mobile: +47 909 65 254
Email: willy.martinsen@tono.no