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In June, TONO is distributing NOK 221.2 million (€19.1 million) to songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers in Norway and abroad as part of its second ordinary royalty payment of 2025.
/ 12/06/2025 / Willy MartinsenEuro amounts in this text are based on the exchange rate as of 12 June 2025.
TONO’s vision is to create value for everyone who creates and uses music. Through our collective management of music rights, we are now distributing NOK 221.2 million (€19.1 million) to songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers in Norway and internationally. A total of NOK 68.3 million (€5.9 million) is being paid to 27,900 of TONO’s own members.
— As usual, online music streaming is the largest distribution category in this June payout, followed by radio and foreign income for TONO’s members. For rightsholders abroad, the largest payments come from TV, radio, and film streaming, says TONO’s CEO, Karl Vestli.
This June distribution is lower than in June last year, for two main reasons: last year’s payment included several large back payments, and this year, some expected payments have been delayed. TONO and several of our sister societies are currently undergoing major system upgrades related to data processing and royalty distribution. This has resulted in temporary delays, including incoming payments from Germany, France, Italy, and Japan.
Until the new systems are fully operational, TONO’s top priority is ensuring accuracy — so that royalties are paid correctly to the right rightsholders. Several of the delayed payments are scheduled for September, provided the necessary technical and tax-related conditions are met.
Other categories include video on demand, foreign collections, NCB (physical), background music, concerts, cinema, first performances, and ceremonies (such as religious services).
TONO members receiving royalties by category:
Music plays a central role in value creation for streaming platforms, TV and radio broadcasters, concert organisers, cinemas, hotels, cafés, and many other businesses. A TONO licence gives these actors legal access to a broad international repertoire of protected music by Norwegian and international songwriters, composers, lyricists, and publishers.
TONO works continuously on licensing, negotiations, collection of music usage data, and royalty distribution. Our goal is to ensure that those who create music receive their rightful share of the value they help generate. TONO makes four main distributions each year.
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit collective management organisation owned and governed by composers, lyricists, and music publishers. We manage the economic rights in their musical works and license the public use of protected music in exchange for payment. TONO’s revenues are distributed to rightsholders whose music has been publicly performed in Norway or abroad. TONO has more than 43,000 members and also represents millions of international rightsholders.
Willy Martinsen, Director of Communications, willy.martinsen@tono.no, + 47 909 65 254