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Norwegian songwriters, composers and music publishers received a record NOK 374.8 million (EUR 31.78 million) in copyright royalties from TONO in 2024. In total, TONO distributed NOK 741.7 million (EUR 62.88 million) to rights holders in Norway and abroad.
/ 27/05/2025 / Willy MartinsenIn 2024, TONO paid a record NOK 374.8 million (EUR 31.78 million) to its members, an increase of over NOK 51 million (EUR 4.32 million) from the previous year.
“Being able to distribute more royalties to Norwegian songwriters, composers and publishers than ever before is gratifying, and shows that music and copyright create value, not only for listeners and music users, but also for the creators themselves. It’s also inspiring to see that creators under 30 experienced the strongest growth in payments in 2024,” says Karl Vestli, CEO of TONO.
In addition to domestic distributions, TONO paid NOK 366.9 million (EUR 31.11 million) to international rights holders via its 82 sister societies. Although this represents a decline from 2023, it demonstrates continued strong use of international repertoire in the Norwegian market.
The five countries receiving the largest payments from TONO were:
The figures do not necessarily reflect exactly how much of each country’s repertoire is performed in Norway. For example, STIM’s distributions largely comprise Anglo-American repertoire, due to the fact that much of this repertoire is sub-published in Sweden. The numbers also include royalties collected through Norwaco and sent, among others, to STIM and PRS for distribution.
Norwegian music creators under 30 saw a 10 percent increase in payouts compared to 2023. TONO is spotlighting this new generation of creatives with its “10 under 30” list – members with the highest percentage growth in TONO royalties.
The list includes Eline Noelia Myreng, AXIE (Axel Flåten), Marit Othilie Thorvik, Adam Gryting (Lille Caesar), Vetle Sigmundstad, Golfklubb members Oscar Berggaard, Hallvard Sand Gimming and Frikk Lien Villard, Peder Elias and Synne Sørgjerd.
“TONO aims to be a safe haven for all music creators – whether they’ve just written their first song or have an international career. The high number of new members and registered works in 2024 shows strong recruitment and a promising future for Norwegian music,” says Vestli.
Some of TONO’s highest-earning members in 2024 included Alan Walker, Rolf Løvland, film composer Gaute Storaas, and Peder B. Helland (“Soothing Relaxation”). Among the 100 highest-earning members in 2024, only 13 were women.
The biggest royalty sources for TONO’s members in 2024 were:
2024 marked a milestone for TONO: for the first time, gross revenues exceeded one billion Norwegian kroner, reaching NOK 1,017,197,210 (EUR 86.24 million).
After statutory deductions and operating costs, the result available for distribution amounted to NOK 848,797,071 (EUR 71.99 million). This sum will be paid out in 2025 and onwards, and also fund scholarships and national cultural purposes in 2026. The distributable result was approximately NOK 2 million (EUR 0.17 million) lower than in 2023. TONO’s cost ratio increased from 12.89% in 2023 to 14.49%, reflecting ongoing investments in digital infrastructure.
By the end of 2024, TONO had 43,272 members – 2,041 of whom joined during the year. A total of 42,000 new works were registered with TONO. The organisation awarded NOK 15.5 million (EUR 1.31 million) in scholarships in 2024, bringing total scholarship payouts over the last decade to NOK 135 million (EUR 11.44 million).
See TONO´s Transparency and Annual report for 2024 here.
TONO was founded in 1928 and is a non-profit collective management organisation owned and operated by composers, lyricists and music publishers. It manages the economic rights to music works and licenses public use for a fee. TONO represents over 43,000 Norwegian members and millions of international creators through reciprocal agreements with sister societies. TONO’s vision is to create value for everyone who creates and uses music. The distributable result for 2024 was NOK 848.8 million (EUR 72.00 million).
Amounts in euros have been calculated using the exchange rate 1 EUR = 11.7950 NOK as of 31 December 2024.
Willy Martinsen, Director of Communications, willy.martinsen@tono.no / +47 909 65 254
Karl Vestli, CEO, karl.vestli@tono.no / +47 932 56 020