Photo Credit: Teosto, Koda, TONO, and STEFA collective of Nordic performance rights organizations have announced they are suspending payments to Russia.
The Nordic collective management organizations, including Teosto in Finland, Koda in Denmark, TONO in Norway, and STEF in Iceland made the joint announcement together. The organizations sent a joint letter to the Russian collective management organization RAO informing them of the suspension of distribution of royalties to RAO.
Teosto, Koda, TONO, and STEF represent over 130,000 creators of music in Nordic countries. The suspension is valid until the attack on Ukraine has ended and the international sanctions on the financial institutions have been lifted.
“The Nordic collective management organizations strongly condemn the brutal assault by Russia on freedom and human rights in Ukraine and stand alongside their colleagues and partners in Ukraine who are suffering from the war instigated by the Russian government,” the press release statement reads.
Teosto is a Finnish collective management organization that represents 38,000 Finnish composers, lyricists, arrangers, and publishers of music. Teosto makes sure artists can focus on their work by collecting remunerations for the use of their music and paying out those collections.
Koda is a Danish non-profit collective management organization that ensures composers, songwriters, and publishers get paid when their music is used in public spaces. The company was established in 1926 and represents around 48,000 composers, songwriters, and music publishers.
TONO was established in 1928 and is a non-profit collective management organization that is owned and governed by its creators. Those creators include composers, lyricists, songwriters, and music publishers. TONO licenses the public performance of copyrighted music on radio, TV, internet, concerts, cinema, and more. TONO has 37,000 members in Norway, but also represents millions of creators around the world.
The Composers’ Rights Society of Iceland (STEF) is a non-profit collective management organization that represents over 8,000 Icelandic composers, songwriters, lyricists, and publishers. The company was established in 1948, and it operates under a special certification from Iceland’s Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs.
