How membership works
- Get paid when your music is used in public, on the radio, in shops and in other places
- The money is already yours, become a member to have it paid out
- You keep your rights, Gramo collects the money for you
- You also get paid when your music is played abroad, from 21 countries
It is free to join. No joining fee, no membership fee.
ISRC: a unique ID for recordings
- NOAGW2200008
Slå hjerte, slå
Chris Holsten
Who can become a member?
You can become a member if you have rights in a recording. The money Gramo pays out is shared equally between two groups, 50% to performers and 50% to producers.
Performer
You sing, play or have another performing role on the recording.
Producer
You finance and organise the recording. This can be a record label, or you, if you release the music yourself.
Many are both, especially those who release music themselves.
Heirs of a Gramo member can also join. Read more on the page Inheritance in Gramo (in Norwegian).
Gramo and TONO both collect money for the use of music, but we administer different rights.
- Gramo collects for the use of the sound recording itself. The money goes to the artists and musicians who performed on the recording, and to the producers who arranged and paid for it.
- TONO collects for the use of the work, meaning the music and the lyrics. The money goes to composers, lyricists and music publishers.
When a track is played on the radio, the station pays both Gramo and TONO. If you both wrote and recorded the track, you can be a member of both.
What does membership involve?
When you become a member, you enter into a management agreement with Gramo. It authorises Gramo to collect the money you are entitled to, and sets out what both you and Gramo must do. Here are the key points, in brief.
What Gramo does
- Collects and distributes the money you are entitled to when your music is used.
- Enters into agreements on the use of the music on your behalf.
- Takes no commission. Only documented operating costs are deducted.
What you must do
- Keep your contact details and bank account number up to date.
- Give Gramo correct information about your recordings.
- Let us know if you have a similar agreement with an organisation abroad.
- Be able to show that you are entitled to the payment.
Good to know
- You still have your rights.
You authorise Gramo to manage them on your behalf, you do not transfer the rights. - You can terminate the agreement and withdraw the authorisation.
Termination must be in writing, by 31 December, with at least three months' notice. - By default, we collect money from all the countries we cooperate with.
But you can change this if you want. Read more about money from abroad.
Read the full management agreement (in Norwegian)
Ready to become a member?
It is free to join. No joining fee, no annual membership fee.
Frequently asked questions
You give notice in writing. If you send your notice by 30 September, your membership ends at the turn of the year on 31 December. If you give notice later, your membership continues until the turn of the following year.
No, you cannot buy insurance through Gramo. Instead, check whether your professional organisation or trade union offers insurance to its members.
Examples of professional organisations and trade unions in the music industry:
- GramArt
- Creo
- Norsk Artistforbund
- FolkOrg
- Norsk Skuespillerforbund
- Norsk Tonekunstnersamfund
- Norsk Lektorlag
- Norsk Viseforum
By default, Gramo collects money from all the countries we cooperate with. Contact us to change the countries we collect money from. You can read more on the page about money from abroad (in Norwegian).
You do not get payment (remuneration) from Gramo for music streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal or other streaming services.
Streaming is “on demand”, which means that listeners choose when and where to play what they want. This falls outside the scope of Gramo's activities.
See also:
- How the money is distributed (in Norwegian)
- Money from abroad (in Norwegian)
- Inheritance (in Norwegian)