Voting members

A music author, music publisher or a registered professional association representing music authors and publishers qualified in promoting the purpose and activities of the association may apply for voting membership in Teosto. Other people, organisations or collaborative bodies are ineligible to apply for membership.

Voting membership in Teosto can be applied for by a music author who is a Teosto member – in other words, a composer, an arranger, a lyricist, or a writer. A prerequisite is that the member has received a minimum amount of royalty distributions as confirmed by Teosto’s General Meeting for a particular period before applying for membership.

The General Meeting has confirmed that the minimum amount of royalty distributions that qualify a music maker for voting membership must amount to EUR 3,000. The music maker must have earned this sum during at most six distribution periods immediately preceding the year of application.

All distributions of copyright royalties that Teosto, after having made an expense deduction and a deduction to the national means, has paid to the applicant, are counted as being part of the distribution by virtue of the rights that the applicant has surrendered to Teosto within the framework of the membership agreement.

A music publisher that is a member of Teosto can apply for voting membership in Teosto. A prerequisite for voting membership is that the member has received a minimum amount of royalty distributions as confirmed by Teosto’s General Meeting for at most six distribution periods preceding the year before the applying for voting membership.

The General Meeting has confirmed that the minimum amount of royalty distributions qualifying a music publisher for voting membership must amount to EUR 7,500, which sum the applicant must have earned during at most six distribution periods preceding the year before the applying for voting membership.

All distributions of copyright royalties that Teosto, after having made an expense deduction and a deduction to the national means, has paid to the applicant, are counted as being part of the distribution by virtue of the rights that the applicant has surrendered to Teosto within the framework of the membership agreement.

Furthermore, on the basis of the publishing agreement, the music publisher must represent at least four music makers, each of whom has received distributions from Teosto amounting to a minimum of EUR 300 during at most three distribution periods preceding the year of application, with each such music maker having registered with Teosto at least five works published by the applicant.

A professional registered association representing music authors or music publishers qualified in promoting the purpose and activities of the association may apply for voting membership. The general meeting has confirmed the detailed requirements for membership in such an association.

The principal purpose of such an association is to promote the position of the rightholders of compositions with regard to the copyright.

The majority of the membership is composed of professional rightholders of compositions, either music makers or publishers.

Such an association must comprise a minimum of 50 music makers who are members in Teosto, or a minimum of 15 music publishers who are Teosto members, but not members in another registered professional association already a member in Teosto.

Voting membership is applied for from the Board of Teosto. If you are considering submitting an application for voting membership, first contact Teosto’s customer service in order to find out if you are eligible.

Teosto’s Board will decide on voting membership admission during the course of the current year. Decisions on voting membership are taken on the basis of the eligibility requirements stated above.

Voting membership enters into force once the Board of Directors has approved the Membership application.

On the grounds decided upon by the Teosto General Meeting, the board may reject a voting membership application if

• the applicant does not meet the current requirements set for voting membership as stipulated by Teosto’s regulations and the general meeting
• the applicant has, in the capacity of being Teosto’s member, neglected to fulfil essential obligations to which the applicant has committed itself in the membership agreement, or
• the applicant has, through its action, damaged or sought to damage the association or the interests concerning the copyright or other interests of the rightholders that the association represents.

All parties that have submitted an application will be contacted as soon as the board has reviewed their applications for voting membership. Joining Teosto as a voting member is free of charge.

More information: 
Member services omateosto@teosto.fi