Nordic music creators enter into deal with TikTok
Polaris HUB – a joint venture between the Nordic collective rights management societies Koda (DK), Tono (NO) and Teosto (FIN) – has entered into a licensing agreement with TikTok. The licensing agreement also covers the repertoire of the Icelandic society Stef.
The agreement constitutes an important step forward to providing Nordic rights holders with the opportunity to earn revenue from the digital platforms. It ensures that Nordic composers and music authors will receive remuneration when their music is used on TikTok, as well as data on music usage.
The use of short-form video platforms for music has constantly increased. According to a recent Polaris Nordic study, Tik Tok has had a strong and rapid growth in the Nordic countries during the last two years and already 15% of the population uses it for music discovery.
The agreement is retroactive, i.e. it covers the use of music since the launch of TikTok. Polaris Hub, which negotiated the contract, is a joint venture created by the Nordic collection societies Koda (DK), Tono (NO) and Teosto (FIN). Polaris Hub acts on behalf of all three organisations when negotiating and entering into agreements with international digital music services. Previously, Polaris Hub has also negotiated Nordic agreements with Meta (Facebook & Instagram), Apple, Spotify, YouTube and SoundCloud. Distributions to music authors are paid by each country’s collective rights management societies to their own members.
