GRAMO is Norway's collective management organization for neighboring rights, representing over 42,000 performing artists, musicians, and record producers. It collects remuneration when recorded music is broadcast on Norwegian radio, played in public venues, or used in businesses. GRAMO operates under Section 21 of the Norwegian Copyright Act and is approved by the Ministry of Culture and Equality to administer these rights on behalf of rights holders.
How GRAMO Works
GRAMO collects remuneration from two primary sources. The first is broadcasting: NRK, P4, Radio Norge, and local radio stations pay GRAMO for the right to play recorded music on air. The second is public performance: over 16,000 businesses including shops, cafes, restaurants, and gyms pay GRAMO for using recorded music in their premises.
In 2025, GRAMO collected NOK 282.2 million in operating revenue, a 5.9% increase from 2024. The organization paid NOK 70.4 million to performing artists and NOK 76.4 million to producers. Over 90% of remuneration was settled and paid individually based on detailed broadcast and usage data. The remaining portion is distributed through collective arrangements decided by the annual meeting.
GRAMO processes over 900,000 recordings and more than 325,000 hours of music annually. In 2025, the organization transitioned to a new rights management system called Apollon, replacing its proprietary system that had been in operation since 2015. This transition is expected to save approximately NOK 12 million annually in operating costs.
Since September 2025, GRAMO and TONO (Norway's performing rights organization for songwriters) have coordinated their services for background music. Over 16,000 Norwegian businesses now receive a single joint invoice from both organizations, simplifying compliance for music users.
Membership is free. Performers and producers can sign up online through GRAMO's website. Once registered, rights holders submit their recordings with metadata including ISRC codes, and GRAMO matches these against broadcast logs to calculate payments.
Real-World Example
A session musician plays bass on a recording that gets regular airplay on NRK P1. The recording is played 200 times in a given year, totaling approximately 8 hours of airtime. GRAMO logs those performances through its monitoring system and calculates the musician's share based on broadcast minutes and their role in the production.
If the same recording is also played in a licensed restaurant, the restaurant's GRAMO license fee contributes to the public performance pool. The musician receives a proportional payment from both the broadcast and public performance distributions.
GRAMO also collects international royalties through reciprocal agreements with sister societies in countries including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Brazil. If a Norwegian artist's recording is played on Swedish radio, GRAMO's agreement with the Swedish CMO ensures those royalties flow back to the Norwegian rights holder.
In 2025, GRAMO's first payout of 2026 totaled NOK 117.7 million, covering remuneration for 2025 usage plus subsequent payments for 2023 and 2024. This demonstrates the multi-year distribution cycle where rights holders receive ongoing payments as additional usage data is processed.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
If you are a performer or producer based in Norway, GRAMO membership is the only way to collect neighboring rights remuneration for the public use of your recordings. Unlike PROs that collect performance royalties for songwriters, GRAMO collects for the people who perform on and produce the actual sound recordings.
Register your recordings with GRAMO as soon as they are commercially released. Include accurate ISRC codes and metadata for every track. GRAMO matches recordings to broadcast logs using this data, so incomplete or incorrect metadata means missed payments. Over 90% of GRAMO's distributions are now individual, which means precise metadata directly impacts your payout.
If your music is played internationally, GRAMO's reciprocal agreements with over 80 sister societies ensure those royalties flow back to you. However, you must grant GRAMO a mandate for the relevant territories. Check your mandate settings to confirm you have not limited GRAMO to Norway only.
GRAMO also assigns ISRC codes for recordings that do not already have one, which is useful for independent artists releasing music without a distributor. This service is available through the membership portal.
Territory Covered
GRAMO covers Norway. It collects remuneration for the public use of recorded music throughout Norwegian territory, including broadcasting (NRK, P4, Radio Norge, and local radio stations) and public performance in over 16,000 businesses such as shops, cafes, restaurants, and gyms. GRAMO operates under Section 21 of the Norwegian Copyright Act and is approved by the Ministry of Culture and Equality.
How to Join and Membership Fees
Membership in GRAMO is free. Performers, musicians, and record producers can sign up online through GRAMO's website (en.gramo.no). Once registered, rights holders submit their recordings with metadata including ISRC codes. GRAMO matches these recordings against broadcast logs and public performance data to calculate payments.
As of December 31, 2025, GRAMO had 55,381 registered members, consisting of 38,168 performers and 17,213 producers. The organization gained 3,336 new members during 2025.
GRAMO also assigns ISRC codes for recordings that do not already have one, which is useful for independent artists releasing music without a distributor. This service is available through the membership portal.
Overhead Rate
GRAMO deducts administrative costs from domestic remuneration at a rate of 26.8% (based on the 2025 annual report). This deduction covers all operating costs including depreciation. No deduction is taken from international remuneration, as those costs are already deducted by the foreign society before transfer.
In addition to the administrative deduction, GRAMO collects a separate fund fee (fondsavgift) for the Fund for Performing Artists (Fond for utovende kunstnere). In 2025, this fund fee amounted to NOK 62.3 million. The fund fee is collected from users on top of the remuneration and is passed through to the cultural fund; it does not reduce the rights holder's share of the remuneration.
In 2025, GRAMO's total income was NOK 292.2 million. After deducting administrative costs and the fund fee, NOK 173.4 million was available for distribution to rights holders.
Royalty Distribution Schedule
GRAMO makes three regular payments per year:
- Main payment (March): The largest payment of the year, covering remuneration for radio airplay and public performance from the previous year. In March 2026, GRAMO distributed NOK 117.7 million covering 2025 usage plus subsequent payments for 2023 and 2024.
- Post payment (May): Covers corrections and newly identified rights holders from the past three years. Made when GRAMO has received new or updated information after previous payments.
- Post/final payment (December): Final payment for the year, closing out older years. After this payment, no further payments are made for the closed year.
Payments only cover previous years. If music is played on radio in 2025, the first payment is received in 2026. GRAMO also distributes international royalties as part of these payments, covering countries including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Ireland, Croatia, and Slovenia.
Over 90% of remuneration is settled and paid individually based on detailed broadcast and usage data. The remaining portion is distributed through collective arrangements decided by the annual meeting.
Reciprocal Agreements
GRAMO has reciprocal agreements with over 80 sister societies worldwide. When a Norwegian artist's recording is played on radio in another country, the foreign CMO collects those royalties and transfers them to GRAMO, which distributes them to the Norwegian rights holder. Conversely, GRAMO collects remuneration in Norway on behalf of foreign rights holders and transfers it to their respective societies.
Countries covered by GRAMO's reciprocal agreements include:
- Sweden, Denmark, Finland (Nordic countries)
- United Kingdom, Ireland
- Germany, Netherlands, Belgium
- Italy, Croatia, Slovenia
- Brazil
Rights holders must grant GRAMO a mandate for the relevant territories. Members should check their mandate settings to confirm they have not limited GRAMO to Norway only, as this would prevent collection of international royalties.
Since September 2025, GRAMO and TONO (Norway's performing rights organization for songwriters) have coordinated their services for background music. Over 16,000 Norwegian businesses now receive a single joint invoice from both organizations, simplifying compliance for music users.
Notable Members
GRAMO represents over 55,000 performers, musicians, and record producers. While GRAMO does not publish a list of individual notable members, several prominent Norwegian artists and producers are associated with the organization through their radio airplay and recording activity:
- Astrid S: The most played lead artist on Norwegian radio in 2025, with 1,938 hours of playing time across 56 recordings
- Daniel Nordgard: Board member (first deputy chair) and prominent figure in Norwegian music industry academia
- Eddie Nygren: Board member (second deputy chair) and producer representative
- Cathrine Nagell: Board member representing performers
- Marte Thorsby: Board member representing producers (former CEO of IFPI Norway)
GRAMO's board consists of seven members: three representatives for performers (artists and musicians), three representatives for producers (record companies and labels), and one independent chair.
Comparison Table
| Feature | GRAMO (Norway) | SoundExchange (USA) | PPL (UK) | TONO (Norway) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead rate | 26.8% (domestic) | ~5% | ~15% | ~10% |
| Join fee | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Territory | Norway | United States | United Kingdom | Norway |
| Distribution frequency | 3 times per year | Monthly | Quarterly | Quarterly |
| Rights type | Neighboring rights (performers + producers) | Neighboring rights (digital radio) | Neighboring rights (performers + producers) | Performing rights (songwriters) |
Videos
Similar PROs
- TONO - Norways performing rights organization for songwriters and composers
- SoundExchange - US neighboring rights organization for digital radio
- PPL - UK neighboring rights organization for performers and producers
- STIM - Swedish performing rights organization
Related Resources
- Neighboring Rights - What neighboring rights are and how they differ from performance royalties
- Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - How PROs like TONO collect songwriter royalties
- Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
- GRAMO Official Website - Visit GRAMO for membership and remuneration information
- Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings
