Teosto

Teosto is Finland's performing rights organization, founded in 1928 and headquartered in Helsinki. It collects royalties for the public performance, broadcasting, and streaming of musical works on behalf of over 44,000 composers, lyricists, arrangers, and music publishers. Teosto licenses businesses that use music and distributes collected fees to rights holders based on usage data.

How Teosto Works

Teosto issues blanket licenses to radio stations, television networks, streaming platforms, concert venues, restaurants, retail stores, cinemas, and any business that plays music publicly in Finland. License fees are collected and distributed to members based on performance data from broadcast logs, streaming usage reports, concert set lists, and background music reporting.

In 2025, Teosto collected a record EUR 92.3 million in copyright revenue, more than EUR 4 million above 2024. The largest collection categories were TV at EUR 22.3 million, events at EUR 14.7 million, and background music at EUR 11.6 million. Online revenue grew significantly to EUR 25.3 million (up from EUR 19.6 million in 2024), driven by audio streaming at EUR 16.4 million and audiovisual streaming at EUR 8.9 million.

Teosto distributed EUR 72.1 million in royalties in 2025, with EUR 39.4 million paid to Finnish rights holders and EUR 32.7 million to foreign rights holders. A total of 14,098 Finnish composers, lyricists, arrangers, and music publishers received distributions, a 4% increase over the previous year. The cost ratio dropped to 13.2% (down from 13.4% in 2024), meaning more revenue reached creators.

In 2025, Teosto moved from annual to quarterly distributions in several categories. A system overhaul planned for 2026 to 2028 will further accelerate royalty distribution. Teosto also became a customer of ICE (International Copyright Enterprise) for licensing international online music services, covering platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok.

Distributions from abroad increased nearly 14% to EUR 6.3 million. Teosto has reciprocal representation agreements with copyright societies in over 100 countries. The Nordic Copyright Bureau (NCB) handles mechanical and reproduction rights for the Nordic region.

Teosto deducts 6 to 6.5% of distributed royalties for cultural contributions, funding the Teosto Cultural Foundation and other music industry projects. In 2025, Teosto spent EUR 2.5 million promoting Finnish music and donated approximately EUR 20 million in shares to the Foundation.

Real-World Example

A Finnish songwriter joins Teosto and registers 25 songs. A Helsinki radio station plays 8 of those songs in a quarter, Spotify reports 500,000 streams, and three restaurants hold Teosto blanket licenses covering background music. Teosto collects royalties from all three sources.

The songwriter receives a quarterly distribution based on radio airplay logs and streaming usage data. If the same songs are played on radio in Germany, Teosto's reciprocal agreement with GEMA means GEMA collects those royalties and remits them to Teosto, which distributes them to the songwriter in the next international distribution cycle.

With Teosto's 13.2% cost ratio, if EUR 10,000 in royalties is collected for a songwriter's works, approximately EUR 8,680 is paid to the writer and publisher (split according to registered shares) and EUR 1,320 covers administrative costs. A songwriter with 50 songs receiving regular airplay on Finnish radio and significant streaming activity might earn anywhere from EUR 3,000 to EUR 80,000 or more annually in Teosto royalties, depending on usage scale.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Finnish songwriter, composer, arranger, or publisher, Teosto is the primary organization for collecting performing rights royalties in Finland. Membership is open to creators and publishers. You can only belong to one Finnish PRO at a time for the same catalog of works.

Register every composition with Teosto before commercial release. Unregistered works earn zero royalties, even if they receive millions of streams or extensive radio airplay. Submit accurate metadata including ISRC codes, ISWC numbers, and split sheets to ensure proper matching and payment.

Teosto does not handle mechanical or reproduction rights directly. The Nordic Copyright Bureau (NCB) administers those for the Nordic region. If you release music physically or digitally in Finland, contact NCB separately for mechanical licensing.

Teosto's 2025 move to quarterly distributions means you receive royalties faster than under the previous annual cycle. The planned system overhaul for 2026 to 2028 will further speed up payments. Ensure your bank details and metadata are current to take advantage of faster distribution.

If your music is played internationally, Teosto's reciprocal agreements with 100+ foreign societies mean those royalties flow back to you. The EUR 6.3 million in international distributions in 2025 reflects the global reach of Finnish music. Register your works so international performances are tracked and royalties are collected.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Mechanical Royalties - How mechanical royalties differ from performance royalties
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by Teosto
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Teosto Official Website - Visit Teosto for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings