Gramo
Gramo is a Norwegian non-profit collective management organization approved by the Ministry of Culture to collect and distribute neighboring rights royalties for sound recordings under Section 21 of the Copyright Act, serving 42,000-52,000 artist, musician, and label members and licensing 16,000+ Norwegian businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Gramo does
Gramo is a Norwegian collective management organization (CMO) established in 1989 and approved by the Ministry of Culture (Kulturdepartementet) under Section 21 of the Norwegian Copyright Act (Åndsverkloven § 21) to collect and distribute neighboring rights royalties for sound recordings. Operating as a self-governing, non-profit member association headquartered at Kongens gate 12, Oslo, Gramo serves approximately 42,000-52,000 members — artists, musicians, and record labels — and licenses music usage to over 16,000 business customers across Norway, including national broadcasters (NRK, P4, Radio Norge, local radio) and commercial premises such as cafes, shops, hair salons, and gyms. Gramo is the sole Norwegian CMO for neighboring rights, with no domestic competitor in its statutory mandate.
Gramo's core technology stack comprises the Apollon rights management system (launched 2025, expected ~12M NOK annual savings), an Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) audio monitoring system for real-time music identification on radio and TV, and a network of data integrations with Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Liveqube, and Soundtrack Your Brand. ISRC codes are issued to identify individual recordings, and members access royalty claims, payment history, and repertoire data through the Min Side (My Page) portal at minside.gramo.no. Distribution occurs three times per year, with the March 2026 distribution processing 209,589 unique recordings based on 210,151 hours of music.
Revenue is generated primarily through statutory tariffs: per-minute rates for radio broadcasters (e.g., NRK P1: 0.84 NOK/min, P4: 0.62 NOK/min, local radio: 0.05 NOK/min) and usage-based fees for businesses. In 2025, Gramo reported operating revenue of 282.2 million NOK (5.9% YoY growth) and distributed 225.8 million NOK to rights holders — 70.4 million to performing artists and 76.4 million to producers. The organization also handles international royalty distribution from 11+ countries and, via a 2026 SoundExchange agreement, gains access to 91%+ of the global neighboring rights market. From January 2026, background-music licensing was transitioned to TONO under a coordinated collection arrangement, with Gramo retaining core neighboring-rights collection and international flows.
Gramo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gramo
- Legal name
- Gramo
- Website
- https://gramo.no
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gramo is a Norwegian non-profit collective management organization approved by the Ministry of Culture to collect and distribute neighboring rights royalties for sound recordings under Section 21 of the Copyright Act, serving 42,000-52,000 artist, musician, and label members and licensing 16,000+ Norwegian businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gramo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Rights Management / Collective Management Organization
- NAICS
- Music Publishers (512230)
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighboring Rights Collection (Sound Recording Performance Rights) (MPAIAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Neighboring Rights (Master Performance Rights) Administration (MPAIAAAH), Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD)
Keywords
Where Gramo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gramo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Neighboring Rights Collection (Åndsverkloven § 21): Gramo collects statutory royalties (vederlag) from users of recorded music in Norway - radio stations, businesses with background music, and internet radio operators. The fees are mandated by Norwegian copyright law for the public performance and transmission of sound recordings. Revenue comes from NRK, P4, Radio Norge, local radio stations, and over 16,000 business customers.
- Collective Management Fees: Gramo charges a fee for administering the collection and distribution of royalties. According to annual reports, the organization had operating revenue of 282.2 million NOK in 2025 with an operating result of 225.8 million NOK distributed to rights holders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Annual | Radio royalties by channel |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Business music users (background music) |
| Other | Annual | Artist/Musician minimum payout threshold |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gramo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gramo is Norway's government-approved collective management organization that collects statutory neighboring rights royalties from music users (radio stations, internet radio operators, and businesses playing background music) under Copyright Act § 21, and distributes these royalties to performing artists, musicians, and record labels whose sound recordings are publicly performed or broadcast. The organization also issues ISRC codes for unique recording identification and operates the Min Side member portal for rights management and payment tracking.
Product overview
Gramo operates as a single, unified collective rights management platform for neighboring rights in Norway. Its core offering encompasses membership and royalty collection/distribution services for artists, musicians, and record labels whose recorded music is played on radio or in businesses. The product portfolio centers on: (1) Gramo Membership and Min Side portal for rights holder registration, repertoire management, and payout services; (2) ISRC code issuance for recording identification; (3) the Apollon rights management system as the underlying administrative platform; (4) ACR music monitoring for real-time usage tracking; (5) Radio Statistics reporting; (6) business music licensing (transitioning to TONO); and (7) internet radio/webcasting licensing. These components work together as an integrated system where ISRC codes and ACR monitoring feed data into Apollon, which calculates and distributes royalties through Min Side.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gramo Membership Membership program for artists, musicians, and record labels to register as rights holders and receive royalty payments when their recorded music is played on radio or in businesses across Norway. Members gain access to the Min Side portal and royalty distribution services.
- ISRC Code Issuance Service that assigns International Standard Recording Codes (ISRC), unique identifiers for each individual sound recording, enabling tracking and royalty distribution for recorded music used on radio or in public spaces.
- Min Side (My Page) Portal Member portal providing access to payment history, rights claims management, repertoire registration, and distribution specifications for artists, musicians, and producers. Members can view payments, download statements, manage repertoire, and claim rights.
- Apollon Rights Management System Gramo's proprietary rights administration platform launched in 2025 that manages rights claims, repertoire data, and royalty distribution. The system replaced previous technology and is expected to generate approximately 12 million NOK in annual operational savings.
- ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) Music Monitoring Automatic Content Recognition system using advanced audio technology for real-time music identification, monitoring all usage of recorded music on Norwegian and international radio and TV to support accurate royalty collection and distribution.
- Radio Statistics Service Annual and historical statistics on music play on Norwegian radio, including most-played artists, songs, and Norwegian music share percentages by channel. Available at gramostatistikken.no.
- Radio Broadcasting Licensing Licensing service for radio broadcasters in Norway to legally play recorded music. Gramo enters direct agreements with national broadcasters (NRK, P4, Radio Norge) and handles invoicing for local radio stations with three annual invoices. Rates vary by channel (NRK P1: 0.84 NOK/min, P4: 0.62 NOK/min, local radio: 0.05 NOK/min).
- Internet Radio/Webcasting Licensing Licensing service for internet radio services and webcasters that use recorded music in editorial radio programs made available to the public in Norway, operated under specific webcasting tariff arrangements.
Companies that use Gramo
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Gramo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Gramo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SoundExchangecoreSoundExchange signed 17 new international CMO agreements including Norway's Gramo, expanding coverage of the global neighboring rights market to over 91 percent. This partnership enables Norwegian artists and record labels to receive royalties when their music is played internationally and allows Gramo to collect royalties for international recordings played in Norway.
- TONOcoreFrom January 1, 2026, TONO handles background music licensing for businesses. This is a coordinated collection arrangement where TONO manages customer service, agreements, and pricing for background music use. Gramo previously handled this but the responsibility transitioned to TONO.
- LivequbecoreLiveqube provides music data to Gramo for accurate royalty distribution. The partnership enables tracking of music usage in commercial spaces, and Liveqube's CEO highlighted the importance of proper distribution for lesser-known artists and ensuring only licensed streaming services are used in public spaces.
- Soundtrack Your BrandcoreSoundtrack Your Brand (Soundtrack Your Brand) provides music usage data to Gramo as part of the new distribution model for background music royalties. This partnership contributes to more accurate royalty distribution based on actual music played at business premises.
- International CMOs (SoundExchange network)coreGramo distributes royalties received from international CMOs including Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Netherlands, Slovenia, UK, and Sweden. The SoundExchange partnership provides coverage of 91% of the global neighboring rights market.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gramo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Teosto: Finnish music rights organization covering both musical works and neighboring rights. Comparable Nordic counterpart; listed among Gramo's international CMO distribution partners.
- BUMA/STEMRA: Dutch collective management organization handling musical works (BUMA) and neighboring rights (STEMRA). Direct functional peer via STEMRA's neighboring rights arm and a documented Gramo distribution partner.
- KODA: Danish PRO for composers and songwriters, with neighboring rights handled via sister organization. Nordic regional peer that Gramo partners with for reciprocal collection in the Scandinavian market.
- STIM: Swedish performing rights organization for composers, lyricists, and music publishers. Regional Nordic peer; Gramo distributes neighboring rights to Swedish recordings via reciprocal arrangements with STIM-aligned entities.
Broad incumbents
- TONO: Norwegian PRO handling musical works rights (compositions/songs) for songwriters and publishers. Domestic peer operating in adjacent rights space; took over Gramo's background music licensing in 2026 and shares Gramo's Oslo premises.
- IFPI: Global trade body representing the recording industry. Not a direct collecting society, but sets standards and represents record labels whose members (producers) Gramo distributes royalties to; an adjacent/ecosystem participant in the same value chain.
Direct peers
- PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited): UK-based CMO for neighboring rights, collecting royalties for performers and record companies when recorded music is played in public or broadcast. Direct functional equivalent to Gramo for the UK market and a long-standing international reciprocal partner.
- GVL (Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten): German neighboring rights CMO serving performers and producers. Operates the same collection/distribution model under the German Copyright Act and is one of the major European reciprocal collection partners for Gramo.
- SoundExchange: US-based collective management organization that collects and distributes neighboring rights royalties for sound recording performers and labels. Gramo's 2026 agreement makes it a direct international counterpart, both collecting and distributing royalties for each other's members across 91%+ of the global neighboring rights market.
Others
- SCAPR (Societies' Council for the Collective Management of Performers' and Producers' Rights): International umbrella body of CMOs for performers and producers, including Gramo. Comparable as a peer-network entity coordinating reciprocal neighboring rights agreements and standards across 50+ member organizations.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gramo social profiles
Digital presenceGramo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Gramo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gramo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Gramo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gramo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gramo
What does Gramo do?
Gramo is Norway's government-approved collective management organization that collects statutory neighboring rights royalties from music users (radio stations, internet radio operators, and businesses playing background music) under Copyright Act § 21, and distributes these royalties to performing artists, musicians, and record labels whose sound recordings are publicly performed or broadcast. The organization also issues ISRC codes for unique recording identification and operates the Min Side member portal for rights management and payment tracking.
Is Gramo a public or private company?
Gramo is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Gramo founded?
Gramo was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gramo based?
Gramo is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Gramo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Neighboring Rights Collection (Åndsverkloven § 21) is the primary driver. The others are collective Management Fees.
Who are Gramo's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Teosto, BUMA/STEMRA, KODA and STIM. Broad incumbents are TONO and IFPI. Direct peers are PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited), GVL (Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten) and SoundExchange. SCAPR (Societies' Council for the Collective Management of Performers' and Producers' Rights) is listed as an others.
Does Gramo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gramo.
What industry is Gramo in?
Gramo's product category is Music Rights Management / Collective Management Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAKAC, Neighboring Rights Collection (Sound Recording Performance Rights), with a secondary code of MPAIAAAH, Neighboring Rights (Master Performance Rights) Administration. Its NAICS code is 512230 and its SIC code is 6794.