Samspill International Music Network

What Samspill International Music Network does

Samspill International Music Network is a Norwegian nonprofit interest organization founded in 1999, headquartered at Dronningens gate 16 in Oslo. It functions as a membership-based service organization for professional international performers living in Norway, offering individual membership at a one-time fee of 100 NOK and organizational membership at 500 NOK annually. Over 25 years, the organization has supported musicians from more than 80 countries with a defined set of member services: discount arrangements with partner companies (car rental, rehearsal rooms, studios, backline equipment, accounting software), courses and individualized guidance on grant applications, an online Artist Catalogue for member profiling, networking opportunities, and political representation of members' interests in the Norwegian cultural sector.

The organization operates a portfolio of branded programs and recurring events. These include Baluba (children's and youth concerts, since 2014), Sunday World (world-music showcase series at Cafe Sør, since 2015), Samspill Klassisk (classical music concert series) including the Silkeveien series launched in 2025, Samspill på Jazzscenen (a collaboration with Norwegian Jazz Forum), OK Sessions (2019-2024) and its evolution OKFEST (first held 2025), Musikk i mottak (music workshops at asylum reception centers), Skattekista (family festival, now operating at both Riksscenen and Rommen Scene in Groruddalen), and the new multi-year Tradisjonsmusikk fra Groruddalen inn i skolekorpsene project. Distribution is anchored by partnerships with premier Norwegian venues (Riksscenen, Rommen Scene, Nasjonal Jazzscene, Cafe Sør, Gamle Aker kirke, Holmlia kirke) and public cultural institutions (Marked for Musikk, Kulturtanken).

The business model combines nominal membership fees with project-based public and foundation grants as the principal revenue source. Major funders include Kulturrådet (Arts Council Norway), Oslo Kommune, Kulturtanken, Sparebankstiftelsen, Furestiftelsen, and the European Union. The organization has publicly requested that operational funding be raised to 2 million NOK. It is led by General Manager Siri Kvambe and Board Chair Hans Ole Rian, with a small core staff including Project Coordinator Karstein Grønnesby and producer Lene Gravlie (joined May 2026). Outreach is primarily community-led via the organization's website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, and direct event attendance.

Name

Samspill International Music Network

Legal name

Samspill International Music Network

Website

https://samspillmusic.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Samspill International Music Network is a Norwegian nonprofit interest organization, founded in 1999, that serves professional international musicians living in Norway through membership services, discount programs, an artist catalog, and a portfolio of branded concert series and festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Individual members pay a one-time fee of 100 NOK. There is no annual subscription for individual members. Organizations, festivals, and groups pay an annual fee of 500 NOK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Samspill International Music Network is a Norwegian nonprofit interest organization that serves as a membership body for professional international performers living in Norway. It delivers a suite of services including discounted partner offerings, networking, individual guidance, grant-application support, courses, artist profiling through its Artist Catalogue, and the production of concert series, festivals, and community music programs across Oslo.

Product overview

Samspill International Music Network operates as a membership-based interest organization for professional international performers in Norway. The organization provides a suite of interconnected products and services: a core membership program offering discounts, networking, guidance, and courses; an Artist Catalogue for member profiling; multiple concert/project series including Baluba (children's concerts), Skattekista (family festival), Sunday World (world music concerts), Samspill Klassisk (classical music), Samspill på Jazzscenen (jazz collaboration), Musikk i mottak (asylum center workshops), and Samspill Sessions (live recordings); plus a Resource Bank with practical guides, templates, and a grants calendar. The organization also runs OKFEST, an annual three-day jazz festival celebrating cultural diversity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Baluba: Samspill's focus on children and youth, where musicians work with producers on concert production from idea to finished product
• Samspill på Jazzscenen
• Sunday World
• Musikk i mottak
• Samspill Klassisk
• OKFEST
• OK Sessions
• Skattekista
• Kultur OPP!

Products and services

• Samspill Membership Annual membership program for professional international performers living in Norway. Individual membership is a one-time fee of 100 NOK; organizations, festivals, and groups pay 500 NOK annually. Members receive discounts, networking access, guidance, courses, profiling in the artist catalogue, and political representation.
• Artist Catalogue (Artistkatalog) Online directory profiling all Samspill members, their music, and genres, with links to member websites. Used to convey musicians to concert organizers, venues, and other cultural actors.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cafe SørcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Sunday World concert series since 2015, a showcase platform at Cafe Sør for international traditional and popular music performers. Concerts are held before the traditional Sunday jam sessions with Shady Collective.
• Norwegian Jazz Forum (Norsk Jazzforum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to strengthen diversity work in the jazz field in Norway, uniting Norwegian jazz musicians with traditional musicians through concerts and collaborative projects.
• Nasjonal JazzscenecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on OK Sessions (2019-2024) and OKFEST (2025+), a concert series bringing together musicians from different cultures and traditions on one stage.
• Bugge Wesseltoft / OkWorld RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created OK Sessions concert series and OKFEST festival, featuring world music performances and collaborations across genres.
• Ballade.nominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Samspill Sessions, a series of live music videos recorded during COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, featuring six artists.
• Korpsnett NorgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Tradisjonsmusikk fra Groruddalen project to develop new repertoire for school bands based on traditional music from Groruddalen. Project received 405,000 NOK from Furestiftelsen.
• JM Norway (Music Therapy Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Musikk i mottak project at asylum reception centers, using JM Norway's MUA methodology developed through 10 years of work with the target group.
• KulturtankencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting partner for Baluba children's productions and Kultur OPP! initiative in Groruddalen, working to strengthen cultural offerings for children and youth.
• RiksscenencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational stage for folk music and world music, venue for Skattekista festival and other Samspill events at Schous cultural quarter.
• Rommen ScenecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional venue in Groruddalen (Stovner district), operated by City of Oslo Culture Agency, venue for Skattekista at Rommen.
• Sagene SamfunnshusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Baluba children's concert productions.
• Nordic Black Theatre & CafeteatretminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for Baluba productions.
• Marked for MusikkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational showcase arena for children's concerts where organizers select productions for the coming school year. Samspill participates annually to showcase multicultural performers.
• BalansekunstminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork partner for cultural diversity in Norway.
• MangfoldsnettverketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiversity network partner.
• Europcar NorgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 20% discount on car and van rental to Samspill members.
• Gamle Oslo Backline (GOBS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 20% discount on all backline equipment rental to Samspill members.
• Løkka LydminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers minimum 20% discount on all technical sound equipment, plus assistance and recommendations for skilled light and sound technicians.
• ØvingshotelletminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 15% discount on band rooms Monday-Friday 09-17 and weekends 10:30-16:30, plus 50% Early Bird discount on weekdays 09-10 plus a cup of coffee.
• Urban Sound StudiosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 20% discount on recording, mixing and mastering services.
• Hantek AudiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 15% discount on Hantek Audio products with valid membership card.
• FikenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOffers 15% discount on simple accounting software for freelancers. Provides invoicing, receipt app, deadlines, and free customer support.
• Norsk JazzforumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSamspill members can apply for free introductory membership in Norsk Jazzforum.
• European Jazz NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the PLAY GROUND project dialogue with 4 other European countries on social inclusion through creative music, resulting in EU funding for activities at asylum reception centers.
• Østnorsk jazzenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates Norwegian contribution to PLAY GROUND project with European Jazz Network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marked for Musikk: National showcase arena in Norway for children's-concert productions where Samspill's Baluba productions are programmed annually; directly comparable as a music-presentation organization with similar funder and venue relationships.
• NOPA: Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists, a membership-based interest organization providing professional support, courses and advocacy to music creators; mirror model to Samspill but focused on composers/songwriters rather than performers.
• Balansekunst: Norwegian network organization promoting gender and cultural diversity in the arts; runs similar member services, advocacy, and project-based programming and is already a Samspill network partner.
• Music Norway (Music Norway): Norwegian export and promotional body for the music industry, supporting Norwegian artists internationally; comparable membership-and-services mandate and shares Samspill's concentration in Norwegian public cultural funding.
• Creo: Norwegian trade union and interest organization for performing artists and creators, providing member services, advocacy, and courses; functionally overlapping with Samspill on the membership/benefits/advocacy axis and directly connected via board chair Hans Ole Rian.
• FONO: Norwegian trade association for independent music labels, providing member advocacy, rights administration and professional services to a music-industry membership base comparable to Samspill's performer-focused membership.
• Norsk Jazzforum (Norwegian Jazz Forum): Norwegian interest organization for jazz musicians that operates as a peer membership/professional body, co-funds Samspill p\u00e5 Jazzscenen, and serves a comparable member-services and advocacy role across the Norwegian music sector.
• Kulturtanken: Norwegian agency for arts and cultural services for children and young people; closely comparable to Samspill's Baluba and Kultur OPP! initiatives that target the same school-age cultural-participation vertical.

Regional players

• KODA (Denmark): Danish rights and interest organization for composers, songwriters and music creators; provides comparable member services, advocacy, and collective representation within a neighboring Nordic music ecosystem.
• Music Finland: Finnish music export and development organization supporting Finnish artists internationally; analogous national music-sector support mandate applied to a different Nordic country.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-_ZAr2jki5LH0MWiOWAWzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Samspillmusic
• Instagraminstagram.com/samspill_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samspill-international-music-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samspill International Music Network