Koda’s General Meeting 2025: New Members’ Council and New Board Member Elected

On Wednesday 30 April, Koda held its general meeting at Amager Bio. From the stage, chair Loui Törnqvist welcomed the assembly and gave an opening speech, emphasising that yes, Koda is a major business and a large-scale collective management organisation – but first and foremost, Koda is a major association with over 50,000 members.

‘That simple fact means that all of us who are here today must shoulder a great responsibility. We must make decisions on behalf of all those members who are not present today. And we must make decisions that affect the conditions for our future members. So being part of the general meeting – Koda’s highest decision-making body – carries great responsibility. At the same time, this is our biggest strength: ultimately, Koda is you. Koda is its thousands of members,’ said Loui Törnqvist.

With these words, emphasising that the day was all about democracy and membership, the overall tone of Koda’s 2025 general meeting was firmly established.

The chair’s report: together for a stronger music scene

In her report for 2024, Loui Törnqvist followed up her opening address by sharing the most significant events and agendas from the past year.

She began by highlighting the societal and cultural value of music before taking Koda’s strategy, Koda for a Stronger Music Scene, as the starting point for reviewing some of the key issues on Koda’s agenda in 2024. These included artificial intelligence, gender inequality in the music business, mental health and wellbeing, cultural contributions, and the importance of building a financially, socially and environmentally sustainable music sector with equal access for all.

‘If 2024 has taught us anything, it’s that a strong music scene doesn’t just arise by itself. And that we can’t ease up on our efforts. Even maintaining the status quo requires hard work,’ said Loui Törnqvist, concluding her report by saying:

‘But we can’t do it alone. Koda only exists because of you – our members. So I want to conclude by saying thank you. Thank you for your music. And thank you for your commitment.’

Koda’s annual accounts and transparency report approved

Next on the agenda were several key points, including the approval of the annual accounts and transparency report, as well as the election of author and publisher members and alternates for Koda’s board.

The first item on the agenda, the approval of Koda’s annual accounts and transparency report, was presented by Koda’s CEO, Gorm Arildsen, who summarised the year’s result by saying:

‘We’ve achieved a solid financial result, which will allow us to maintain a strong position for Koda in the coming years.’

Both the annual accounts and the transparency report were approved with strong support from the assembly.

New member of the board

The next item on the agenda was the election for Koda’s board, where nine candidates ran for two board positions – one as author member and one as publisher member. Furthermore, three alternate positions were up for election.

After each candidate had presented themselves and their reasons for running, the assembly voted.

As a result of the votes, saxophonist and composer Pernille Bévort was elected as a new author board member, while chair Loui Törnqvist was re-elected as a publisher member, running unopposed.

Themed debate: Koda’s cultural contributions

After the break, a themed debate on Koda’s cultural contributions was held. At Koda’s previous general meeting, the cultural contributions were the subject of extensive and lively discussion. Therefore, this year the board allocated ninety minutes for further debate on the contributions and how they are distributed.

The debate took its point of departure in an external study of the cultural contributions conducted by Epinion, submitted to Koda’s board at the end of 2024.

The debate opened with an introduction by chair Loui Törnqvist, who outlined the overall basis and framework of the discussion, followed by a presentation of the report’s main findings by Jakob Kæstel, Senior Manager at Epinion.

Loui Törnqvist then outlined the board’s thoughts on a future structure for those parts of the cultural contributions that members can apply for, including the possibility of establishing a joint grant office to manage those specific funds.

In the ensuing debate, each member had one minute of speaking time to ensure that as many voices as possible could be heard.

The debate included over forty contributions, with a wide range of opinions shared. The conclusion was that the work and discussion will continue in the lead-up to next year’s general meeting.

Proposal for new Members’ Council adopted

The next items on the agenda concerned the board’s recommendations on issues such as Koda’s policy on deductions from rights revenues (including cultural contributions), Koda’s investment policy, Koda’s distribution policy, and Koda’s use of non-distributable amounts.

All of the board’s recommendations were adopted by a significant majority.

The general meeting then considered several proposals submitted by Koda’s members. One was adopted: a proposal to launch a new Members’ Council as a one-year pilot project. The intention behind the proposal and council is to create a more direct connection between members and the practical workings of Koda.

The proposal – submitted by Troels Abrahamsen, Ida Hummelgaard and Jonas Bark – was passed. Koda’s board will now consider how the Members’ Council pilot project can be realised.

Elections were also held for the positions as Koda’s critical auditors. Anja Følleslev, Morten Olsen, and Finn Olafsson were all re-elected.

Once the minutes of the general meeting are approved by the chair of the meeting, Koda members may request a copy by contacting [email protected] or [email protected]