Karsten Dyhrberg Nielsen new CEO of STIM

"In these times of rapid change, it's more important than ever to maintain a collective system for protecting authors."
Karsten Dyhrberg Nielsen emphasizes this when Stim-magasinet interviews him over the phone from Copenhagen. Karsten has been appointed new CEO of STIM as of August. 

STIM's new CEO Karsten Dyhrberg Nielsen has extensive experience of copyright and the music industry. He's spent the past six years as CEO of the Nordic rights organization NCB, Nordisk Copyright Bureau. NCB administers mechanical reproduction rights internationally and is jointly-owned by STIM and its counterparts in Denmark, Finland, and Norway. Since 2012, he's also been CEO of Network of Music Partners (NMP), which is a jointly-owned subsidiary of NCB and PRS for Music, STIM's counterpart in the UK.

"Karsten is the perfect candidate for the job. With his extensive knowledge of the rights industry, broad international network, and many years of experience in management, he's the right person to continue building a modern STIM with a central role in today's digital, borderless music economy," says Kjell-Åke Hamrén, Chair of the Board at STIM.

Karsten's highest priority when he takes over the reins is to meet colleagues, authors, publishers, and international partners.

"I'm very familiar with the music industry and copyright, but I'm not quite so well versed in STIM's business model. And I'll try to meet as many people as possible. During my six years at NCB, I invested a great deal of time in building relations. I'd also say that openness is important, both inwardly at STIM and outwardly with customers, authors, and publishers. If we are to retain their trust, it's important to be transparent with STIM's work methods."

According to Karsten, STIM's greatest future challenge is managing the rapid development seen in the music market:

"Changes take place much faster than we're accustomed to. We need to maintain a collective system that continues to protect authors in the future while also adapting this system to the prevailing market. This means we need to continue prioritizing international collaboration."

Here Karsten is referring to Nordic collaboration in particular, of which he has good experience from his time at NCB.

"There are always forces working against copyright protection, so it's important to have friends, and the Nordic societies are among our natural allies in this context. The Nordic countries share more similarities than differences."

Karsten describes STIM as an established and influential copyright organization, and one which he's looking forward to heading.

"I've been offered a fantastic opportunity to head an organization facing important challenges, but which is also in a unique position to resolve them."

Footnote: Until Karsten Dyhrberg Nielsen takes over as CEO, Alfons Karabuda, Chair of the Board of SKAP (Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors), is Interim CEO of STIM. During this period, Alfons has stepped down from his position on STIM's board of directors.

Currently: Stepping in as the new CEO of STIM in August

Age: 45 years

Family: Married with four children, two boys and two girls, aged 4–13 years

Interests: Cycling and skiing (cross country and alpine)

Lives: Looking for a home in Stockholm