Association in formation

The rooms where culture is made.

DrivRom is an association for those who build and run rehearsal rooms, studios and pre-production rooms in Norway – one shared voice and a common knowledge bank.

Why

The infrastructure that comes before the stage

NOK 800,000

average cost of building one rehearsal room

Source: OLYP
400 → 1,400

NOK per square metre in annual rent, then and now

Source: OLYP
99

rehearsal and production rooms in the two communities that started DrivRom

Øveriet 67, OLYP 32
1,600+

musicians and producers who use the rooms

Øveriet approx. 1,300, OLYP 300–400

Before an artist steps on stage, there are years of rehearsing, composing and producing. That happens in rehearsal rooms and studios – spaces that are expensive to build, hard to move, and today largely run on unpaid work and personal financial risk.

When rents rise and the people running them burn out, we lose rooms that are almost impossible to replace. DrivRom wants production spaces treated as what they are: part of our cultural infrastructure.

What we want

Six measures for the spaces where culture is made

The proposals build on Øveriet's and OLYP's submissions to the Norwegian government's strategy for cultural venues (kulturarenastrategien).

Multi-year operating support

Funding for administration, technical upkeep, maintenance and development – and lower rent for the musicians who use the rooms.
A dedicated VAT solution

A zero rate with deduction rights, or a compensation scheme, so VAT does not end up as higher rent for artists.
Ticket revenue back into production

Investigate how a small share of ticket revenue can fund the spaces where music is made – from audience to production, and back.
Safer investments

Guarantee and loan schemes so no one has to put up their own home as security, and a Norwegian cultural property trust modelled on the Creative Land Trust.
Production spaces in planning

Map rehearsal rooms and studios before area redevelopment, and give production spaces a clear place in land-use and community planning.
Available buildings and a municipal culture liaison

Empty public buildings on long-term leases, and one contact person in the municipality who connects cultural actors, property owners and agencies.

A full seminar in the common area at Øveriet, with a speaker in front of a screen. — From production to audience – and back. Photo: Øveriet

Coming

For members

We are building a shared foundation, so nobody has to start from scratch.

Coming

Knowledge bank

Everything about building, starting, running and maintaining production spaces – as a guide to browse and as an AI assistant.

Coming

Shared tools

Booking and administration, built by and for the people who run the spaces.

Coming

Network

Members sharing experience across the country.

About us

Started by two communities that know the daily work

DrivRom was started by Øveriet and Oslo Lydproduksjon (OLYP), two established production communities in Oslo. Øveriet has 67 rehearsal rooms and around 1,300 active musicians. Over twelve years, OLYP has built 32 rehearsal and production rooms for professional musicians, producers and composers.

Both were built on private initiative, voluntary work and public investment support. Now we are pooling that experience, so more people can start and run good spaces – and so the field has one voice.