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Random1... queston for someone in the music industry

edited April 2012 in Not Sports Related
Ive been contacted by a band to potentially use some of my artwork for an album, im wondering if anyone can help me with what kinda fee I should ask for.. or if the extra exposure my work would recieve should be incentive enough ?

If anyone can help please get in touch

Comments

  • Are they new or established? Big or small?

    As I see it, you've got 3 main options: either an outright up-front fee to licence the image on a non-exclusive basis, an outright fee to purchase the copyright, or a smaller up-front fee and a small fee per album sold (depends how big the initial production run is going to be).

    In the age of digital media, the number of physical album sales is dropping & therefore your "per copy" income would be lower than 10 years ago. Perhaps selling the copyright will net the most cash.

    Do you normally sell your work? How much do you charge?
  • Depends on who the band is and how big the sales are likely to be, if they are unheard of's then you can't really ask too much of them other than what you'd normally charge for a commisioned work.....which no doubt depends on the complexity of the work.
    If they are a known quantity then percentages could come into the equasion or simply 'crank-up' your fees from the outset, being careful of course to get something in writing. It would be to your advantage to know 'exactly' who is liable for your fees 'before' undertaking the work...band members/management or record company or combination of aforesaid, and that all parties know and understand this.
    But for simplicity sake, I'd say you were better just judging how big a deal they are and then asking for a commision price accordingly. Maybe ask them what their budget is....assuming they have been given an advance by the record company.
    One thing you always want to remember in the music industry...."Where there's a hit there's a writ."
  • edited April 2012
    They are are a small band out in LA, looking at 1000 albums and then online presence on itunes, spotify etc.

    My work sells for between £50-£500 and it is an existing image they want to use.. so not actually any work involved for me. Plus they would only have rights for the ablum artwork, not to use for any other purpose

    I guess as long as the paperwork is right, a small fee plus the extra exposure for myself is good


    .. thanks for the replys
  • They are are a small band out in LA, looking at 1000 albums and then online presence on itunes, spotify etc.

    My work sells for between £50-£500 and it is an existing image they want to use.. so not actually any work involved for me. Plus they would only have rights for the ablum artwork, not to use for any other purpose

    I guess as long as the paperwork is right, a small fee plus the extra exposure for myself is good

    Sounds like a good deal as long as they credit you shine.
  • Rule 1 .. get ALL your work copyrighted .. the music industry is awash with gypsies, villains, rogues, tramps and thieves .. & that's just the roadies and groupies
  • Yeah, that's the way to proceed shine, the percentage thing obviously isn't going to work in this instance.
    Good luck and I hope it all turns out to your satisfaction.
  • 10k then negotiate down....
  • Well at least they asked shine, so that is a good start.
    I would suggest a small fee based on that. Ensure that you are only a granting a licence for reproduction rights, for one use only as a cd, and for no other use.
    Trouble is people want to use it on posters, 'flyers' etc.
    Try and persuade them to give you a credit with an email or phone number, then you have proof that it is yours, in case any 'third party' use this.
    I was lucky, because I worked at the bbc, all my work was copyrighted, trouble is even my private work they wanted IPR .
    Good luck.
  • Perhaps add something into the contract to cover replicating the image on T-shirts and other merchandising?
  • Shine, on that level you are unlikely to receive a fee and i think all you can expect is some expenses plus the valuable exposure. Make sure you limit the contract to the first run of 1,000 and if it all goes well you make be able to get a small fee for the second run
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  • Thanks for all the feedback/opinions, ive told them id do it ... hopefully all goes to plan and il be posting a image here of the finished product in a few months
  • They are are a small band out in LA, looking at 1000 albums and then online presence on itunes, spotify etc.

    My work sells for between £50-£500 and it is an existing image they want to use.. so not actually any work involved for me. Plus they would only have rights for the ablum artwork, not to use for any other purpose

    I guess as long as the paperwork is right, a small fee plus the extra exposure for myself is good


    .. thanks for the replys

    Well done but make sure you negotiate an extra fee for a second issue/extra copies printed.
  • I ran a label ('Cartesian') between 2002-2007, and used to pay a 1-off fee of £250 for licensed use of artwork (mostly to a russian chap called Vania Zouravliov, whose work is well worth googling for). That was for small releases that never sold enough to come into profit. Just as a guide..
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