Standard fee to license a photo for print.

[kalgra]

Hello all,

Im not sure where to post this question but this seems as good as any. I'll try to keep my question brief. I was recently contacted by a firm wanting to purchase rights to print one of my photos. The summarized email communication is down below. My problem is I have no idea what I should ask or what is fair. Can anyone give me some advice given the information below?

"My name is Andy and I am an art administrator at NINE dot ARTS. We are a curatorial and art advisory firm.

Our client saw your work in the Westminster City Contest and would like to purchase it for their space. They are interested in purchasing artwork from local photographers and printing it on acrylic. Could we please purchase the rights to produce a single print of your image? In order to do so, we will provide you with a single use licence agreement where you and I would sign and agree on a purchase price and agree to access the digital file of the artwork to print a single copy. The image will be printed at 40" x 30".

Please respond with the following:

1. How much time from final approval will you need in order to provide us with the digital file?
2. What is the wholesale price for us to have a licence to reproduce this image one time? *We operate like a gallery in that we pay wholesale, which would be half of the retail price. For example, if you sold us a licence to print your image once for $200 then the retail cost of this image would be $400
"

 

[Dave442]

Sounds like a good opportunity to put your work in front of the curators at Nine dot Arts there in Denver. It would probably be like Getty images, but on a more personal level if you are able to get in direct with them on this project and not be sent to their dotfolio artist site.

What to ask or what is fair covers a vary wide range. I would ask $400 while my sister would ask for ten times that. Both would also look at this as a possible repeat customer - so if you are too low you will never raise the price and if too high you don't sell this time. I would also expect to negotiate the final terms.

You might want to see what Nine dot Arts has to say on their website about pricing ideas:
The Art of Pricing 101 | NINE dot ARTS | Denver Colorado

 

[tirediron]

Just based on my standard pricing, that would run at least $750.

 

[kalgra]

Sounds like a good opportunity to put your work in front of the curators at Nine dot Arts there in Denver. It would probably be like Getty images, but on a more personal level if you are able to get in direct with them on this project and not be sent to their dotfolio artist site.

What to ask or what is fair covers a vary wide range. I would ask $400 while my sister would ask for ten times that. Both would also look at this as a possible repeat customer - so if you are too low you will never raise the price and if too high you don't sell this time. I would also expect to negotiate the final terms.

You might want to see what Nine dot Arts has to say on their website about pricing ideas:
The Art of Pricing 101 | NINE dot ARTS | Denver Colorado

Just based on my standard pricing, that would run at least $750.

Wow! That seems like a lot of money for a single print. So if say I were to ask $250 that would not be unreasonable?

The funny thing about the photo in question is I don’t even like it. Lol it was one of my earliest attempts with landscape photography and when I see it I feel it is very amateurish and the processing isn’t good yet it has one a contest that got me a new iPad and is displayed on the website for the City I live in and now someone wants to buy it??! I don’t get it, just goes to show I apparently have no idea what other people like.

Anyway thank you both so much for your input. I really appreciate it.

 

[Designer]

1. "As soon as the check clears."
2. Substitute "retail" for "wholesale". (wholesale implies a quantity discount)

 

[kalgra]

1. "As soon as the check clears."
2. Substitute "retail" for "wholesale". (wholesale implies a quantity discount)

Thanks for your reply, However not really sure what you are saying here. Are you suggesting they or I will/should break contract after the check clears? Seems like a bad Idea and certainly not something I would ever do. Im quite sure i'm just misunderstanding you please clarify

$250 for licensing a 40" print for a corporate interior space would be ridiculously low!!! GEEZ don't you have any respect for yourself as an artist!?!

I've been asked this exact question and my response; "I can sell you a 40" print for $1,200+" I don't really trust when people ask for a file big enough to make large prints (or any prints - that's my job) plus I have a relationship with lab. If you want to double check numbers you can always go to Getty sign up as a buyer (just requires an email - we've all done it) and see how much it would cost to license a RM image for corporate art. The other option before the internet was go to some local galleries and find out the range for 40" landscape photography cost. Good reason to go look at some art.

P.S. just to let you know I have sold corporate art for well over $1,200 so don't be afraid to value your art, you're not Ikea selling thousands of 40" posters for $99 of the same boring stock image of NYC in B&W

I very much appreciate your input and find it quite helpful, but please don't mistake my ignorance with regards to licensing fees with lack of respect for myself in anyway. I simply have no experience in these matters and am looking for a fair outcome no more no less. Hence the reason I am here asking the question. I certainly don't want to short change myself but Im also no looking to squeeze every possible penny out this either.

 

[480sparky]

Wow! That seems like a lot of money for a single print. So if say I were to ask $250 that would not be unreasonable?

The funny thing about the photo in question is I don’t even like it.............

You gotta remember you're not selling whether YOU like the image or not. It's whether the buyer likes it. And it's obvious the buyer does. If you are going to devalue your work just because it's not your best shot, you're not doing yourself any favors. If you sell cheap, you end up representing yourself as a cheap photographer.

The vast majority of my shutter-clicking income is from what I would consider my 'less-than-prime' work. Fact is, I've never sold anything I've rated 2 stars or more (5-star scale).

Rest assured, the buying public will not make an effort to increase your pricing. Now, or in the future.

 

[Nwcid]

1. "As soon as the check clears."
2. Substitute "retail" for "wholesale". (wholesale implies a quantity discount)

Thanks for your reply, However not really sure what you are saying here. Are you suggesting they or I will/should break contract after the check clears? Seems like a bad Idea and certainly not something I would ever do. Im quite sure i'm just misunderstanding you please clarify

/QUOTE]

I think his intent was "if it sounds too good to be true......."

While I was not there and I do not know the whole situation, it feels a little like high class spam. The wording in their bullet points reads funny to me.

I definitely research it more, but make sure what is in the email is legitimate. Maybe call or stop by the place and talk to someone in person.

I get frequent calls from Google trying to "verify my business". They go through all their normal stuff to verify. Then at the end comes the "up sell" which is the entire point of the conversation.

 

[kalgra]

Wow! That seems like a lot of money for a single print. So if say I were to ask $250 that would not be unreasonable?

The funny thing about the photo in question is I don’t even like it.............

You gotta remember you're not selling whether YOU like the image or not. It's whether the buyer likes it. And it's obvious the buyer does. If you are going to devalue your work just because it's not your best shot, you're not doing yourself any favors. If you sell cheap, you end up representing yourself as a cheap photographer.

The vast majority of my shutter-clicking income is from what I would consider my 'less-than-prime' work. Fact is, I've never sold anything I've rated 2 stars or more (5-star scale).

Rest assured, the buying public will not make an effort to increase your pricing. Now, or in the future.

Fair point!

 

[Designer]

1. "As soon as the check clears."
2. Substitute "retail" for "wholesale". (wholesale implies a quantity discount)

Thanks for your reply, However not really sure what you are saying here. Are you suggesting they or I will/should break contract after the check clears? Seems like a bad Idea and certainly not something I would ever do. Im quite sure i'm just misunderstanding you please clarify

Please note: (your quote) "Please respond with the following:"

(I was attempting to reply to your request (see above).)

(That is how I normally fail to communicate effectively.)

Point #1: the agent asked how much time you required to provide the digital file. Your answer (just a suggestion, mind you) might be something like: "As soon as the check clears.", or words to that effect. Meaning; you can transmit the digital file upon receiving payment in full. (you might not want to turn it over without first having been paid)

Point #2: He is asking for a "wholesale price", but why? Normally wholesale pricing is discounted for quantities more than one, so I am suggesting that somebody (you or the agent) should re-word the contract to denote the price for one print, not more than one.

I have no idea how you got to "breaking the contract".

This is a good illustration of how bad I am at written communication. Utter and complete failure.

Which then further explains why many of my posts seem to fall on deaf ears or the OP has since passed away, and can no longer respond to my feeble attempts at communicating.

 

[480sparky]

"Wholesale pricing" may be a misnomer for "We want to use the image across a wide variety of uses. Print and newspaper, billboards, magazines, television ad campaigns............"

 

[kalgra]

1. "As soon as the check clears."
2. Substitute "retail" for "wholesale". (wholesale implies a quantity discount)

Thanks for your reply, However not really sure what you are saying here. Are you suggesting they or I will/should break contract after the check clears? Seems like a bad Idea and certainly not something I would ever do. Im quite sure i'm just misunderstanding you please clarify

Please note: (your quote) "Please respond with the following:"

(I was attempting to reply to your request (see above).)

(That is how I normally fail to communicate effectively.)

Point #1: the agent asked how much time you required to provide the digital file. Your answer (just a suggestion, mind you) might be something like: "As soon as the check clears.", or words to that effect. Meaning; you can transmit the digital file upon receiving payment in full. (you might not want to turn it over without first having been paid)

Point #2: He is asking for a "wholesale price", but why? Normally wholesale pricing is discounted for quantities more than one, so I am suggesting that somebody (you or the agent) should re-word the contract to denote the price for one print, not more than one.

I have no idea how you got to "breaking the contract".

This is a good illustration of how bad I am at written communication. Utter and complete failure.

Which then further explains why many of my posts seem to fall on deaf ears or the OP has since passed away, and can no longer respond to my feeble attempts at communicating.

Ah yes I understand now. My misunderstanding was that you were providing responses to each question respectively. For some reason I read it as "As soon as the check clears change the wording" For some reason my brain filtered out the numbering which would have been a great clue to the context of your post. Thanks so much for your input!

 

[Designer]

"Wholesale pricing" may be a misnomer for "We want to use the image across a wide variety of uses. Print and newspaper, billboards, magazines, television ad campaigns............"

Of course! That's why I am cautious about the use of that term in any form of contract. Even though the agent said repeatedly "one time", I am naturally suspect of sales people who use clever language to manipulate the mark into giving away the store.

 

[Dave442]

I think this is a good opportunity to further work with Nine dot Arts. They have their main location close to you, they can carry your work on their affiliate site dotfolio art | Sell Your Artwork Online and with artwork up in a highly viewed location there is bound to be inquiries into the artist by interested parties and how they can obtain similar works by said artist and they can handle that for you.

My style would be to give a higher initial offer, then when they ask for their discount you offer a bit of a discount and at the same time request something in return, something you want - such as: they carry a curated set of your work (based on an equal mix of what their curator would select, your selections, and images that have won awards) on their dotfolio site, they give you published credit for your image in the current installation, they invite you to the opening or to meet with the end client, you would agree on handling future sales of said artwork through their organization for a price (such as a scale based on size or image resolution).

I would inquire as to their payment terms, this can often be 60 days from when you send your invoice to them based on my corporate clients, and what they need to set you up in the system so you are paid (its been long time since somebody just handed me a check or cash).

Hope it all works out, I'm in Denver at least a few times a year and would go see the installation.

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

"Wholesale pricing" may be a misnomer for "We want to use the image across a wide variety of uses. Print and newspaper, billboards, magazines, television ad campaigns............"

It looks to me like they are in the business of selling the prints to other parties. That’s why they are looking for a “wholesale price”. It’s interesting that they even define what they believe that to mean. Typically a manufacturer will sell their product to a retailer for whatever they feel they can produce it for and still make a profit, and offer them a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). The retailer can choose to sell the product at that price or any other price that they feel they can make a profit from.

In this industry I think there is a huge variation in pricing. Images being sold for pennies to tens of thousands of dollars. What you sell it for is completely up to you. If it was me I’d start out high and let them tell you it was too much.