Pricing and licensing question

[Younghappy]

Hi there I signed up here just to get some advice on pricing and licencing. I'm an amateur hobbyist landscape/nature photographer and I shoot for my own pleasure and not specifically to sell. I upload my photographs to various online platforms such as 500px and deviantart and through these, I get occasional minor requests for the use of my images and I've made some money from a few of these in the past

This week I have been contacted by the Production and Resource Manager for the Singapore Branch of Holmes & Marchant, a major brand design consultancy who have worked with many multinational consumer products and companies. Clearly a big player, so I want to get a fair deal out of this.
Details of what they want:

"For the Loch image to use on packaging, the following details in terms of purchase:

1. What is the cost to purchase the image:We want to own the image
2. What is the cost to purchase the image rights for a certain period of time

With regards to purchasing the image for a certain period of time, the details are as follows:

• Period: 3 years
• Usage: on packaging and communication
• Geography: India"

So I have been given the option to sell the image to them outright or to licence it to them for three years for use in India for packaging and "communication" (kinda vague, huh?).


I have been reading around forums and websites like this to get an idea for pricing and I've played with some of the fee calculators too but most of examples I have come across so far are of photographers who have been commissioned to take photos for a project. Obviously they can factor in their labour and production costs into the fee. But my case is different as I have already taken the picture and I have been approached about it afterwards. I'm essentially asking for a ballpark figure for the basic usage rate.

I'd be very grateful for any information and clarification about this, also I'd like to get this sorted soon as the agency might lose interest!

Thanks folks

 

[KmH]

Think in terms of 'impressions' of your image.
I strongly recommend contacting an attorney qualified at negotiating this kind of a deal, or a use license pricing consultant.

Use licensing rates vary a lot across the planet, and the information you have provided is insufficient to even venture a guess.

Is packaging going to be for a single product or a line of products?
What media types will the 'communication' involve?

Details: Usage or Licensing Fee | American Society of Media Photographers
Pricing Guides | American Society of Media Photographers
Licensing Guide | American Society of Media Photographers

 

[Younghappy]

Okay, well I have pushed him for for information. It looks like he wants to buy it outright, which would mean I could up the price considerably if chose to revoke my copyrights.
quoted from email:

I am happy to answer your questions further to give you a thorough picture how this image is being used….
The answers in italic….

• For the packaging, what will the circulation be? (<1000,>5000, >10000 e.g) I have no figures for this question.
• What size will it occupy (1/4, 1/2, full area) The image will be slightly doctored, it occupies about 1/3 ratio.
• Placement (front, back, side) The image will be place front panel.
• Industry (Travel/Tourism, beverages e.g.) This is solely for this hard liquor product based in India.

And please could you further clarify 'communication' for me? Would this involve many different aspects of advertising such as billboards, websites, magazine ads? Again, if you know the specifications at this stage, please you could you detail them.To date, I only know of is the liquor brand that has the image.



Or If you intend to buy the image outright rather than licencing it, would I be revoking my claims of copyright over the image?

We intend to buy the rights for this image.