Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with royalties

Royalty free images for someone else's personal use

like_neon — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:09:27 -0800

How to correctly use royalty free images for personal items when I'm using them to design something for someone else, who pays me for my time. So I'm designing my own Save the Date cards and have been using some royalty free images in them (which I will then print using Vista Print). Since they are for personal use my understanding is that I'm pretty much in the clear, whether they are free royalty-free images or something I bought from iStock. (Please correct me if I'm wrong though before I print these suckers.)

I'm wondering, what if I design cards for someone else and they pay me? I wouldn't sell them cards, just the time spent on the design and the file, which they then print from wherever they want. This would be only for personal use designs (such as the save the date card) and not for resale.

In this scenario:

1) Could I still keep using the free royalty free images, for free?
2) Are images bought from iStock still covered by the Standard license?

Or would my "client" have to pay me in cake to make it ok?

Perhaps these are all quite obviously laid out because to me it sounds like this is just what designers do, but I can't seem to get past the legal mumbo jumbo and I just want to know what the deal is.

I have tried looking online for a company that does this but they all make you buy the cards from them too, even Etsy. Do you know anyone who offers "design only" services for this type of thing? (ie limited run, non sale items, for individual customers and not like, say, a business.)

Looking for crisp, royalty free medical illustrations with one-click purchasing.

benzenedream — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:32:00 -0800

Looking for crisp, royalty free medical illustrations with one-click purchasing. I'm looking to get some medical illustrations for publishing and want to be sure the rights are cleared for web and print publication as well as internal use. Specifically, I'm looking for crisp anatomical illustrations, hopefully in EPS or SVG format. The graphics may be used internally as well as externally. I've checked istockphoto but they don't have what I need. Since I'm using these for a business I'd like to be absolutely clear on the rights for the photo, and am wary of using openclipart.org or similar.

Or should I just torrent it and throw coins at them on stage?

nowonmai — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 16:15:48 -0800

How much money does an artist get when I buy their music online? What amount of money goes to an artist if I buy an album on eMusic, iTunes or Amazon? How does it compare to what they make from a CD sale? Assume the artist is a moderately unpopular rock band signed to a small but well-meaning indie label; will they get more or less of my money than than somebody on a major label?
Do artists get anything at all from subscription services like Rhapsody? Or if I just play their tracks on Last.fm?
Is buying the music from MySpace any better?
I'm hoping somebody here might be on the receiving end of such payments and let me know whether it would negatively impact them if I downloaded their music without paying rather than acquiring it legitimately from eMusic or Rhapsody, where it's so cheap I can't imagine them getting much for it.

How do I ensure that I get paid my share of royalties as an Illustrator for a book

idyllhands — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:27:32 -0800

How do I ensure that I get paid my share of royalties as an Illustrator for a book? I am considering illustrating a book for a guy from an online classified site. He has indicated that there is no "up front" payment, but has said he will share royalties (if any). I have a lot of free time, and would like to do the job, but how do I ensure that he pays me a share of royalties? Are there publishing companies that will handle dividing the royalties?
He has also indicated that he intends to self-publish with an online firm, but has not indicated which one. I am not at all familiar with the publishing process, so what should I be asking him? It's not a huge project, so if I get ripped off, then it's not the end of the world, but I would like to at least ensure that I get my name on the book.

How Do I Promote the Music in my Publishing Catalog?

saulgoodman — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:56:34 -0800

How can I seek out licensing and other royalty-generating opportunities for the titles in my new music publishing company's catalog? I recently established myself as a PRO-affiliated music publisher, primarily to publish my own titles, but I'm also planning to work with other artists in the future. Does anybody out there have any advice for how to go about effectively targeting and soliciting licensing and other performance royalty generating opportunities for the titles in my catalog? I realize there are probably no simple answers to this question, but I'd like to hear some pointers and other insights from anyone out there who might have had success in this area in the past.

How much of a song can i use commercially without paying royalties?

torpark — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:05:47 -0800

How much of a song can i use commercially without paying royalties? I write a commercial software for a non-us corp. Occasionally I like to throw in easter-eggs (hidden screens/areas) such as an image or sound byte. How much of a song or riff of a song can I use without paying royalties? What if it was used in an advertisement instead of an easter egg, would that change the answer? And how much is little enough? a note? a bar? a chorus? a theme?

In the Shadow of Itunes

melt away — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:19:57 -0800

What is a fair amount for an independant label to pay artists? I'm in the process of starting up a small-run vinyl-only label that caters to the collectors on the fringe of musical tastes.

The label is interested in making enough money to continue putting out releases, having enough revenue to take chances on deserving unknown artists and of course fairly compensating the artists. Fair compensation (or *any* compensation) is actually rare in the small-run sphere.

What royalties are owed for an arrangement of an old folk song?

Martin E. — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:39:18 -0800

My band are thinking of putting out a CD using a modified version of someone else's arrangement of a traditional folksong. What royalties, if any, do we owe them? This person has put out a CD-R of their solo guitar arrangements of traditional folk songs and made the guitar tab available online. We'd like to record and release a version of one of these. Their version was just guitar, and we'd be adding vocals and several other instruments, maybe a bridge or a guitar break that departs from their arrangement. But the the guitar part would basically be their tab almost verbatim. I'm somewhat familiar with the rates and process of recording a cover version of something that's not public-domain. But I have no idea what is the procedure for someone's copyrighted arrangement of a public-domain song.

I'll be contacting them directly saying "We'd like to take your arrangement and record it like this, and we'd be happy to pay you the going rate for this type of thing" but what is the going rate for this type of thing? And just because I'm curious, when it comes to traditional folk songs, at what point does it cease being a cover of someone's copyrighted arrangement and become your own original version of a song you learned from someone else? Is it when you add extra instruments, or add your own intro/outro/bridge, or what?

Setting up a mini-radio station.

RavinDave — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 07:46:12 -0800

How do I, as an individual, obtain permission to play commercial CDs in a makeshift jukebox? Let's say I wanted to build a computer jukebox for residents of a managed care facilities (ie: a commercial venue). I might have some 30 to 40 CDs of music people of their era prefer. I own the CDs ... what exactly do I have to do to get permission to legally play these CDs? I'm assuming I'd be paying royalties, though I'm not quite sure how it would work (or if it would be cost effective). Who do I approach? Would I need to keep logs?

Anything else you can add that I haven't thought of would be muchly appreciated.

How much does Led Zeppelin make in radio based royalties?

asparagus_berlin — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 15:25:12 -0800

How much money does a given band (say Led Zep) make each and every time a song of theirs is played on the radio? I don't expect anyone to be privvy to the actual details of Zep's professional set-up, but does anyone have any insight as to what they (or any other staple of classic rock stations) might make every single time a song is played on any radio station in the USA - i.e., I've always imagined money continuously trickling into a Scrooge McDuck style vault.
1/10th of a penny, a penny, a nickel, five bucks? Any educated guesses?

Or perhaps they might receive a flat yearly fee for unlimited play?

How can you pay royalties in order to use copyrighted music in for-profit videos?

sindark — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:53:30 -0800

Is it possible to pay royalties to bands in order to use their songs in commercial videos online? My brother makes music videos for popular songs, using his friends as actors. He has made them for bands like The Hives and The Arctic Monkeys. This was mentioned previously, over at MeFi Projects.

Now that he has won several competitions, he is thinking about posting them to Metacafe.com so as to try and earn some of their producer rewards ($5 per 1000 views). If he did, he would be earning money on videos that incorporate music from bands without their permission. Is there any feasible way he could pay royalties, and thus make the process legitimate? If so, about how much would he need to pay?

Feeding the starving artists.

sarahsynonymous — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:08:45 -0800

What are the most effective ways to monetarily support my favorite artists? These days, I very rarely purchase CDs. However, when I get interested in a smaller/indie artist, I do my best to buy CDs or other merchandise by them, because I know that monetary support can mean an awful lot to a struggling artist. However, I want to make sure that as much money as possible actually reaches the artist in question.

My preferred course of action is always to buy from the merch table at a performance; there, most, if not all of the profit goes directly to the artist. (Right?) If attending a concert isn't feasible, I see what's available straight from the artist online, if anything; if they're signed to a small record label, I'll try to go directly through the label.

Beyond this, I'm at a loss. I guess my basic question is, is there a way to know which retailers give the largest profit percentage back to the artist? For example, when big box stores (Target, Wal-Mart, etc.) mark down prices, whose profits are consequently decreased? I also know that the larger the record label, the larger cut they take of the earnings, so I'm also wondering if there are any general numbers about some of the bigger labels.

If you have any insights regarding monetary support of other kinds of artists (authors, filmmakers, photographers and so on), I would love to hear them as well. If I'm going to give in to the capitalist system, I figure I might as well do it as effectively as possible. Thanks!

Music podcast legalities help

Ikazuchi — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:56:15 -0800

I have, over the past several years, become the individual that lots of people come to for music suggestions and to talk about music (most metal, but some other stuff). Much like the fine folks at Pandora. So I had the great thought of starting a podcast. However: Mayhaps I'm missing something, but I can't find anything online that spells out how to start a music podcast legally. (More after the jump) I'd like to start a metal-based podcast, specifically highlighting songs that are different or kinda out there. However, nowhere can I find a simple list of what to do to start one up and not get sued into oblivion. There are several (hundred) podcasts online that focus music, and though I'm sure many of them just go and hope they don't get shut down. There has to be, however, some who have threaded the legalities, but apparently I can't find any how-to's or articles (even after much google and ask.mefi searching). Everything I find seems to focus on people talking, talking, talking. I wanna rock the f*** out.

Should I join ASCAP? (not a simple question in my case)

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:53:47 -0800

Should I finally join ASCAP, despite my misgivings about copyright, the music-licensing industry, and certain practices by ASCAP and similar orgs? Yes, the cash would make a real difference for me, given the way ASCAP handles my genre and given my low income overall. (A many-sided question, one I've put a lot of thought into -- but I've made this as concise as I can while hitting the important points. Thanks for listening!)

I'm a young American composer of mostly classical/"concert" music. I come from a very low-income background, so as an adult I'm still learning the right ways to relate to money & finances. I've spent my post-conservatory life making a very simple living with a combo of about half music (small grants/prizes/commissions) and half other work. I'm not at a career point where prizes/etc. just fall in my lap; I spend a LOT of time researching & applying for all these opportunities.

I've missed out on a significant amount of cash over the years because I haven't joined a performance rights organization (ASCAP would be better for me personally, so that's why we're forgetting about BMI here). ASCAP's Concert Music division, unlike most other divisions, makes direct royalty payments for significant performances of your music, plus annual cash awards based on your music's overall "prestige value" (prizes/performances/etc.) -- and the award amounts I hear about from friends with "prestige" activity comparable to mine would definitely make some difference for me each year.

--- So why have I not joined ASCAP?
• I'm still (though decreasingly) attached to my ideal of offering work freely or under alternative licenses rather than perpetuating our current copyright system. (Yeah, I do realize that many anti-copyright activists are financially secure tech-industry types who have a different kind of luxury to hold these beliefs than I have.)
• While ASCAP's Concert Music division itself is clearly a postive/beneficial force in the music world, the popular music division has a practice that disturbs me: their aggressive insistence on getting even very small venues & clubs to pay their licensing fees, typically using threats of lawsuits, which can hold back struggling venues and struggling musicians alike. U.S. law says they can do this, but I don't agree with the law in this case.
• I would benefit from and implicitly approve the business practices of ASCAP if I were a member.
• If I did eventually become high-profile enough without any money or help from ASCAP, I could be a great example for other musicians who don't want to be part of the intellectual-property industry (an Ani DiFranco-like advocate for anti-copyright ideals, as Ani has been for anti-major-label ideals).

--- And what are some arguments that I should join ASCAP now?
• How logical is it for me to refuse to join in the name of supporting struggling musicians, if I'm a struggling musician myself (who's living without health care, etc.)? I'm basically the walking definition of why music licensing and royalties were created. If I'm dedicated to contributing to our culture, I need to generally take care of myself so I can be healthy/productive and live a long life.
• It's not just ASCAP and BMI: in virtually any industry, if we really trace the roots of where our pay comes from, we would likely classify it as coming from business practices that hold someone else back, or as being "dirty money" in some other sense.
• My friends unanimously agree that ASCAP's Concert Music administrators actually care about nurturing and promoting composers and connecting them with opportunities -- in other words, the cash might be the least of ASCAP's practical benefits for me.
• As far as I understand (and I would ENORMOUSLY appreciate any comment/clarification you may have on this point), ASCAP only controls the performance rights of the works you specifically register with them (i.e., you can hold back individual works, so I could do that for any particular piece that felt important to release outside copyright -- or for any particular piece if I planned to have only that piece performed at a venue not already licensed by ASCAP [to make sure the venue would be safe in the event ASCAP noticed the venue because of me]).

So... Currently I don't see any other in-depth discussion of these issues on the web, so I hope this can turn into a great thread with many different viewpoints. (And if you want to email me privately, you can use the anonymous account I set up for this: metaq @ bluebottle . com [remove the spaces].) Thank you!

Art Licensing Royalty Rates?

MaxVonCretin — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:11:58 -0800

What royalty rate should I ask for from a company that wants to license my art? I've been contacted by a fairly large producer of swag (shirts, magnets, keychains, etc.) that would like to license my original artwork for a line of products to be sold retail (comic stores, Spencer Gifts, etc.). They sent me their standard licensing agreement, which stipulates a royalty rate of 10%. This strikes me as low - but then I know nothing of these things. Am I being lowballed, or is this standard? How high can I hope to negotiate this rate?

Do cover bands pay roylaties?

punkfloyd — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 13:47:57 -0800

When a cover band plays at a club, an event or whatever, is somebody supposed to pay royalties for the songs? If so, how much? Do ASCAP and BMI send out goons to enforce?

Such a great paycheck.

OmieWise — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 05:37:26 -0800

I was crushed to hear the Iron & Wine version of Such Great Heights played over an M&Ms commercial last night. Who's getting paid, and how much? The original is by The Postal Service. I didn't even know the I&W version existed until last week, when I found out it was included on the Garden State soundtrack. I'm curious who is getting paid for these two commercial uses. The Postal Service for writing the song? Iron & Wine for performing it? Do they get paid each time the ad airs? Who gets paid more?

An even deeper question: I was playing The Postal Service version for a friend, and she said it sounded familiar, but could not place it. Then she recognized the I&W version. After some research we found that the Garden State trailer used the original version, but the I&W version in the movie. Why? Was it just aesthetics?

Internet Radio Regulations in Canada.

Count Ziggurat — Thu, 12 May 2005 18:07:42 -0800

We're starting up a wee web radio station. We are Canadians. What, realistically, are we meant to do in the way of royalties and whatnot? It'll be quite a small setup, produced in Canada by Canadians. Are we legally supposed to pay royalties on any music we play? Is this actually done? If so, to whom and how much?

Starting an Internet radio station/show

wackybrit — Sat, 26 Feb 2005 07:53:11 -0800

I want to start an Internet radio station (streaming and archived). How do I deal with the royalties issues legally? Most podcasters and small time online radio stations generally don't worry about royalties, but I plan on doing some big things so I want to get it right from the get-go. The various guides to the copyright law I've found are all rather confusing, although I got as far as finding out that I'd be paying something like 0.02¢ per "performance".. or, as I see it, per track/per listener. However, how is this audited? I might play tracks which I have permission from the band to play, so these I would not pay for. Very confusing :)

More confusion sets in because I'm in the United Kingdom, but would be transmitting my station in the US (in terms of the server the listeners all connect to). Do I need to set up a deal with the various British copyright authorities? Is there a way I can avoid this? Does the UK even have specific legislation for non-commercial online radio stations? I can certainly deal with the 0.02¢ per performance and the $500 minimum requirement, but it's all rather confusing.

BTW, I don't want to use Live365 or some other "managed" service, I want to do it myself, as I understand the tech pretty well. So has anyone here set up a legal online radio station? If so, how did you do it, and how are you dealing with the licencing? Also, is anyone here running a legal music podcast? If so, again, how? :)

Cash from syndication rights

paulychamp — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 09:01:37 -0800

TelevisionSyndicationFilter - According to the entry on Wikipedia, television syndication is "where the real money is" when it comes to producing TV shows (particularly, off network syndication). I'm curious to know how much money an actor like Dave Coulier (Uncle Joey, Full House) makes from syndication rights. Any guesses or insight? [justatinybitmoreinside] I realize coming up with an actual number would require knowledge of how the actors are contracted to work.. and yada yada.. I'm just looking to come up with an estimate.

Say Uncle Joey makes $100 each time an episode airs. (Is that reasonable? outrageous?) If episodes air 3 times a day, he's pocketing $300 a day for work he did years ago. That's an easy 100K.

Good royalty free photography?

maniactown — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 10:18:17 -0800

I work in the design department of a small weekly newspaper and we need some good royalty free photography. [MI] We already own a generic clip art collection so are especially in need of a good, general stock photo library. We don't have much of a budget for this purchase, so recommendations on the cheap are appreciated.