Apple Image Licensing...what to expect?
June 8, 2015 8:35 AM Subscribe
Apple recently contacted me to license one or more of my images. What can/should I expect from this transaction? Have you had an image licensed by Apple, and if so, what was your experience like? This is for a studio photo and not an "I took this with my iPhone" image.
I only have the barest idea of the terms, but they are thus far agreeable to me. I have not licensed an image before and have no idea what to ask for in terms of compensation.
What I know:
-I haven't been able to Google up any stories
-I know they do this all the time, not sure whether their pricing is variable
-Vague terms: usage (non-exclusive, worldwide)
-Email was not spam
What I don't know:
-The specific intended use (packaging, screen saver, desktop, etc)
-What they are offering as payment
-Whether to get a lawyer
I know they do this all the time, but I am not sure whether this works in my favor or not. I'm assuming any license they offer me has been vetted and is fairly ironclad and set up to be mostly to their benefit.
I only have the barest idea of the terms, but they are thus far agreeable to me. I have not licensed an image before and have no idea what to ask for in terms of compensation.
What I know:
-I haven't been able to Google up any stories
-I know they do this all the time, not sure whether their pricing is variable
-Vague terms: usage (non-exclusive, worldwide)
-Email was not spam
What I don't know:
-The specific intended use (packaging, screen saver, desktop, etc)
-What they are offering as payment
-Whether to get a lawyer
I know they do this all the time, but I am not sure whether this works in my favor or not. I'm assuming any license they offer me has been vetted and is fairly ironclad and set up to be mostly to their benefit.
Best answer: Image licensing is my primary business, and I've licensed work from two to six figures. The specific intended use is *very* important here. I know from experience that Apple licences work for a wide variety of purposes. Say for example the tutorials that you see on how to use your trackpad - All of the images on the websites you see there, even in that context (in-situ on a webpage), need to be licensed from their original owners. That's very different for use in an above the line advertising campaign especially in regards to renumeration.
I think you really need to get more details on their intended usage. If it's for something very small, then ask them to limit the license to that use, and ask them for what their standard fees are. All media, worldwide, is pretty much a buyout, and not a fair shake, unless they are paying you appropriately.
If it's for anything bigger I would suggest trying to find a reputable commercial photo agent in a major advertising market, who displays a strong focus on commercial advertising work. It's going to be difficult to get most agents to answer a cold email, however if you say Apple and Licensing in the subject - I'm sure it will prick someone's ears.
A good photo agent will know the true value of the work, and how to read the contract and get you a good deal. An agent will take 20-30 percent of the overall fee, and there's always the chance that getting one involved could cause the client to run, but I say it's better than potentially losing out on fair renumeration.
At the very least, plug in all the details to something similar on sites like Getty images to get an idea for a rough cost range. I think you might be surprised.
Unfortunately this is a larger topic than I can cover here, and big companies love dealing with artists directly specifically because they can get images for a steal most times, but I did feel I needed to pop my head in to offer a counterpoint to the first reply.
Good luck!
posted by LongDrive at 4:23 AM on June 9, 2015
I think you really need to get more details on their intended usage. If it's for something very small, then ask them to limit the license to that use, and ask them for what their standard fees are. All media, worldwide, is pretty much a buyout, and not a fair shake, unless they are paying you appropriately.
If it's for anything bigger I would suggest trying to find a reputable commercial photo agent in a major advertising market, who displays a strong focus on commercial advertising work. It's going to be difficult to get most agents to answer a cold email, however if you say Apple and Licensing in the subject - I'm sure it will prick someone's ears.
A good photo agent will know the true value of the work, and how to read the contract and get you a good deal. An agent will take 20-30 percent of the overall fee, and there's always the chance that getting one involved could cause the client to run, but I say it's better than potentially losing out on fair renumeration.
At the very least, plug in all the details to something similar on sites like Getty images to get an idea for a rough cost range. I think you might be surprised.
Unfortunately this is a larger topic than I can cover here, and big companies love dealing with artists directly specifically because they can get images for a steal most times, but I did feel I needed to pop my head in to offer a counterpoint to the first reply.
Good luck!
posted by LongDrive at 4:23 AM on June 9, 2015
Depending on the photo and the rights, figure around $350-500 for a still photo.
There is no rule of thumb here, it is entirely dependent on the usage and the image. $350-500 is what they would spend for a non-exclusive, royalty free run of the mill stock photo (aka. something really unimportant, not special or unique, and for small or inconsequential use). The reason they are contacting OP is because they cannot get this particular image through the usual stock channels*, meaning to me, it is worth more than that. Just my hunch from my experience, otherwise they would have already bought it on Getty and been done with it.
As mentioned, a good starting point would be using Getty's usage calculator on a "rights managed" image. What I would do is ask for more details from your Apple contact on what exactly they are trying to do here, plug that in to the calculator, and see what it says. If it's a substantial amount, or you think your image is particularly unique, - contact a photography artist rep like LongDrive suggested (here's a co-op one you can call up and pay to answer questions like this for you: Wonderful Machine - and here's a list of reps: Agent List).
* or maybe they can, but the rights they want are $$$, so now they're fishing for someone who is less knowledgeable about licensing
posted by bradbane at 2:37 PM on June 9, 2015
There is no rule of thumb here, it is entirely dependent on the usage and the image. $350-500 is what they would spend for a non-exclusive, royalty free run of the mill stock photo (aka. something really unimportant, not special or unique, and for small or inconsequential use). The reason they are contacting OP is because they cannot get this particular image through the usual stock channels*, meaning to me, it is worth more than that. Just my hunch from my experience, otherwise they would have already bought it on Getty and been done with it.
As mentioned, a good starting point would be using Getty's usage calculator on a "rights managed" image. What I would do is ask for more details from your Apple contact on what exactly they are trying to do here, plug that in to the calculator, and see what it says. If it's a substantial amount, or you think your image is particularly unique, - contact a photography artist rep like LongDrive suggested (here's a co-op one you can call up and pay to answer questions like this for you: Wonderful Machine - and here's a list of reps: Agent List).
* or maybe they can, but the rights they want are $$$, so now they're fishing for someone who is less knowledgeable about licensing
posted by bradbane at 2:37 PM on June 9, 2015
I'm a bit late to this thread, but ...
I wish I could tell you what the ballpark is for something like this, but I'm sure Apple makes everyone sign an NDA so there is no real market info (kinda like how employers don't like employees knowing how much everyone is worth).
posted by Brian Puccio at 5:01 PM on June 13, 2015
The specific intended use is *very* important here.Apple licensed Espen Haagensen's photo that he posted to 500px and he didn't know it was going to be an iPhone background until the phone was launched and a friend called him.
I wish I could tell you what the ballpark is for something like this, but I'm sure Apple makes everyone sign an NDA so there is no real market info (kinda like how employers don't like employees knowing how much everyone is worth).
posted by Brian Puccio at 5:01 PM on June 13, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Basically, you want to make sure it's a non-exclusive agreement, so that you can license to others. They'll probably ask for all media, worldwide in perpetuity.
You don't need a lawyer. Depending on the photo and the rights, figure around $350-500 for a still photo.
posted by Ideefixe at 9:26 AM on June 8, 2015