Licensing Artwork

Are you curious about licensing artwork? Some question you may have are: What are the associated costs? What type of artwork can be licensed? Is there a market for my art? Do I need an agent who specializes in licensing? What are the benefits and risks involved? How much money can I expect to earn? Are there different types of licensing agreements? Do I need a lawyer?

Those are a lot of questions and at Business for Artists, we intend to explore the subject thoroughly.

Lets go through them one at a time. If you have questions that haven't been answered, please use the contact form.

What type of artwork can be licensed? Of course, almost anything can be licensed, but you need to step back from your work and ask honest questions about it. Is this something that can be easily reproduced? Does it represent a traditional style that stays popular, or is it part of a current trend?

Is there a market for my art? Has the original, or other pieces like it generated a lot of interest? What segment of the market is interested in your work? Are these the type of people who would purchase a reproduction? Anything that is licensed must have more of a mass appeal, or it isn't worth licensing.

Do I need an agent who specializes in licensing artwork?

Are there different types of licensing agreements and do I need a lawyer? The answer to both is yes. You could always try to get by on your own, but since your future revenues are at stake, it is best to hire a lawyer who is familiar with licensing of art. You need to define just what is being licensed and what kind of control you are giving up or maintaining over your art. For instance, you can grant a license for a particular image to be reproduced over a certain period of time, but you maintain control of the original and hold the copyright. Often, you will find yourself dealing with a large company and you can be sure their lawyers have drafted a contract in their favor, so you need to put yourself on equal footing by having a lawyer to represent your interests. Bottom line, if you are going to sign any kind of contract, it is best to have a lawyer look it over.

What are the costs associated with licensing art? Besides the costs of producing the art in the first place, the main costs are administrative and legal. Licensing is something you do to earn income, so the costs should be more than offset by the revenues, or it does not make good business sense. As stated earlier, you need to hire a lawyer. You also need a way to keep track of your various licensing deals, especially if they have expiration dates.

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