The Licensing Business Model

First, licensing is a business model that has been around for many decades. Photographers have always been able to protect their business by ownership of the negatives. This meant if you needed more prints you had to go back to the original photographer, and in doing so the photographer not only made a few bucks for each print that was created, but he also knew how many prints of a certain image were “out in the wild” and who owned them. This is the historical model upon which all commercial photographers have been running their businesses for over many years, and this model still thrives today. It makes sense because if you need only one print you just have to pay for one. And if you need more, they are available for a reasonable price. The customer always has the opportunity to select the right artist for the job, selecting the best artist at the most reasonable price.

And this approach also applies to paintings and drawings. If one wants a reproduction of a work they must contact the artist or artist’s estate in order to purchase one, or purchase a reproduction from a “licensed” retailer.

However, recent advances in reproduction technology have made it easier to make reprints without the original negative. While this technology is wonderful, it also threatens the livelihood of artists. Not only can reprints be made, they can be reproduced online, in brochures and magazine ads without requiring the artist’s original negative. So the Copyright Laws of the United States have been updated to strengthen the rights of artists who previously relied on owning the negatives.

Alternative Solutions

Copyright laws protect art (photography, paintings, drawings, etc.) as intellectual property, and provide protection for anyone who creates art – not just professionals. When you buy art for the purpose of commercial exploitation, and need additional reproduction rights, you have four choices:

1. Secure special permission from the copyright owner to purchase all rights to the work so you can use it without restriction. This is usually the most expensive route, because the artist will be giving up any future hope of further income from the work.

2. Create the work yourself so you are the copyright owner, and therefore able to use it without restriction.

3. Hire the best artist/photographer you can find and pay only for what you need right now, with the option of adding to it as your needs change. Most businesses take this alternative because it is the most practical. Next year, this work may in fact have to be created because of new construction, new products, or even a new company logo on the building if it is referring to a photo.

4. Hire someone who includes the reproduction rights without extra charge. All businesses have practitioners at a certain level who try to compete only on price. Everyone can “click the shutter” because camera manufacturers have made sure of that. But not everyone is trained to shoot a photograph that is compelling, that communicates with a full symphony of visual appeal. And not every photographer can, on demand, shoot a photograph that truly sells.

Some photographers (artists) are simply better than others. This is based on vision, years of experience, talent, and technique. They know exactly what to look for, including the best light and the best angle to get it. They have special techniques to communicate their vision, know why one time of day is better than another, why certain print vendors work better than another and they understand the digital medium. These differences add up to the differences in the final work. Such images are in fact worth more, because they have greater value for the client’s needs and commercial uses.

The Greater Value

Not all artists are able to deliver the same results. Therefore many resort to competing with each other on price alone, most often by including cheap reproduction rights. But like any business, you get what you pay for. When spending additional money for advertising and promotion, that cheap work – photo, design, logo – will become very expensive as you strive to communicate your commercial message through additional printing and advertising costs, and usually added post production costs. It’s not how much you spend on the promotion that sells your business. It’s the quality of your message that determines the results. And there is nothing that communicates as quickly and as thoroughly as a great photograph or great design. The Dominguez Studio services are not built on providing you with a cheap image, but with the image that best communicates, at a glance, what your message is about. And I want to be able to do that for you in the most economical manner, which is by licensing to you only what you need, for a great price. You benefit from this business model because you get my very best work without having to pay my highest price.

If you are interested in licensing Dominguez Studio content please download this PDF, fill it out the best you can and send it back to me using the contact form. There is no obligation, just a place to start the conversation.

DOWNLOAD THE DOMINGUEZ STUDIO LICENSING REQUEST FORM

Thanks for your interest.