A recurring question I get from artists is: “Should I give my art to a band for Album Cover Art in exchange for exposure, or should I charge them? And if so, how much?”
This is a two part question. First, should you give it away for free? And second, how much should you charge?
Read on, and like I always do, I’m going to go deep into the philosophy of getting paid and how to go about pricing your work.
SHOULD YOU GIVE YOUR ART TO A BAND FOR FREE?
NO. Why? If it’s a major label backed by a record company, they can afford your art.
And, if they are a small garage band making their first album, they need to have some skin in the game. This is how they will learn about business, and music is indeed a business.
Always charge a fee, even if it’s just a small fee. Never give it away for free.
When someone doesn’t want to pay for art, it has little to no value to them, and this feeling of no value transcends the band. It spreads out into the Ether of the Universe. If there is no value placed on your art, chances are they won’t use the art properly. Or they will accidentally leave off the artist’s signature, or they will fail to provide the promotional value that they promised.
Money is an exchange of energy and energy has to flow both ways. Your art is also an exchange of energy. To keep proper balance, your art has to flow outward while the money flows inward.
When you don’t value your own art, no one else will, either. And then the energy gets stuck, usually right in your solar plexus, and after years and years of giving art away you begin to feel used. And then your relationship with art becomes a dark one. And it will be your fault. Sorry to tell you that, but, I’m trying to save artists from this terrible fate that I’ve witnessed in older artists.
The amount of money you charge doesn’t matter as much as the fact that SOMETHING is paid for the art.
If it’s a small garage band with no budget, and you LOVE their music and want to be a part of what they’re doing, then it’s okay to give them a killer deal on the art. But, if giving a great deal, be stricter on your restrictions as to how they can use it. (I’ll go into detail on that more later in this post.)
Below are my top reasons for charging small bands for your art:
1 – Making an album is a costly endeavor. If a band is recording an album, they have to come up with money to rent studio time (about $300-$500/day), pay for mastering the album (about $500+) and then having the CD’s made ($300+). On the very cheap end, they are investing about $4,000+ to make an album. The album cover art fee is just added to that cost of having an album made. Everyone else gets paid, so why shouldn’t the artist? (The band will get paid when they sell their music.)
2 – You don’t want to over-expose your art in the music world. You have to pick and choose which bands will use your art, and if you’re giving it away, then you run the risk of over-exposure by making your art too easily available.
3 – When people pay for art, the artist actually has MORE control over the art. This is a psychological thing. The mere act of exchanging money implies that the art is valued, and the artist has say in how their art is displayed, how their name will appear on the cover, and what the art can be used for in addition to the cover (i.e. merchandise, tees, posters, etc.)
If you aren’t charging for the art, then you will most likely get sloppy about everything else, such as, what you are agreeing to allow the band to do with the art besides putting it on the CD cover. You might just hand it over and let them do anything they want with it. And this is never a good thing, because later you might see your art printed on posters, tees, hats and all sorts of merchandise, with no mention of your name, and you will feel used. This happens often.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU CHARGE A BAND FOR THEIR CD OR ALBUM COVER ART?
The amount you charge will be determined by the level of the band (how big are they), what they plan to use the art for (CD’s or merchandise also), and how experienced you are or the value you are providing to them.
The price ranges shown below assume that you are a professional artist who has been creating art for at least five years and you know how to give a client what they need. If you are inexperienced then your prices would be on the low end. If you are experienced and your art gives the band what they need and provides great value, you would charge on the higher end.
You would also adjust the pricing if they are using existing art, rather then having you create new art.
You would add more $$$ to the prices if: You will be expected to do any graphic design work (like fitting the art to a template for albums or merchandise), or if they have very specific elements and add complexity to the design, or if they will be using the artwork for a national advertising campaign, or if they want to own all rights to it (which I never recommend doing).
There are three levels of pricing, based on the type of band. They are:
1 – Garage band (new, young, never made an album before): $350 – $2,500: If you LOVE the band and want to be a part of what they’re doing, come up with a price and make it work for them. Even if all you charge is $350, at least you got paid and you know they are going to value your work.
2 – Mid level band (making a name for themselves in their local area, already touring and working on their 2nd or 3rd album): $1,500 – $6,000+. We have had Drew create art for bands such as Common Sense and SOWFLO. For SOWFLO, the artwork was designed specifically so that it could be used for multiple types of merchandise, back drops and advertising. You can read about our SOWFLO case study here.
3 – Big Name Bands (a band that most people have heard of): $2,500 – $10,000+. We’ve done work for Sublime with Rome and Eddie Vedder, probably our two biggest musical clients to date. And both were great to work with.
We’ve given price quotes for many other big bands, but some did not want to pay our prices, so they found an artist who charged less. It’s interesting when you work with bands this well known; some of them still don’t value the artwork of artists, and I find that ironic, because they are artists themselves! Drew and I choose not to do business with people who devalue Drew’s art, as it doesn’t feel good.
Any band that we have had Drew create art for, is a band that valued Drew and his work.
Since you don’t want your art on too many album covers, as you could actually get over-exposed, you have to be picky and work only with those who treat you well.
WHAT RESTRICTIONS SHOULD YOU PLACE ON THE BAND’S USE OF YOUR ART?
Always have a written agreement, even with a garage band. Your agreement does not have to be a formal contract. You can write up a simple agreement and send it by email or have it printed on a piece of paper. Try to get them to sign it, but even if they don’t sign it, legally it’s valid because their payment of your fee indicates agreement to your terms.
Your agreement will spell out the following terms:
PRICING: Indicate what they are paying for the art. Specify the amount and the date the payment is due. Get paid a deposit up front to avoid problems later.
*Note on Royalty Payments: I would avoid asking for royalty payments from a small band – you’ll never see the reports or money. (They most likely don’t have an accounting department!) Instead, charge a one-time fee that’s paid up front, before you hand over the art files.
USAGE: Specify what rights they have to use the art for. You would list the rights like this: “For printing on album/CD covers, merchandise, advertising, stage banners, bus wraps.” Or, if they plan to just use the art for an album cover, then it would say “For printing on Album/CD covers only.”
TIME PERIOD: Specify how long they can use the art in years. For example “This agreement is effective for five years.”
When working with a large band who is paying top dollar for your art, you would most likely give them rights to use the art in perpetuity (forever).
If you are giving a band a great deal (cheap price) on the artwork, never give them long term rights. Have your agreement state that they get to use the art for a specific time period (i.e. 3 years), or until they are picked up by a record label, whichever comes first. If they are picked up by record label, they will have the budget for art and can pay you a reasonable fee at that time. If they aren’t picked up by a record company, and want to renew use of the art for another printing, then you can charge them another small fee (or whatever feels good to you).
COPYRIGHTS: Always keep ownership to your copyrights, when providing artwork for any client, even a band. If you are an artist who has your own style (and your business model is to become known for your art), you should always keep the copyrights. Even when working with very big bands, like Sublime with Rome or Eddie Vedder, Drew has kept the copyrights to his artwork.
Your agreement might say something like this: “Artist keeps ownership to copyrights to artwork and retains rights to sell art prints of the image.”
NOTE: When providing art for a band for their album cover and their merchandise, you shouldn’t produce your own merchandise with the art. It’s not fair to the band, who makes most of their money from merchandise sales. But, what you can do with the art is make art prints and sell those. (If you plan to sell the art prints with the band’s name printed on the art, you have to get written permission from the band to do so.)
ARTIST’S NAME CLEARLY LEGIBLE ON ALL ITEMS: In your agreement, state that the artists’ signature is clearly legible where ever it is printed. This is important for professional artists, or those who plan to be one.
SAMPLES: Specify that you will receive at least three samples of the CDs/albums and merchandise they produce, at no charge.
ORIGINAL ARTWORK: If you create the art as a painting or drawing, specify what you will charge extra for them to buy the original(s). Always charge extra for the original artwork. If they choose not to buy it, you can earn more $$$ selling it later to your collectors.
In my new book, ART, MONEY & SUCCESS, I write about how to charge for many different things. If you are interested in learning more about my book, sign up for the excerpts here: http://eepurl.com/b2IHHT.
Was this article helpful for you? Have you worked with bands in the past?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
Thanks for reading,
Maria xxoo
66 Responses
Hello Maria,
thank you for this wonderful advice. I have my first client and now I search for advice on licencing and some numbers and your article really helped me.
I guess you have a new reader 🙂
Best,
Claudia
Thanks, Claudia. Welcome, and I appreciate your comment!
Yes, great article. How would you go about copyrighting though? Does your words alone solidify your copyright ownership?
Hey Maria, I would like to correct some miscalculations in your pricing model for recording an album. I’ve worked in a studio for many years along side with many other producers, mixers, And people who master those albums. I would say that actually recording an album is a lot cheaper then what your pricing have listed above. Not only in the one I work in but others as well. I would say most albums (like a general average for most recording studios artist go to) cost around 2,500$ to make, but that’s if they are working for a long time in the studio and experimenting with the sounds, but most artist have the idea and music behind there music. I’d say at most, if the artist is smart, they’re album will cost 1,500$ at most. Unless in a major city area. That would cost probably closer to the prices you have listed. So for any artist who make cover albums I’d say adjust your prices based on area and what recording studios around you area, and they’re cost. Not a compliant against your points on cover artist (graphic and cover artist not musically artist) pay, nor even criticism towards your points. I just wanted to correct the numbers so that the graphic designers and the cover artist know that the price of an album is cheaper then most people think.
Hi Maria,
Great article and I’ve had a few bands ask me for free use of existing artwork and then decline when I asked that they come up with a nominal fee proposal as an energy exchange.
The prices you quote in your article seem to be for artwork that’s created for that album. What about a band that wants to use an image from an existing painting. What would you advise for that?
As always, thank you!
Dear Dominique,
Thanks for the comment and the question! For use of existing artwork – I would stick with my price ranges and charge on the lower end, as it will be less work to use existing art. The pricing depends on so many factors – the size of the band, who their management company is (and their size), what the art is being used for. But to simplify it, let’s say the band is a garage band (no manager, no money) and they want to use existing art, and we LOVE their music and want to help them out, I might let them use the art (with a lot of restrictions) for $250. However, if it was a large band with a record label company backing them, and they plan to use the art for multiple types of merchandise, I’d give them a 30% or 40% discount off of the normal custom art price (refer to the range of pricing in my article above). IN THE END – the most important thing to know is that you should feel good about what you’re being paid. So, come up with a price that feels good to both parties and you’ve got a win-win situation.
Hi Maria!
Great article and very insightful!
I do have 2 questions I hope you could help clarify. I’m a bit confused with what the price range in the article is meant for. My understanding was that it was meant for creating art specifically for the album, which Dominique reaffirmed. However, your reply mentioned to stick to the price range as well for existing artwork.
1) If the band is mid level, made 2-3 albums, no label, touring and want an album cover art only, are you saying that 1500 would be the lowest one could charge for existing art but if it requires totally customized art then go higher, staying within that range?
2) Could you elaborate further on what the deliverables are for customizing the art? Since they’d have to pay extra for the orginal painting, and graphic design is also extra to size it up to template, what am I submitting to them in exchange of the $1500 I’ll be charging?
Thank you for this informative blog post. I’ve been approached to provide art for book covers or to accompany poems in a book. A few times it worked out and a few times it didn’t based on the theme of your post.
🙂
Thanks for commenting, Celeste! 🙂
A really informative read, thanks Maria. I have produced a few album covers over the years, most recently for a local band. They wanted me to adapt an existing work which was pretty straightforward. I priced it at £350 which I think was about right for the amount of work I put in, and I didn’t have to set the graphics up. I was careful to stipulate that the artwork was for the album cover only and the agreement was on that basis. However that didn’t stop them from asking a month later if they could have the artwork files so they could adapt it for merchandise! Including an art print! I was shocked by their request and politely explained that this was out of the question.
I think it is important to state any restrictions on the use of the artwork when you quote them for it.
The best advice you’ve given me is to never EVER sell copyright of the image. If I get this request I always say no and explain why, and tell them they can have a license for the image for 5 years.
Your emails and blog posts are invaluable and always full of excellent advice. Thank you!
Alex, thanks for sharing all of this info!
Suggestion to anyone who gives a great price for usage only on a cover, and then later the band wants permission to use the art on merchandise – tell them yes, of course, but, it’s going to cost an extra licensing fee.
I thought you would say that. I thought, why not? just charge extra. But I have a client that I did merch for. If they are still consulting me after the payment while they are working with their merch-makers (me being the designer only) should i charge an extra fee? or only when they need adjustments?
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – you are the only advisor, expert, consultant that I’ve ever found that gives actual fees when you discuss various art projects. It is so helpful to have some idea of where to start, or what the average range is for a variety of art works. I know your advise has certainly changed the way I approach clients, and I get the sense that my clients appreciate an artist who is confident in their work and their fees. I’m getting better at introducing a discussion of fees early in my conversations with clients – it flushes out the ones who never really planned on paying, or who undervalue artists. Above all, I totally agree with you on valuing your art enough to always charge something, even if you decide to give your client a “deal”. Thanks for another great post!
Joan, I so much appreciate your kind words! And, I love how you wrote “I get the sense that my clients appreciate an artist who is confident in their work and their fees” – this is absolute truth. Glad that you are getting comfortable with introducing the money discussion early on. Thanks for the comment here!
Hi Maria, thank you for this great information, can this be applied also for creating book covers for self publishing authors?
Hi August, great question. Creating book covers is totally different. I recommend you buy a copy of the Artists Guild’s Guide to Ethical Pricing – in there it has all sorts of pricing for book illustrations, and pricing depends upon usage (cover, vs. inside of book, etc.).
To compete in the book cover design biz, you have to have a lot of experience and a portfolio showing book covers you designed that makes a book sell.
There are designers on Fivvr selling book cover design for as low as $5. But, they aren’t very good, so, if someone wants a GOOD book cover, they will go to an experienced designer who charges more but knows a lot more about what makes a book sell.
Thank you Maria for the information. I never thought about bands looking for art work for an album cover.
I’m a photographer and some of my photos are abstract. Would a photo work well for a band if they liked the photo, abstract or not? Would the prices be comparable to a painting? Linking a band to an album cover photo or painting is POWERFUL! If the band is good they can be remembered ( more sales for them ) also by the cover, as well as their songs.
I worked for Warner Brothers Records in Burbank, Ca. in the late 60s until 1978 in the promotional creative services area. You cannot dismiss the POWER of an album cover in relating it to the bands name.
Dose anyone old enough to remember the first Led Zeppelin album with its kodalith black and white cover in the late 1960s, which had the demise of the Hindenburg on the cover?
There isn’t anyone of my age I know that couldn’t look at that album cover today ( with the bands name removed ) and not tell you who the bands name was! Thats power.
I think doing a cover for a band is a great idea for a painter, or possibly a photographer?
hey!
great advice! what if it’s a person, needing a cover art for his single. no company or management that I know of. it didn’t seem like he had one. how should I price the cover? is it the same for an album cover?? or is it different pricing for a single cover?
I disagree with most of the “advice” you mentioned and maybe I should write my own article on the subject but with the economic downturn of the last decade, people, especially artists and musicians are struggling for money. The fact is their is no money. I’ve done album covers for almost every genre of music so I know a thing or two about this subject. Galleries are closing their doors left and write. The Millineals are not buying art or music for the most part. So go ahead and ask a broke musician for $350 and see how long that conversation lasts.. Your advice is only correct for a band singed to a record label though. Also I completely disagree about overexposing yourself. Impossible! There’s no such thing. Show me an example. These are good problems. Every artist should only dream of being over exposed.
Hi Justin, thanks for sharing your experience in working with bands. You are totally right about that, there are many bands who cannot afford to pay for artwork.
There are also many who can. And an artist can choose which type of band they want to do business with. I don’t work with “broke” bands. But that is a choice that I make, driven by the fact that I choose to make my business profitable.
I’m not saying it’s wrong for you to choose to sell your designs for very cheap to a band who cannot afford much; especially if you love their music and want to help them out, and maybe you don’t need the money. It’s very kind of you.
But for artists who want to earn a living with their art (whom I write this blog for), they have to be choosy and work only with clients who can afford to pay them.
Regarding over-exposure: I agree, it’s a good problem to have! But let me explain further what I meant, and I should have explained it in this way:
A band doesn’t want a CD cover that has the same style of art as another band. You have to be really careful with that, you’ll upset the bands you’ve worked with in the past when you put your art on too many covers. This is what I meant by over-exposure. You have to be selective and not put your art on too many covers, it’s not good for the bands or you.
Hi Maria,
This article was incredibly helpful! I have just started selling my art (mainly custom commission pieces) and have been contacted by a mid level band in regards to creating a t shirt design for them (and have barely any experience with pricing). My biggest question is, should I be charging a one time fee for the design or should it be more of a continuous thing, considering they will be selling a lot (hopefully) of shirts? Thank you so much for all your info!
It’s best to do a one-time flat fee with a band, unless they are backed by a giant record label. The reason is that they won’t have an accounting system in place to pay royalties, and it will become a problem. Get the money paid up front, and if your designs sell really well, they will come back to you for more!
Hey Maria!
Amazing article!
I’ve just been commissioned for 3 panels on an upcoming album and I was wondering how to price it as they want to buy the artworks outright!
Thank you so much for the article It has helped so much already!
Tanna
Hello Maria,
You are AWESOME!!. Thanks for the wonderful advise. It has given me more insight the way I deal with my clients.
I loved this article. Does this apply to t shirt licensing? I just rejected an agreement for an already drawn piece as a design. The manager wanted to use it in perpetuity for a $300 flat fee. His talent is established and about to break through. He was very boarish toward me when I wanted to talk about it, so since nothing was signed I withdrew from it.
Maria provides many excellent strategies to license art and photographs to musicians and their media use.
And yes, it’s critical to insist that you retain the copyright to works you license to CD covers, music album, book covers, and other media.
HOWEVER, if you have not “timely” registered your copyright with the US Copyright Office, you’ll likely have very limited enforcement power to pursue licensees who go rogue on you (they exceed the licensing agreement terms, skip payment, etc.) or an infringer exploits your published art without your blessing. In short, it can be too expensive to go after licensees and infringers. Don’t believe me, ask an experienced copyright litigator!
So, BEFORE licensing your art for a CD cover or other media, get it registered!
QUESTION: How do you prove to a federal court judge that you authored/created/own your artwork, photograph, manuscript, film, song, poem, etc.?
ANSWER: If you register your creative works with the US Copyright Office BEFORE publication or WITHIN five-years of first-publication, you receive presumptive proof (prima facie evidence) that you have a valid copyright, and the facts you included in your copyright registration application will be deemed valid. Having your copyright Certificate of Registration in-hand helps prove that you authored (and own) your artwork and that you have a bona-fide copyright ownership (see 17 USC § 410(c)). The federal court will not accept your use of a poor man’s copyright (envelop) or a time-stamping tool to prove your copyright authorship—you need that Certificate of Registration issued by the US Copyright Office!
A timely registered copyright is your insurance policy in case the artwork you licensed to the band gets used beyond your licensing agreement. Timely registered works helps encourage/push infringers/rogue licensees to settle the matter (quickly) and without going to trial. Don’t believe me, then ask an experienced copyright litigator!
Timely registering your copyrights is an absolute necessity to protect your art portfolio and to stay in business.
Maria’s outline of how to license artwork to music licensees is correct–what’s missing is the critical part about timely registering the artwork before licensing it. See below:
Joshua Kaufman, a Washington, DC copyright litigator, explains why you should timely register your copyrights (4-minutes): https://youtu.be/cBOKkrleY3Y
Thank you so much for this! I’m a young artist (still in college) but my cousin’s garage band has commissioned me to make original, traditional album art for their EP. I had no idea what to charge but now I have a much better idea 🙂
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How does artwork get copyrighted?
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Hi Maria,
Great article! I have a question regarding different formats.
Lets say I am tasked to create an illustration for a CD, but it will be used for vinyl and cassette tape as well. Should one charge the same rate for use on these different formats?
Thanks!
Newbies are not aware how much WORK is involved in issuing a license, whether free or paid for. Every time I issue a license, not only does it take me office time to prepare it (record keeping, archiving, reminders, other correspondence, etc), plus allocating extra time in the future to monitor it. People who requests freebies are unaware of how much office/paper time it costs you – at least 1/2 hour and even more if there are follow ups. You simply can’t afford to give your time away for free if you want to stay in business. Personally, I’d rather say “no” than charge a small amount. I try to find other ways to be charitable.
Question about photoshoots. I’m a photogrpaher and make digital art out of photos, so images of bands for their album art/covers involve a shoot and post-processing.
I guess this is custom artwork by default if they arent using an existing photo. What are your thoughts?
Also, you discuss the amount of copies made factoring into the price, what sort of range do you use…. ie 100, 1000, 10k+ copies, etc?
Thanks 🙂
I have a question: A young band I know is struggling to help support the parents of two of the members (brothers) who are ill. I have painted small portraits of all three members as part of a separate project, and I would like to help them with art for an CD cover if they plan to make one to raise money for their family. Would it be better to offer: 1) to charge a negligable fee for a restricted and short term copyright use of the paintings; 2) to let them use the image for a set time period before paying me a larger fee; or 3) to arrange to have royalties paid me when CD’s are purchased? Or none of the above?
Hi Marilyn,
I would not ever suggest a royalty arrangement with a small band because the payout would be too small to bother with and their accounting may be inaccurate due to lack of the proper software program that only big bands use (and larger bands are not usually willing to pay royalties, either). It’s best to charge a one-time fee and if you want to limit the number of years the image is used, you can do that. If they want to continue to use it after the agreement is up, then they can pay you again.
Hi, Maria! This has been so helpful! I’ve been looking at so many articles and yours was perfect! Thank you so much. Quick question – I’ve been a hobbyist photographer for quite some time and just recently got a message from a small band to use one of my photos for their album. I understand and agree with charging the one fee for the license. I like what they do and want to support them. But if they want to also use it for merchandise is this extra or a percentage? I’m confused on that part.
Thank you, that is an excellent summary. I’m a fine art photographer and the question came up about licensing one of my pieces. I found this article on the first try and it answered all of my questions.
Hi Maria!
Thank you for the great post. Do you recommend the same for illustration for the books or book cover?
Hi, I’ve been doing graphic design (mostly calligraphy, type and some illustration) on the side to earn extra (usually $1000 each year to pay for my kid’s activities and books). Recently I was commissioned by a non-profit record label doing an album for a very small band. I charged them about $200, and $100 for the original. I knew that I cut my prices down since I felt they were a new small band and the record label was non-profit and read they were struggling with rent etc. Anyways, my lack of experience with labels, bands and album covers may have been at play too. I feel I should have charged double, no? also, if the digital file is priced at $X, is there a rule of thumb how much to charge for the original? is it also $X or 2X, 3X? I’m someone who is soooo attached to my original art, and whenever I have to ship it I feel like a piece of me is gone. I need to get better at pricing, I feel that my art and the passion I put into it is worth more than what I initially put on the invoices, I end up always realizing that after the invoice is sent and it’s a terrible feeling. I never seem to learn, always repeating the same.
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Sorry meant to comment on the post not as a reply, comment again:
Question about photoshoots. I’m a photogrpaher and make digital art out of photos, so images of bands for their album art/covers involve a shoot and post-processing.
I guess this is custom artwork by default if they arent using an existing photo. What are your thoughts?
Also, you discuss the amount of copies made factoring into the price, what sort of range do you use…. ie 100, 1000, 10k+ copies, etc?
Thanks 🙂
Great stuff have learn here. Please keep teaching us here.
Years ago, I was at a county fair and basically commissioned a painting from a fellow under a canopy on the street who was making art with spray paint. I own the painting. I did not sign anything agreeing to any restrictions regarding use. I do not have any contact info for the artist, nor is his signature legible. What’s your opinion about using this painting as an album cover? Thank you, and thanks for the insights here.
Hi Joey, thanks for the question. Legally, without the artist’s written permission, you cannot use that artwork for your album cover or for anything that will be reproduced. In the USA, the copyright law states that the artist must sign the rights over to someone for such usage. If you can’t track down the artist, then you’ll have to find another artwork to use (one you have permission for use).
Great to know. Thank you!
Hi! I agree with everything you said and I was glad to see that you specified a suggested price for each level of artist. I have done photos for 2 bands, both would be in your “garage band” tier. The first included photos only, no design work, and I worked with them within their budget of $250. The second included fewer photos but also design and required my working with the press on their behalf and was paid $450 and a copy of the CD for the job. To put that in perspective, my typical family client pays between $1500-4000 for their session and printed artwork.
Hi Maria, thank you so much for this helpful post. I do have one question, how do I know I am giving them all the files they need? I am just starting out and while I can design it just fine, it is the details that confuse me. I don’t want to produce something and forget something vital.
Hi Maria, great article! It’s always helpful to see prices detailed and explained. Your experiences mirror very much my own with band art. It can be easy to undercharge, especially if you love the music, but I have found it’s better to offer prices true to the value of your work and set the bar high.
Hi Maria, great article. I showed this to my daughter and it really helped as a band asked her to design the cover for their single. Quick question, They have now asked for a band logo. Should she charge more? I think she should as the logo will be used on everything from online promotion as well as band merch. She only charged £75 for the single cover as they were unsigned. Do you think £160 is a fair price or is that crazy haha
Hi, Maria,
Would love your opinion: I recently learned that a painting I gave to a friend as a gift many years ago has been used as the cover art for a CD he made (he’s a singer/songwriter of some renown). I actually found out about it on Facebook!
He’s offered me a free CD.
Am I right in thinking he’s being, mmm, stingy?
Hi Stephanie,
Your friend doesn’t have rights to use the artwork on any commercial or printed item without your written permission. He should pay you a usage fee, if you choose to give him permission to use it.
If he’s a small band, just starting out, I would charge something reasonable that he can afford and that you would feel good about. AND he should give you a few cds also!
If the band is managed by a record label, then you should negotiate a higher amount $$$$ and also offer to license them rights to print it on merchandise as well.
If you want help putting it all together please set up a consulting call with me – go to my “work with me” page to do that.
Thanks!
A band wants to pay to use my existing artwork for their new album cover but I am in Canada and they are in California..if I draft a contract through email and send it to them..is it binding of they cannot sign anything?
This article was exactly what I needed. hard to explain how precisely you addressed the range on questions and concerns I had. Excellently job with this article.
Mario hello, great article. Do you have a similar article or advice for me who sometimes get requests to provide artwork (calligraphy) for a graphic designer who is working on her/his client’s job like calendar, book cover, store design, package design etc. I get so confused on what to charge when other artists are sort of delegating elements of their project to me. Thanks.
Thank you for this, it was very helpful!
Thank for the information it was very helpful 😏
Really nice article, Maria. I’m from Brazil, and recently I was contacted for a Chicago-based soul band to work in some artwork. I see how it works for a album cover, but aloud me to ask you, how should be my aproach for something smaller as a single cover artwork? How much should I charge for a work like this for a young band?
Thank you, greetings from Brazil.
Hi there. If I may comment on a few things. First, as a musician, I truly appreciate the effort an artist puts into my project. I’ve worked in tandem with several graphic artists and they’ve always been paid their requested fee in full, with little or no negotiation necessary. I appreciate every single person that becomes a part of my team and artists are an integral part of that team.
Making music, however, does not come cheaply. While the cost is considerably less than it was in years past, the legitimate cost of an independent band making a QUALITY album rests between $5k-10k. That cost includes musical artist fees (if any), studio time if not recording at home, mixing & mastering, photography, art fees, & actual CD production. If you use an outside producer, those fees will be higher. A LOT higher. This is the approximate cost to get it done RIGHT, however.
The thing I found a bit outdated in your article was the premise that “the band will make money when they sell their album.” Sure, if it was 1996. Maybe even 2006 but not now. CD sales have dropped 90% since the mid-1990s and most bands won’t sell 500 copies in today’s world. Further, at .006¢ per stream, the money won’t be recovered in today’s ” streaming business model” unless they’re doing Taylor Swift-like numbers.
Given all of that information, unless an artist is working with a heavy hitter on a very big label, your prices need some serious adjustment. Most likely, the independent musician will be operating with hopes to break even. The greater expectancy will be that he/she are most likely operating at a loss. As such, your artist fees need serious adjustment. Truthfully, I don’t know of an indie or mid-label artist who’s paid more than $500-1000 for album artwork. That’s reality. Charging more than that to anyone without bottomless pockets will only lose the account. Unfortunately, that’s today’s reality.
In closing, I sincerely wish all artists and musicians reading this the greatest success. Cheers!
Hello Maria,
Great article, I wish I knew you eleven years ago, I was approached by an emerging musician who liked one of my paintings to add on his album. Maybe because he was new to the music and I as well with my art, I gave my image to him for free.
Now I wish I did it differently, well I guess it serves to me as a learning curve.
I enjoy reading your newsletters when I receive them.
I am making album art for a close friend. I am not charging him for it, regardless of your advice, but I will write out a quick contract. Not sure about keeping the original as of now. And I’d like to receive credit for the art. I’ll figure it out.
Hi Maria, I found this really insightful so thank you for that.
I am a musician looking to use an artist’s painting as my album cover. I have already bought the artwork, which proudly hangs in my living room. The artist has said I can use a picture of the art providing I give her credit, which of course I would do.
However, should I be paying her twice for the use to reproduce her work?
Maria,
Thanks so much for sharing your info. Very helpful.
I will be search for more info and Definately get your books.
So appreciated,
Peter
Peter Grant
Peter Grant Fine art
Maria,
Thanks for this very informative article!
Question: I purchased the original artwork from the artist who designed an album cover for a a fairly well known band. The album cover art is currently listed on all major streaming music services (iTunes / Youtube Music etc). Can I change the artist licensing fees going forward ?
Note: I did not purchase the artwork w/ a for profit motive but I am curious if I may have inadvertently stumbled upon a licensing opportunity. In truth I am a fan of the band and am not interested in $.
Hi Manny, great question!
The answer is this: when you buy an original piece of art, you only own the tangible artwork. You do not own copyrights to the art. Not unless you purchased the copyrights, in a written agreement. If you did not pay for the copyrights to the art, then you do not have any reproduction rights to the art.
Thank you – this was extremely useful and informative! I’m an artist and have recently been approached about licensing use of one of my paintings for an album. I have looked at a number of resources but your article was a great fit for my needs and questions so I really appreciate the information you shared here.