Artists and estates in the UK are due to receive over £240,000 in royalties from DACS, for the lending of books featuring their artwork by libraries in The Netherlands. Artists are entitled to these royalties through the Dutch Public Lending Right (Dutch PLR).
Over 300 artists and estates receive royalties
Following a call for applications in 2014, we are now making
Dutch PLR payments to all artists and estates who successfully claimed their royalties.
We are pleased to distribute a total of £240,512 in royalties to 323 artists and estates – a rise in the overall royalties distributed and the number claims received last year. With individual payments ranging from £100 to over £4,500, the royalties make an important contribution to artists’ incomes.
Celebrated children's author and illustrator,
Babette Cole, is due to receive Dutch PLR royalties for the first time this year. She said:
“With the recent uncertain changes in publishing over the last few years resulting in a decline in advances and royalties, authors and artists have come to rely more on payouts from important initiatives like Dutch PLR to supplement their income.”
Find out more about Dutch PLR
Artists and estates can claim their Dutch PLR royalties from DACS on a yearly basis. All types of artist are eligible, including illustrators, photographers and fine artists. To claim royalties, your work must have appeared in a UK book which has been published in The Netherlands.
The royalties come from the Dutch Public Lending Right, a law which requires libraries in The Netherlands to pay a royalty to artists and writers for the books they lend. DACS receives a share of the royalties for UK artists, through our Dutch sister society,
Pictoright.
This is the second year we have distributed Dutch PLR royalties. We are currently exploring options to distribute PLR royalties from other European countries, through
our network of sister societies.
The initiative has been made possible through our ongoing collaboration with the
Society of Authors,
Association of Illustrators,
Association of Photographers,
PLR UK and illustrator, Nicola Smee.
Dutch PLR will open again for application this summer.
Find out more about Dutch PLR
Find out about our other initiatives for artists and estates
Image credit: The British Library, 2014 (detail), Yinka Shonibare MBE © Yinka Shonibare MBE. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2015. Image courtesy Stephen Friedman Gallery. Photo: Jonathan Bassett.