A record of £5.5 million in royalties will be available for visual artists who have had their work published in a book, magazine or shown on TV, through the annual Payback campaign launched by DACS, the flagship visual artists’ rights management organisation.
A record of £5.5 million in royalties will be available for visual artists who have had their work published in a book, magazine or shown on TV, through the annual Payback campaign launched by DACS, the flagship visual artists’ rights management organisation. DACS has successfully run the Payback scheme for over 15 years, distributing over £43.5 million in total. From 4 July until 30 September 2016 visual artists can again apply for their share in collective licensing royalties via https://www.dacs.org.uk/for-artists/payback.
All types of visual artists whose works are copyright protected are eligible to apply, from fine artists and photographers to designers and illustrators. These royalties are an important income source for visual artists. Last year, 25,000 visual artists and estates claimed Payback and their individual payments – made just in time for Christmas - ranged from £25 to around £3,770.
Renowned photographer, Brian Griffin, said:
“The royalties help me to carry on doing my own work. All artists and photographers need sources of income in order to carry on - especially now, as the world doesn’t operate in the same way as it did years ago.”
Children’s book author and illustrator, Benji Davies, said:
“In the past, Payback has enabled me to buy new equipment or contributed to studio costs. When the royalties come through it’s a friendly slap on the back - a similar feeling to receiving a Christmas bonus (I imagine!). It always feels like an unexpected and very welcome reward when the statement pops up in my inbox.”
Payback royalties come from the re-use of published artwork, such as the photocopying and scanning of work in books and magazines, or the recording or re-broadcasting of work in TV programmes.
This year’s campaign also follows a year long valuation process to determine how revenues for copying text and images in UK publications like books, journals and magazines should be transparently and fairly split between different rightsholders. DACS played a pivotal role in securing an increase in the share of royalties owed to visual artists from 8% to 8.7% (on average) – provided through the collective licensing scheme operated by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and the Newspaper Licensing Agency’s (NLA) licensing scheme called NLA Media Access.
DACS is a not-for-profit organisation and charges a small administration fee to cover its operating costs. In 2016 DACS confirmed that it will be reducing this rate from 18% to 16%, enabling us to give back an even greater share of royalties to visual artists. DACS continues to make its services more efficient year-on-year, making the application process easier for direct claimants as well as those claiming through a picture library. Payback is part of an established portfolio of services run by DACS which support visual artists to make a living from their practice and develop their work. There continues to be no cost to register with us.
Press images and a copy of this release in Word and PDF format are available for download here.
For more information please contact:
Sebastian May, Communications Manager, [email protected] / 020 7553 9064
Abby Yolda, Head of Communications, [email protected] / 0797 1996201 / 020 7553 9075
About DACS
Established by artists for artists, DACS is a not-for-profit organisation for visual artists’ rights management. Passionate about transforming the financial landscape for visual artists through innovative new products and services, DACS acts as a trusted broker for 90,000 artists worldwide. Founded over 30 years ago, DACS is a flagship organisation that has and continues to campaign for artists’ rights, championing their sustained and vital contribution to the creative economy. DACS collects and distribute royalties to visual artists and their estates through three royalty schemes: Payback, Artist Resale Rights and Copyright Licensing. Visit dacs.org.uk for more information about DACS and its services.