Our company is planning on doing some brochures, print ads and radio commercials. I recently found some photos on the Internet that I like, but I was told I couldn’t use them without paying for them. Is that true?
Absolutely TRUE! Just because you find a photo on the Internet, it doesn’t give you the right – or more accurately – the rights – to use that image. So before you click on “save image” – read on!
It used to be that if you wanted photographs for a brochure or an ad, you hired a photographer who shot the pictures you needed. In addition to the photographer, you paid for the studio, models, makeup, film (you remember film, don’t you?) and other expenses. Today, most ad agencies and design firms simply purchase what’s called “microstock,” images that are sold on the Internet at VERY inexpensive prices. These are usually “royalty free” – meaning you don’t have to pay extra for using them.
There are also “rights managed” images, which cost more, and you pay based on usage – how many subscribers will see your ad; whether it’s only running locally or nationally, etc. And be careful, because a lot of images are restricted to “editorial use only” – so if you have a commercial product, you can’t use those images even though you paid to download them.
Depending on where you purchase your images, they can run anywhere from $5 (not a misprint!) to $400 and more. Just “Google” stock photo images” and you’ll get a list of websites to visit – IstockPhoto.com is the largest. Getty Images is huge – but more expensive – often for the same exact images.
You also mentioned that you were planning on doing some radio commercials, and the same caveat goes out to you regarding the music you use. A friend told me the story of an advertiser who just loved a certain song by the Beatles – and used it on his commercial. Forget the painful details – suffice it to say it was one of the most costly (and stupid) mistakes he ever made. So when that proverbial light bulb goes off in your head, and you think you’ve found the perfect song to go with your product, check the usage rights. If it’s a popular song, expect to pay some substantial money – national advertisers pay upwards of $100,000 for the rights to use certain popular songs in their advertising.
There are several companies that track copyright ownership of music and can negotiate the fees that are charged. A quick search on the Internet will help you find the better-known players in this field. Good luck!
Absolutely TRUE! Just because you find a photo on the Internet, it doesn’t give you the right – or more accurately – the rights – to use that image. So before you click on “save image” – read on!
It used to be that if you wanted photographs for a brochure or an ad, you hired a photographer who shot the pictures you needed. In addition to the photographer, you paid for the studio, models, makeup, film (you remember film, don’t you?) and other expenses. Today, most ad agencies and design firms simply purchase what’s called “microstock,” images that are sold on the Internet at VERY inexpensive prices. These are usually “royalty free” – meaning you don’t have to pay extra for using them.
There are also “rights managed” images, which cost more, and you pay based on usage – how many subscribers will see your ad; whether it’s only running locally or nationally, etc. And be careful, because a lot of images are restricted to “editorial use only” – so if you have a commercial product, you can’t use those images even though you paid to download them.
Depending on where you purchase your images, they can run anywhere from $5 (not a misprint!) to $400 and more. Just “Google” stock photo images” and you’ll get a list of websites to visit – IstockPhoto.com is the largest. Getty Images is huge – but more expensive – often for the same exact images.
You also mentioned that you were planning on doing some radio commercials, and the same caveat goes out to you regarding the music you use. A friend told me the story of an advertiser who just loved a certain song by the Beatles – and used it on his commercial. Forget the painful details – suffice it to say it was one of the most costly (and stupid) mistakes he ever made. So when that proverbial light bulb goes off in your head, and you think you’ve found the perfect song to go with your product, check the usage rights. If it’s a popular song, expect to pay some substantial money – national advertisers pay upwards of $100,000 for the rights to use certain popular songs in their advertising.
There are several companies that track copyright ownership of music and can negotiate the fees that are charged. A quick search on the Internet will help you find the better-known players in this field. Good luck!
