We ran across this great letter to a producer from a songwriter, NJ White in the UK, as to why he is not willing to give away his work to the producer for free. The link is on Paul Resnikoff’s Digital Music News website. It’s a great read.
Read it at this link or the site at http://tinyurl.com/my5r2gr
We especially like the part that reads: “…even the cleaner who mopped your set and scrubbed the toilets after the shoot will get paid. The musician. Give him nothing.”
But the best is the line in response to the request for free, which reads; “The answer is a resounding, and permanent NO.”
For those few of you that might ask “What does this have to do with photographers?”, well, all we can say is “Everything.” Bravo Mr. White.
#1 by Wayne on November 11, 2013 - 2:43 pm
Sirs considering that you do not have a budget for music perhaps we can negotiate a trade, You have cretin intellectual properties which I or others might be interested in I would be interested i licensing the use of my intellectual property in exchange for title to some of yours. Please respond if you are interested in trading your property for a license to use my property or to request a rate quote when you decide you really do have a budget for music, photography etc. would also accept preferred or common stock in your corporation.
sincerely
Artist.
Anyone think I would hear back?
#2 by Ken B on November 15, 2013 - 12:06 am
The letter is great. Being in SoCal just outside of LA, I see ads looking for creatives to provide their services for free all of the time. Not being able to budget for some aspect of a production is in my mind an indication that the production is not viable. As I am looking for interesting photography work all of the time, I am amazed that not only do the posters want a photographer for free, they want one with a “great” portfolio, specialized gear such as a sound blimp, lots of expected post production and a commitment to work full time for 2 to 3 weeks or more. One I read recently required a 4 year degree in photography or a related field.
I am not against working for no money (I didn’t say “free”) if there is compensating value to me. If I received a call from a well known photographer that needed help on a project, I might consider taking pizza, sodas and some instruction as compensation. I find apprenticing under a noted master better than a college degree and fine compensation for my time. Models and photographers collaborate all of the time to mutual benefit, but it would be inconsiderate for a photographer to ask for a model’s services on a trade-for-print basis if the photographer was working on a commercial contract. I wouldn’t be pleased to be contacted to take free photos at a charity fund raiser dinner where the attendees are paying thousands of dollars/plate. The “exposure” would not be significant enough to justify the effort.
#3 by Matt Timmons on November 26, 2013 - 12:44 am
Ironically enough, I just published a related post on my blog, “How Not To Approach A Professional Photographer”. For those interested in a quick read and some tongue-in-cheek humor.
http://www.mtmstudios.com/blog
#4 by Ken Brown on August 30, 2020 - 11:47 pm
Hi, me again.
Mike Kelley, a noted architectural photographer in LA, posted on his blog that a client let slip that it was costing more to leave the AC on over the weekend than they were paying him for photographing the property. Mike doesn’t work for peanuts, either.
Some non-profit foundations pay their directors 6-7 figures annually in addtion to non-cash compensation. Charities are usually non-profit, but not all non-profits are charities. Being a charity also doesn’t mean they’re impoverished.