Rights Managed - or Royalty Free?

[Contemporary Dave]

Which option is likely to result in more sales - Rights Managed or Royalty Free?

 

Currently, the vast majority of my portfolio (some of it is exclusive to Alamy, most of it is not)  is set to the rights managed option. Is that the right thing to do, or would it be more appealing to the buyer if it was set to Royalty Free?

[Steve F]

Hey Dave,

Most people on the Forum seem to prefer having their images as RM. Alamy says RF is preferred in their guidance. Not sure it matters so much these days, most licenses seem to be a hybrid anyway.

Steve

[John David]

As I understand it, an image can be either "rights managed" or "royalty free", but it can NOT be both. So, if you upload your image to several stock websites, then it can not be "rights managed" on one website and "royalty free" on another website. 
Unless you've got deep pockets and are friends with a solicitor.

[Contemporary Dave]

1 hour ago, John David said:

As I understand it, an image can be either "rights managed" or "royalty free", but it can NOT be both. So, if you upload your image to several stock websites, then it can not be "rights managed" on one website and "royalty free" on another website. 
Unless you've got deep pockets and are friends with a solicitor.

 

Some of my shots are with other stock sites too, but Alamy have exclusivity on other shots. Why can't images be rights managed on Alamy and royalty free on other sites? That’s the first time I've heard of this.

[MizBrown]

Royalty free allows the licensee to use the photo indefinitely.  Rights Managed is a one time license (if I understand correctly).  If you're selling royalty free somewhere else, you're limiting the income Alamy can collect from re-licensing the photo after the initial license to a given buyer.  You're granting the other agency a more flexible and perpetual licensing arrangement. 

 

As Steve F said, many Alamy licenses are hybrids -- and Royalty free permissions from you gives Alamy more freedom to negotiate a more or less restrictive contract.

[geogphotos]

2 hours ago, Contemporary Dave said:

 

Some of my shots are with other stock sites too, but Alamy have exclusivity on other shots. Why can't images be rights managed on Alamy and royalty free on other sites? That’s the first time I've heard of this.

 

Check your contract. 

 

 Submission and deletion of Images

1. You must assign the licence types available on the website to each Image you submit, and must ensure that you understand the implications of each licence type(s) you select.
2. You cannot submit identical or similar Images to Alamy as both Royalty Free and Rights Managed. The licence type on Alamy for an Image must be the same as the licence type for that Image and similar Images which you have on other agency websites.

Edited May 6, 2021 by geogphotos

[geogphotos]

The important implication of this Alamy contract rule is that any RF image could well be on micro stock site.

 

No RM image should be. 

[spacecadet]

You have a number of RF images (I noticed vehicles and houses) without property releases, which I have always believed is contrary to Alamy's rules for RF.

[MizBrown]

1 hour ago, spacecadet said:

You have a number of RF images (I noticed vehicles and houses) without property releases, which I have always believed is contrary to Alamy's rules for RF.

 

The optional page in Alamy Image Manager asks if there are property and people in the photo, and if so, do we have releases.  If not, the photo can only be sold as editorial, and we can mark that on the optional page also. 

[Martin L]

1 hour ago, spacecadet said:

You have a number of RF images (I noticed vehicles and houses) without property releases, which I have always believed is contrary to Alamy's rules for RF.

Is this true?

I have searched around and can't find anything about this.

I always thought that vehicles, people, houses could be licensed as 'editorial' without property releases regardless of RF/RM license type.

[GeoffK]

On 07/05/2021 at 19:09, Martin L said:

Is this true?

I have searched around and can't find anything about this.

I always thought that vehicles, people, houses could be licensed as 'editorial' without property releases regardless of RF/RM license type.

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by GeoffK

[Martin L]

25 minutes ago, GeoffK said:

 

Alamy license images as RF editorial with a note for the buyer "Available for editorial and personal use only. Get in touch for commercial uses" so you can place unreleased RF on Alamy with the editorial caveat (in AIM). 

 

RF editorial was introduced a number of years ago.

That's what I thought

Ta

[Contemporary Dave]

On 07/05/2021 at 17:40, spacecadet said:

You have a number of RF images (I noticed vehicles and houses) without property releases, which I have always believed is contrary to Alamy's rules for RF.

As previously mentioned, each image is clearly labelled that no property or people releases are available on the shot, plus Alamy have also stated 'Available for editorial and personal use only.'

[escapetheofficejob]

On 06/05/2021 at 15:01, Steve F said:

Hey Dave,

Most people on the Forum seem to prefer having their images as RM. Alamy says RF is preferred in their guidance. Not sure it matters so much these days, most licenses seem to be a hybrid anyway.

Steve

Hi Steve, may I ask what you do? Also, in your opinion is it a big issue if you sell as RM on Alamy and also sell some of the same images on microsites as RF given that most sales are "hybrid"? Thanks in advance as I need to review this situation. Rich

Edited May 13, 2021 by escapetheofficejob

[Steve F]

1 hour ago, escapetheofficejob said:

Hi Steve, may I ask what you do? Also, in your opinion is it a big issue if you sell as RM on Alamy and also sell some of the same images on microsites as RF given that most sales are "hybrid"? Thanks in advance as I need to review this situation. Rich

 

Hi Rich,

I'm all rights managed. I have had multiple sales of the same image to a client - e.g. tv single transmission, where the tv show was later repeated - which I would miss out on with Royalty Free.

Also, see Ian's response:

On 06/05/2021 at 19:54, geogphotos said:

 

Check your contract. 

 

 Submission and deletion of Images

1. You must assign the licence types available on the website to each Image you submit, and must ensure that you understand the implications of each licence type(s) you select.
2. You cannot submit identical or similar Images to Alamy as both Royalty Free and Rights Managed. The licence type on Alamy for an Image must be the same as the licence type for that Image and similar Images which you have on other agency websites.

Steve

[meanderingemu]

3 hours ago, escapetheofficejob said:

 is it a big issue if you sell as RM on Alamy and also sell some of the same images on microsites as RF given that most sales are "hybrid"? Thanks in advance as I need to review this situation. Rich

 

 

It puts you in breach of the contributor agreement you signed with Alamy.  Up to you to decide if this is a big issue. 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by meanderingemu

[escapetheofficejob]

18 hours ago, Steve F said:

 

Hi Rich,

I'm all rights managed. I have had multiple sales of the same image to a client - e.g. tv single transmission, where the tv show was later repeated - which I would miss out on with Royalty Free.

Also, see Ian's response:

Steve

Many thanks Steve much appreciated. Rich