Image sold as full page inside is used as full page front cover

[Francois Werli]

Hello to the forum

 

One year ago, Alamy sold one of my photography with those usage rights:

 

C8PG0M 010437 Werli Francois 14 October 20 15 Rights Managed Country: Finland
Usage: Editorial
Media: Book, print and/or e-book
Print run: up to 5,000
Placement: Inside
Image Size: 1 page
Start: 01 September 2015
End: 01 September 2020

 

 

Few weeks ago I see while doing an image search on Google that the sold photography is used by the buyer as a full page front cover instead of full page inside. I asked Alamy how this is possible?

 

Alamy: "We have just heard back from the distribution team who have explained distributor has paid the amount for Book cover and accidently described it as inside use.

 

This will be rebilled to show the usage for the front cover."

 

If I use the Alamy price calculator, the selling price would be around $340 for a full page front cover but the selling price on my sales shows only a third of that amount as if it would have been sold as a full page inside as per the selling rights.

 

Today the selling price was refunded to the client with the rights as full page inside and the same image sale is now relisted as a full page front cover for the same selling amount than before!

 

I am not speaking of the Alamy and distributor commission but only the selling price. 

 

C8PG0M 010437 Werli Francois (12 September 20 16) Rights Managed Sale Refunded

 

 

C8PG0M 010437 Werli Francois 12 September 20 16 Rights Managed

Country: Finland
Usage: Editorial
Media: Book, print and/or e-book
Print run: up to 5,000
Placement: Front cover
Image Size: 1 page
Start: 01 September 2015
End: 01 September 2020   

 

C8PG0M 010437 Werli Francois 12 September 20 16 Rights Managed Country: Finland
Usage: Editorial
Media: Book, print and/or e-book
Print run: up to 5,000
Placement: Front cover
Image Size: 1 page
Start: 01 September 2015
End: 01 September 2020

 

I asked Alamy:

 

"Our price calculator lists the “shop front” pricing. New customers that we don’t interact with invariably come to the site, search, price and license images and pay the shop front prices.

 

Customers we actively go after, contact us about specific needs or key customers with large spends and image requirements may negotiate on price; which always starts with our shop front pricing.

 

Some of these customers need to be confident they’re covered to use images for their particular area and we may invoice with the highest print run and largest page size as we’re working with large orders. Actual use is nearly always at a much smaller size and lower print run. 

 

License details are taken from the price calculator that has set values so it’s not always possible to be 100% specific. Where we can we’ll add clarifications into the additional sales info field."

 

I still don't understand how the image could be sold with the rights and the rate of a full page inside and used for a full page front cover? And not been credited for it?

 

Thank you

 

[JohnB]

I think they are saying that the image was originally sold, and priced, as a book cover but the usage use was  incorrectly described as "inside". ie. the customer originally paid for a book cover use even if it was wrongly described. The price is rather  less than the calculator states because Alamy do  deals for regular customers who may, for instance, be bulk buying images. It is relatively unusual for images to sell at the calculator price.

[wiskerke]

You all do realize that your future clients may read this?

 

wim

[stipe]

Same thing happened to me recently.

Last February I got a photo of mine sold for an interior page of a book.

 

 

Then, last month, through Google, I discovered the same image sold was used as cover image of the book instead!

 

 

I wrote Alamy immediately and I got the following answer:

 

Hi Stefano

We’ve checked this with the Sales team and they will be in touch with the client.

It was licensed incorrectly as the client may have made an error when they originally requested.

 

Still waiting for knowing how the story will end up!