Periodically somebody in an art licensing forum will ask for
some “manufacturers” to post their opinion on some subject. Fair question, but
there is never a response for a couple reasons: there’s only a handful of
licensees paying any attention to the groups, and most of those that do will never
expose themselves because of the flood of inquiries that will follow. I’d say most licensees are bewildered by all the
social hoopla surrounding art licensing because all they want is to source a
component of their product at a fair price without a lot of hassle.
The “Artist” licensing community is very different from
the “Art” licensing community. The first is an empowering peer group, unusually
supportive, generally helpful and a uniquely wonderful aspect of this business.
The second, well, actually the second isn’t a community at all, we just like to
think that it is. The vast majority of your licensee clients will not know each
other, in fact often don’t even know OF each other. A few exceptions do exist,
such as people who have moved between companies or participate in trade
organizations such as the GCA, but it’s a small number. Things are a tad different
when you head into brand territory, not because they are exchanging information
but because most brand activity is high profile and ultimately an effort to
drive sales, hence they maintain an acute awareness of their competitors. But
rest assured Disney is not giving licensing tips to Nickelodeon.
In the Artist community the focus tends to be on the artist’s
vision and journey, but on the licensee side of the table it’s ultimately about
cost, efficiency and product performance on the market, and this is where the
wheels start to come off for some people. Don’t get caught up in assuming, and
then expecting, that your interests match up perfectly to those of your
licensees. While they may align well enough to make a saleable product (they
better) many artists are dismayed to discover that ultimately the client’s focus
is always on the outcome, which is to build, ship, and sell at a profit.
The “licensing out” business model can have many
variations but that one constant - that licensees on the “licensing in” side will
make decisions based on THEIR endgame – is always at the forefront. Opportunities
will not be doled out in equal pieces like cake at a party, there’s nothing
fair about how it works so don’t drink THAT Kool-Aid. No one has the “right” to
be successful licensing their work, you only have the right to try - and the
right to work smarter and harder to get more of that cake.
Mmmm - love me a big slice of angel food…
