Image licensing is boring.
We know it. It’s all text no images. We’re visual people. But it’s something we have to deal with and understand. And we’re going to help in a short series of easy reads on the different licensing types and what you need to know. We’ll be covering a broad range but this article will focus on the more traditional licensing types: Royalty Free (RF), Rights Managed (RM), and Subscription.
A brief history.
Prior to 2006 you basically had two choices, RF and RM. RF was the bucket that held all of your typical stock imagery, a real mixed bag. You paid a one-time licensing fee based on file size and could use the image for a long as you wanted for whatever you wanted. RM was the “premium” image bucket that had a much more complex license, requiring duration, usage, geography, and exclusivity.
Much has changed since 2006 with the introduction of Subscription aka Microstock. RF and RM still exist but have evolved.
Royalty Free 2019
You can break this into 2 types: Premium and Subscription.
Premium RF
Nuts and bolts
Non-exclusive (which means other people can license the same image), often for 10 users, no time limit, print run max of 500,000. Extended licenses available. ie. Getty Images. Hero Images. Offset. Adobe Premium.
What it means
Premium RF is often a curated collection that represents the best a library has to offer. No longer is there a clear aesthetic distinction between RF and RM like in the past. Premium RF has become the go-to licensing type for images that meet the evolving aesthetic of marketers and designers who need simple, hassle free licensing terms. And in most cases all images will meet stringent model and property release requirements, so the image can be used stress-free.
Subscription
Nuts and bolts
Non-exclusive. Cheap and plentiful. Single user only. No time limit. Must use within 30 days of subscription. Extended licenses available. ie. iStock. Shutterstock.
What it means
With the birth of Subscription/Microstock we saw a continental shift in the stock image industry. Everyone was suddenly a photographer because digital cameras and phone cameras had improved so dramatically. With the floodgates opened, iStock created a licensing structure not unlike an all you can eat buffet. Which, if you’ve ever been to Vegas, is an amazing thing but sometimes not so pretty. With subscription you can pay very little for the images, but not always can you find the best quality. The licensing is also a bit more restrictive than your Premium RF.
Rights Managed
Nuts and bolts
Exclusivity options (the user can pay for the right to ensure no competitors use the same image). Complex licensing, so you must know exactly how the image will be used.
What it means
Exclusivity is the only clear distinction that RM still holds over RF (though in many cases, even RF imagery can become exclusive – contact us if you want to hear more). The downside is the complex licensing terms, which means you have to remember where and when you licensed that image. Sounds easy, but try to think of what you ate for dinner last Thursday. Exactly.
Up Next
So there is your really quick flyby of each type. Enough to join into a licensing type conversation at the next house party you go to. Next up we’ll be tackling the hottest licensing model in 2019 — User Generated Content.
In the meantime, check out our site and pricing options to see how we managed to bridge the subscription model with premium RF images. The buffet doesn’t always have to be Vegas style.
What kind of images do you license the most? Let us know in the comments.