What is art licensing?

Art licensing is when the owner of rights in a work of art (very often the artist that created the work) allows another party (such as a product manufacturer or distributor) to reproduce and make commercial use of his or her artwork in exchange for either a royalty or a flat “license fee” under the terms of a contractual agreement (typically called a “license agreement”). Generally, the license agreement sets out the manner in which the artwork may be used (for example, on what products or in connection with what services), the length of time for which the work may be used, the territory where the work may be used and the agreed upon royalty or license fee to be paid in exchange for such use.

Licensing can be an excellent way for artists both to build awareness of their work and boost their incomes. Indeed, as of the date of this writing, licensing is a $170 Billion dollar industry and growing!!!

More on the fundamentals of the art licensing business