Visual artists who receive payments from us include illustrators, photographers, cartoonists and fine artists like painters and sculptors. They receive payments for works that have been copied and shared, or are available to be copied and shared.
There are seven sources of payments to artists:
- ‘Pay-per-use’ licences for particular artworks (more here)
- Artists’ resale royalties (more here)
- Books with registered illustrator shares
- Annual Artists Distribution
- Annual digital licences for public galleries
- Artworks in television programs and broadcast films
- Copyright fees collected overseas
Books with registered illustrator shares
If you have an agreement with your publisher to share Copyright Agency allocations to your books, and your share is registered with us, we will pay you your share of any allocations to your books.
More information:
- How are payments shares for books registered?
- How do I request to be paid my share directly?
- How do I tell you that the rights have reverted to me?
- Other questions?
Annual Artists Distribution
The Annual Artists Distribution is primarily for artists who:
- own copyright in images that are available for people to copy and share (e.g. published in books or newspapers), but
- do not have agreements with publishers to share Copyright Agency allocations to those publications.
These artists include illustrators, photographers, cartoonists and fine artists such as painters and sculptors.
An artist must be a member to receive a payment. Membership is free. You can apply for membership here.
Payments are for works available to copy and share under our licences
A payment from the Annual Artists Distribution is for all works that the artist owns copyright for, that are available for people to copy and share under our licences for the education, government and business sectors.
Your Payment Report (remittance advice) therefore shows ‘works available under licence’ rather than listing individual publications or works.
Giving us information about your published works
Artists can be eligible to receive a payment from the Annual Artists Distribution if they give us information about works that are available for people to copy and share under our licences, and that they own copyright for. Artists can list their publications in their online member account.
Key points about the Annual Artists Distribution
- Most artists will receive the same payment amount from an Annual Artists Distribution
- Some artists may receive a higher payment if their work is more likely to be copied and shared in the education sector (because most of the money for the distribution is from the education sector)
- Artists need to list at least one verifiable publication containing a work in which they own copyright to be eligible for the distribution
- When choosing which publication/s to list, artists should focus on publications likely to be copied and shared in the education sector
- Artists can list more than one publication, but this is unlikely to result in higher payment
- It is not necessary to list new publications each year, but it is helpful for us if artists review and update their publications each year so we have up-to-date information
- Most artists who have received a payment from an Annual Artists Distribution will continue to receive a payment
- Artists can receive a different amount from year to year, because the amount of money available for the distribution varies from year to year, and the number of recipients varies from year to year
Not yet a member?
Already a member?
- How do I register publications that my works have appeared in?
- My works appear in many publications. Do I need to list them all?
- Where can I find an ISBN?
- Where can I find an ISSN?
- How do I know if I own copyright?
- Other questions?
Annual digital licences for public galleries
We provide annual licences to public galleries for digital uses of artistic works.
The galleries provide data about the artworks that they have made digital uses of.
We also have pay-per-use licences with galleries for activities that are not covered by the annual blanket licence.
Artworks in television programs and broadcast films
Screenrights collects copyright fees for the recording, copying, sharing and retransmission of television programs and broadcast films. The fees cover all copyrights, including for artworks that appear in television programs and broadcast films.
There is information about royalties from Screenrights for artworks here. A visual artist who owns copyright is entitled to be a member of Screenrights, but most visual artists have appointed Copyright Agency as their agent to manage their Screenrights royalties. Screenrights’ distribution policy explains how Screenrights makes allocations for artistic works: see here at pages 26–28.
Copyright fees collected overseas
Artists can receive a payment from our annual distribution of copyright fees that we have received from copyright management organisations in other countries (like the UK, France or the United States).
We receive different sorts of data with the money from these organisations. This means that your Payment Report (remittance advice) will sometimes show which work the payment is for, and sometimes show ‘works available under licence’.
October 2023
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