We as a creative industry must re-think how we generate revenue. I by no means am calling for dropping the “usage license” as the basis for fees, but rather would like us to brainstorm alternative ideas for how we work with our clients to generate that revenue.
William Morris gets it. They are working with Google to have their artists share an ownership interest in productions created for the web. This is a fascinating idea. By tying in ownership, all the parties involved had good reason to make the best product possible. If it is a hit, everyone gets more.
They also all take a risk–if the show flops, they might not make as much as in the past for similar work. This seems very fair to me. We so often talk about wanting to “partner” with our clients, but when that involves taking a risk, too many of us bail on the concept.
How can we use this info to develop better, more equitable financial relationships with our clients?