Art Licensing Agents.

List of 50+ U.S.A., U.K. and European Agencies.



Art Licensing Agents: many artists are interested in finding and working with art licensing agents. This page has been created with this specific need in mind.

Art Licensing is a way of generating income from your art. Instead of selling originals or selling your designs outright, many artists will grant the right (license) to use their art on a specific product, for a set time period in exchange for a percentage of sales. This percentage is called a royalty. By licensing your art, you have the potential to earn income on the same art piece or collection several times.


Art Licensing Agents: What Do They Do Exactly?

Art Licensing Agents: Just like there are many kinds of manufacturers, there are many kinds of art licensing agents. Some only license art and some sell art as prints or on products besides license their artists work. Other art licensing agents represent artists whose art fits only a niche market such as lodge, western, and country. Different ones specialize in representing artists whose art is suitable for home decor, or patterns for fabric, clothing, stationery, and scrap booking. And of course there are some art licensing agents that license all kinds of art for all kinds of products. Some agents represent several artists and others represent several hundred artists. A certain group of art licensing agents will sign up artists that are new to licensing while another group of them will only accept artists that are already known and have achieved some measurable amount of licensing success. These art licensing agents tend to represent artists that have a uniquely recognizable art style and are or can become a brand.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Art License Agent

When choosing an agent to represent you in licensing your art, there are many things to consider. For instance, is the potential agent passionate about your art and really wants to represent you, do you and the agent see eye-to-eye on marketing your art, and do you agree with the terms of the agent/artist contract. Of course, there are many other considerations and each artist has different needs so what may work for one may not work for another artist.

What is the initial length of time an agent represents an artist? The normal length of time is two to three years. With the economy being what it is and the severe competition for licenses, you have every right to ask for a shorter initial time frame. Even six months is enough to know if you two are a "match made in heaven." I prefer eight months but six is often enough. It is not unusual to take on an artist and have nothing come of it. An agent who finds they are not getting interest/contracts for the work after 6-8 months should be frank with the artist, and if needs be, release them from the 2-3 year contract. This is why I have been suggesting to artists that they negotiate a trial period with an agent as many agents will bind you to them for the entire term, no matter how little they get for you. You might want to ask for some sort of performance clause especially if the agent wants a long initial term. The most realistic way to structure this would be to require the agent to get you x number of agreements in x period of time. It may be difficult to get an agent to agree to this, but it is certainly a bargaining point you can throw out for discussion. Honestly, while there are standard guidelines, there is nothing absolute in licensing. It is whatever two people agree to.

Is it okay to signup with an agent new to licensing? I would definitely give consideration to an agent who may be new to the field because most art licensing agents did not start out with years of experience and contacts. I would consider a "new" agent based on their background, history in the field they are coming from, their attitude, business sense, organizational skills and overall enthusiasm, among other things. I always tell artists in my seminars that I found my first blockbuster artist (Sandi Gore Evans) when I had VERY little rep experience under my belt. She was already being courted by several big time agencies and people when I contacted her, but she agreed to meet. In the course of our conversation, her stated concern was that I was "too sophisticated" to appreciate her art (country/folk). We kept talking and found we had a mutual love for Lyle Lovett (among other things) so she signed with me. After I had worked with her awhile, I came to see that the REAL reason she hired me was because she wanted to be a BIG fish in a small pond, and she wanted one more kid to push round (she had four grown children, I was her fifth). I was full of enthusiasm and big dreams when we met, those qualities were what she was looking for. I will be eternally grateful for her vision, her trust and her confidence in what I was to become. Thru her, I cut my teeth in licensing.

Should I choose an agent that represents well known artists? The suggestion to look at which artists are known and who are their agents is a good one, but not fool proof. They may do really well for certain artists, but maybe you go with that person or group (who do very well for a well known) artist(s) and then they bomb for your work. 

What you would want to be concerned with is that the agent would spend a greater % of their time working the "known" artist, and your work may not get much attention. You would really need to interview these art licensing agents closely to make sure that concern does not become a reality if you sign with that agent. If any agent takes you on and works your library and then has little success, does that make them a bad agent/agency? Not necessarily, because they may not be right for YOUR look. 

As far as known artists versus unknown artists, there are MANY lesser known artists out there who are HUGELY successful in licensing but their names are known only to the buyers and their customers (where it really counts) but the artist may not be well known in some of the art circles. Getting a "name" in licensing is some what secondary to me as opposed to making good money. I have seen it happen many times where you make good money first, and in the process your name gets more and more out there (by virtue of it being on every single product it is licensed to) until you find you ARE well known.

What should I ask an agent? Having given many seminars on this subject, there are quite a few questions to ask a potential agent.

1. How long have they been in business and how did they come to do this line of work? What is their agency philosophy? This one question may hold all the keys you need to this relationship.

2. Who do they represent?

3. What companies/categories are the artists licensed to? Do they specialize in certain categories? What ones are they not licensed into?

4. How many artists are in their group?

5. How long have they represented these artists?

6. How many other reps do they work with (or who work for them) and how are the artists divided (which rep gets who)?

7. Ask to see their contract, both Artist/Agent and Licensor/Licensee. Have an attorney ( or another agent you trust who knows contracts) advise you as to what the contract really says as to what you are legally committing to. This is worth EVERY PENNEY they charge.

8. What is their money/ percentage split?

9. Who pays for what? What creative services do they offer and what is the charge for these? How will they represent you?

10. Do they exhibit at any shows? Do they walk any shows? Which ones?

11. Do they personally call on the individual manufacturers? Name a few and how often do they do one- on-one?

12. Ask them for referrals - both from the artists as well as the manufacturers. AND CALL EACH ONE OF THEM!!!! Get artists' phone #'s they rep (more than 1 or 2) AND get manufacturers names and numbers who they work with. When you call the manufacturer, in addition to the questions you will ask about your potential agent. Be sure to ask them if they work with any other of the art licensing agents and what they think of them and how they work. These referrals/references are probably going to come from word of mouth as an individual is vulnerable to getting a lawsuit for slander if they put their real opinion in print.

Article author: Suzanne Cruise



Licensing Agreement Terms

Every licensing contract is unique. There is NO typical deal (contract, agreement) in art licensing because it depends upon the manufacturer, industry, products, the notoriety of the artist, etc. which affects the terms and payment. Also negotiations between the property owner (or representative) and licensee (manufacturer) affects the contract.



List of 50+ U.S.A., U.K. and European Art Licensing Agents


A. D. Lines Eurogroup Inc.

Advocate Art

American Art Images

Ansada Group

ArtAskAgency

Artistic Designs Group

Art Licensing International

Art Visions

Brenda Manley Designs

Bright Agency

Buffalo Works, The

Courtney Davis

Creatif Licensing

Creative Connection Inc.

Cypress Fine Art Licensing

DSW Licensing Company

Fame Farm

Gelsinger Licensing Group

Hardley Licensing

IBD Art Licensing Agency

Image Connection

Image Source

JMS Art Licensing

JQ Licensing

Jennifer Nelson Artists

Kids-Did-It! 

Licensing Liaison

Lifestyle Licensing

Lilla Rogers Studio

Linda McDonald, Inc.

Suzan Lind Art Licensing

Looking Good Licensing

Magnet Reps

Main Line Art & Design MGL Licensing

MHS Licensing

Mosaic Licensing

NKSFB

Painted Words Licensing Group

Penny Lane Publishing

Pink Light Studio

Porterfield's Fine Art Licensing

Roaring Brook Art

Ruth Levison Design

Sagebrush Fine Art

Studio Voltaire

Suzanne Cruise Creative Services, Inc.

TSB & Co.

Two Town Studios

Wild Apple Licensing






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