Why every photographer deserves Payback

This year DACS has a share £4 million of Payback royalties to pay to photographers and other visual artists whose work has been reproduced in UK books and magazines or on certain UK television channels.
 
Payback launches on Monday 13th June and photographers have until Friday 9th September 2011 to make their claim for a share of royalties.
 
Last year DACS paid out a share of £3.8 million to almost 13,000 visual artists:
    • The average Payback royalty payment was £295
    • The highest payment made to a photographer was £6382
    • Every visual artist who makes a successful Payback claim is guaranteed a minimum of £25
 
Where do these royalties come from?
Payback royalties come from revenue generated through various UK collective licensing schemes and include the photocopying of books and magazines by local government departments, universities and other businesses.
 
Collective licensing is used in situations where it would be difficult or near impossible for visual artists to licence their rights on an individual basis, e.g. when a university wants to photocopy pages from a book or magazine that features their work.
 
DACS negotiates a share of this collective licensing revenue on behalf of visual artists. This is an annualscheme and royalties are paid to successful claimants in December each year.
 
Nicolas Watkins-Wright, DACS Payback Manager, says: “This year we have £4 million to share amongst visual artists. All you need to do is fill in a simple Payback claim form telling us how many publications and television programmes your work has featured in. What’s more you can claim for the same published work every year and so your royalty payment could increase as you add new work to your claim.”
 
The easiest way to claim is to fill in the form online at www.dacs.org.uk. Alternatively photographers can request a claim form to be sent to them by post or email.
 
For further information about Payback or to request a claim form contact the Payback team on 020 7553 9062 or email payback@dacs.org.uk