Are you new to art licensing but want to start your business with a system to keep track of your art, your licenses, your contracts and more?

Have you been licensing your art for a while and find yourself with bits of information all over the place and nowhere to get a good, overall view of what is coming up and what is going on?

what the software tracks | how the software works | watch the software demo video

Watch the video to see the software in action

Let's talk about the data.

If you are new to the business, it might not seem like a big deal. You create art, you show it to manufacturers, they license it and you get paid. What's so hard about that? Nothing, when you are starting out and have the mental capacity to remember everything.

But what happens as you grow?

More art. More manufacturers. More contracts. Contracts coming up for renewal. New people interested in the same art. Is it available in that category? Who has licensed that collection again? Where did I jot the notes? Which contract should I look at again?

And don't forget the art collections: What are the names? Are they coded? What are the codes? Where is it backed up? Have copyrights been submitted? Have you received your registration numbers?

The data you need to manage and coordinate grows like a snowball rolling down hill - you want to control it as early as possible!

The Art Licensing Manager 2.0 Software works on a PC, Mac, iPad* and iPhone.*

(see Do I Need to Purchase FileMaker Pro Software too? for more detials)

From the eDesk of Tara Reed,
Licensed Artist
(Portland, Oregon)

Dear Fellow Licensed Artist,

How do you organize and keep track of all the licensed products, contracts, copyrights, files and more?

This is a question I've been asking artists for at least 5 years now. Until you have a huge business and can spend thousands on programs designed more for companies like Disney™ than for an individual artist, there has been no real solution. Until now…

After 7 years of using post it notes and multiple, unrelated excel spreadsheets that were cumbersome to update let alone find information in, I decide enough was enough - it was time to get organized.

I was at the point where things were happening because of my lack of an effective system. Things like licensing the same images to more than one company (I got it resolved but it wasn't a fun phone call to make!) or contracts auto renewing before I realized I even needed to decide if I wanted to renew or cancel. Nothing earth shattering but the writing was on the wall - this is only getting bigger and more complicated, if you don't get it organized, you will get in some real trouble.

So I did some research and found that the FileMakerPro software looked like the way to go. I downloaded the free trial opened it up and … that was it. I had a blank stare on my face. I quickly realized that trying to do this on my own would take a lot of time and effort - effort better spent creating art. Back to research and I found Hal at Camp Software. We've worked together to create an Art Licensing Manager system that works for me and I believe can work for you.

I invested over $1,500 having the Art Licensing Manager 1.0 developed and teamed up with Hal Gumbert at Camp Software so any artist in the art licensing industry can get it too. After getting feedback and questions from artists who looked at or purchased the original Art Licensing Manager, we've made it even better. Hal spent many of his own hours making it more flexible, more detailed, more easily customized to how you work... oh, and did I mention it's a whole lot prettier too?

(Don't worry, it won't cost you $1500!) It is sold and supported through CampSoftware.com and I will get a commission on any purchase. I highly recommend you get this system, or some system, as early in your career as you can. I can tell you from experience - inputing 7 years of data was not my idea of a good time!

After getting feedback and questions from artists who looked at or purchased the original Art Licensing Manager, we've made it even better. More flexible, more detailed, more easily customized to how you work... oh, and did I mention it's a whole lot prettier too?

So check out the software video tour below where I give you the basics of how it is organized and how it works. Then download the trial copy and see how it feels. If it looks like a solution that will work for you - buy it and get your data organized so you can focus on creating art and building the business of your dreams!

Here's to your creative success!

What the Software Tracks

Art collections, individual art images, codes, etc.: as you create them or as you license them, it's up to you!
Copyright information: year created, date submitted to Library of Congress, registration numbers
Backup information: free form to detail where you backup your art or any other notes
Manufacturers: current or potential licensees
Contract details: who, what, term, territory, royalty rates, notification dates, art and product details
Licensed products: by collection or art being reviewed by manufacturers as well
Royalties: by licensee, by collection, and more.
Contacts: Organize your contacts and create mailing labels from within the program
Attachments: logos, images, files, sound bites and more!

How the Software Works

Every time you open the Art Licensing Manager you start on the home page. You can customize the page with your logo or another image of your choice - just like I did on the example.

This is also where you will see a list of your Contracts and associated Licensees and important dates. The Renewal - or Expiration - Date tells you when the contract ends and you can set a Notification Date as a reminder to look over the contract and decide if you want to renew, renegotiate or terminate them.

There are two basic categories of data you need to track and that need to relate to each other:

Art Collections (listed as "Collections" in the software) and
Licensees.

Each section has a List view and a Detail view.

• The List View gives you an overview of things you want to know at a glance.

For Collections, that includes:

Collection name and description
Royalties earned per collection to date

ArtCollectionsListView

By looking at this data, you can determine what subject matter is having the most success (as in, earning the most $) in the marketplace and plan new collections accordingly.

For Licensees, that includes:

The company and contact name if entered
Total Royalties received

LicenseeListView

You can sort the data to see who your top licensees are so you are sure to treat them with the VIP treatment they deserve!

• The Detail View gives you in-depth data for each Art Collection, Individual Piece of Art or Licensee.

For Collections, that includes:

The name and description of the collection
A list of the individual art images in the collection with the royalties earned per image
The Royalties (on a separate tab) related to the Collection
Total Royalties earned for all the art in the Collection
A place for any notes you want to make about the Collection

ArtCollectionsDetails

For Art, the individual images that make up a collection, that includes:

Basic information: name, category, code and a link to the collection the art belongs to;
Copyright registration dates and details;
Attachments: logo images and other files;
Royalties: see royalties to date for the individual image and the collection as a whole. Also view royalties by date paid and total paid for the collection by individual licensees; and
Licensed Products: Who has licensed the art, whether the license is exclusive or not, the start and end dates of the license, territory and a place for notes and attachements.

For Licensees, that includes:

A link to the main contact for the company,
A Licenses tab that shows the art they have licensed and the details - products, territory, dates, exclusive/non-exclusive/under review
A Contracts tab with date, term, renewal & notification dates, royalty rates and a place for notes
A Royalties Tab with the ability to enter payments broken down by image. It also shows you the total earned for the art, the collection, and from the Licensee for that art.
An area for notes you want to keep for the Licensee.

The Royalty and Contract / Licensed Product data is related to the individual licensee as well so you can enter your data on the Collection or Licensee side and it automatically updates where applicable.

Get a strategic view of your business by sorting your data

When is the last time you looked at where most of your income was coming from?

With simple sort functions on the list view of the Collections or Licensees tables you can see which clients are bringing in the most income or what type of art earns the highest royalties. You might think you know this information but sometimes the numbers surprise you!

Looking at what is working best in your business will help you plan your creative time strategically.

The solution to the solo-artist's art licensing data woes is here.

No more cumbersome excel spreadsheets!
No more relying on your memory when letting someone know if art is available for a product category!
No more jotted notes stuck in notebooks!

The solution is the Art Licensing Manager
from Tara Reed and CampSoftware.com.

Tara spent over $1,500 having version 1 developed then Hal put in many, many hours improving it. It will only cost you $299. You can download a demo copy and see how you like it before you invest - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain...

So what are you waiting for?

Head to www.ArtLicensingManager.com and get your copy today!

This product is sold through CampSoftware.com but because I paid to have it developed and decided how it should function, I'll get a commission for each product sold. (Consider that the FTC disclosure, thanks!)

Do I Need to Purchase FileMaker Pro Software too?

The Art Licensing Manager download includes a single user bundled version of FileMaker. You do not need to purchase FileMaker if one person will be using the Art Licensing Manager. However, you already have a FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Go for iPad / iPhone license, you can use it as long as it is up to date.

In the end, it depends on how you want to use the Art Licensing Manager:

Single Users on Mac or Windows – No. The download ‘Mac App’ or ‘Windows App’ includes a bundled version of FileMaker.
Single Users on iPad or iPhone – Yes. FileMaker Go for either iPad or iPhone is required. Once installed, copy the database file ( ArtLicensingManager.fp7 or ArtLicensingManager.USR ) to your iPad or iPhone. If any changes are made, be sure copy the database file back to your computer. Dropbox works well between computers and onto your iPad or iPhone, but moving it from the iPad back to you computer may require copying the database file via iTunes.
Multiple Users, One at a Time – No. Place the download ‘Mac App’ or ‘Windows App’ on a computer, share the folder, and ensure that only one person uses it at a time.
Multiple Users, Concurrently up to 9 Users – Yes. FileMaker Pro and/or FileMaker Go is required for each device. The database file should opened on one Mac or Windows computer using FileMaker Pro. All other computers should choose to open the remote file. To keep costs down, consider hosting.
Multiple Users, Concurrently over 9 Users – Yes. FileMaker Pro and/or FileMaker Go is required for each device. FileMaker Server is required to share the database. All other computers should choose to open the remote file, choosing the server. To keep costs down, consider hosting.
Multiple Users, Via Hosting – Yes. FileMaker Pro and/or FileMaker Go is required for each device. The actual FileMaker database file will be opened on a third party server in order to save time and effort to share the file. All other computers should choose to open the remote file, choosing the hosted server. We can provide hosting for $45/month on your own virtual server. Backups are provided daily.

*To use the software on your iPhone or iPad, you need FileMaker Go software in addition to the Art Licensing Manager 2.0.

If you already have a FileMaker license, you do not need to purchase FileMaker Pro again as long as it is up to date. CampSoftware can provide special pricing on FileMaker products or:

Mac and Windows: FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server
iPad: FileMaker Go
iPhone: FileMaker Go