In the CinemaTech blog, Scott Kirsner asks just how much of their work artists should give away for free:
The question I’ve been hearing at the last few conferences and film festivals I’ve been to is this: “Yes, free is important. But how much should I give away for free?” What people would like to know is, at what point do all those freebies help someone decide that, no, they’re actually not all that interested in your film… or, are you giving away too few free samples, thereby under-marketing your project? If you gave away less for free, would you make more money? If you gave away more for free, would you reach more people?
The post focuses on filmmakers, but these days artists in almost all disciplines face some variation on the question. As a singer-songwriter, how many of your songs should you post on your website? And do you stream or offer a download? As a literary artist (prose, poetry, dramatic writing), do you post excerpts or even short works free, gratis, and for nothin’? What about your whole body of work, a la Charles Mee?
The above image depicts a happy discoverer of a painting by Bren Bataclan. Bren (who guest blogged for us here) gives away his paintings to strangers, either with the request of a smile or just as a gesture of goodwill Now, without suggesting that giving away your work outright is the right path for most artists, it is interesting to note that Bren’s benevolent project has led to a published book, a recent show at the Boston Children’s Museum, and a feature on CBS evening news. So, free is not without its rewards.
But where to draw the line?
Image: Ann from the Smile Chicago Project by Bren Bataclan (2008)
Lilly Cleveland says
It is an interesting query. Should one give away work? I have done so for worthwhile causes and fund raisers (mostly silent auctions). This always generates another request from the same group each and every year. Once, I heard an interesting solution. Give a 20% off coupon as your donation so that the art buyer can come to your studio and pick out a painting and receive the discount. Raffle off the coupon or donate to silent auction. I have not tried it yet but have scaled back on repeated requests. I have noticed that volunteers are anxious to fill up auction tables with enticing items for bid. The flip side of the tax question is that the artist can write off some of it – just the cost of the materials! The art buyer writes off the amount he spent at the auction as a charitable deduction. The buyer gets the art work and the deduction. The artist’s name ends up on a donor list which is opposite to what sales are about. Just an observation.