Any visual artist whose work has been published can claim. You are eligible if your work has been included in a Book, Magazine and/or related website published in the UK, or a TV programme broadcast in the UK or rebroadcast abroad. If your work features in these products/services, and you have the necessary proof of licensing, then you are entitled to make a claim each year through PICSEL.
RIGHTSHARE® is PICSEL’s online distribution system. Members can make a claim each January for the years preceding the date of your claim. As a member, you can download an Excel claim form which, once completed, you will upload back to the RightShare® claims website. For publications, you can claim for any published in the UK in the previous year and all previous years. For TV claims, only programmes broadcast in the previous year can be claimed for, and repeat broadcasts from previous years. In subsequent years you will download the previous year’s claim form, add any new entries, and then resubmit the form here.
Members decide our Distribution Policy. Since 2017 we have distributed over £5m to over 7,000 rightsholders under a distribution system agreed by our members in the Distribution Committee and recommended to the Board of Directors. PICSEL is committed to a data driven model of remuneration for rightsholders. Twice a year we make payments to rightsholders and their representatives, with payments shadowing the way that money has been allocated to PICSEL, less our record low 15% fee. In this way individual rightsholders have received over £10,000 in a single year, with an individual image in 2020 receiving £2,301. It means that our distribution policy has seen record payments to rightsholders.
We make two annual distributions to ensure prompt and accurate remuneration to rightsholders. Our main distribution is scheduled for August/September, with a further payment in December to cover any subsequent collections made in the year.
Individuals have been allocated over £10,000 a year in 2020, with an individual image receiving £2,301. The minimum payment is currently £25. If your work matches recorded instances of copying, then the royalties due to you will increase, as your allocation is based on how much the title claimed for has been copied by licensees. Our distribution policy has seen record payments to rightsholders, however what you receive is entirely dependent on the data you supply with your claim. The better, and more relevant, the data is the higher the payment is likely to be
Secondary rights revenue provides added income. As a valuable additional revenue stream for rightsholders, you should make sure that you retain these rights to secure your claim. Make sure that any agreements for the use of your work do not deny you your secondary rights. Retaining moral rights is a well-known imperative for visual artists but be sure not to let secondary rights slip through the net. Be certain to secure your rights, before others do.