Urheberrechtsgesetz:
§ 32 a : Der s.g. Fairness Paragraph (Teilhabe... später mehr...)
4.02. 2023:
Beispiel/for example:
Sind diese 2 Buchtitel möglicherweise bekannt ?:
- "König Minos`Land" (1980; published)
"Wieder umherschweifen" (1981; published)
Wenn ja - woher?
--------------------
Aktualisierung: 11.03. 2023:
Neues Buch/ new book:
"PARIS
The Memoir"
"Wenn wir uns wehrten, gab es Spritzen"
"Paris Hilton enthüllt Missbrauchs-Horror"
"....Im Jahr 2020 führte sie schließlich eine Demo an, die zur Schließung der Schule führte."
Quelle: B.Z. "Die Stimme Berlins". 6. 3. 2023, Letzte Seite.
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Anmerkung: Ab 14. März 2023 "im gut sortierten Buchandel" erhältlich...vermutlich in englischer Sprache ...
Anmerkung 2: Was werden sie bieten - oder sich überbieten - die deutschen Verlage für die Übersetzungsrechte???
Oder: Was gibt es noch alles zu schließen???
What else have to be shut down? Guantanamo, "Gefangen Lager", maybe???
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Aktualisierung 23.02. 2023:
Mr. Spielberg ist in Berlin und wurde bei der "Bärlinale", Filmfest-Spiele Berlin, ausgezeichnet mit dem "Ehren-Preis" . In einem Radiobericht, 22. 02. 2023, wurde erwähnt, dass er dem deutschen Film viel zu verdanken habe, und er noch viele Filme drehen wolle...
Anmerkung: Da wünschen wir weiterhin viel Erfolg...und fragen an, ob er möglicherweise kennt /probably knows/
das Büchlein / booklet:
"König Minos´s Land" (100 Stück, handsigniert, 1980) ISBN: 978-3-922821-01-4;
und das
unveröffentllichte Buch-Manuskript:
DEHAVOE.
Mögliche Antwort: Sicher nicht... ich habe davon noch nie gehört...
Probably answere: "Certainly not..., I never have heard about it...
-----------------------
Vgl. dazu auch:
In Deutschland kennt man auch den Unterschied zwischen
Anna Seghers (Aufbau Verlag Berlin)
und
Jan Seghers (Rowohlt Verlag Berlin; früher Reinbeck bei Hamburg)
nicht.
Anmerkung: Gibt es dort, also Reinbeck bei Hamburg, möglicherweise noch verschollene Manuskripte ???
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Aktualisierung, 12.3. 2023:
Quelle: bz-berlin.de
- 12.3.2023:
Berlin:
Bestattung menschlicher Knochen
Die bei mehreren Grabungen auf dem Campus der Freien Universität (FU) Berlin gefundenen menschlichen Knochen sollen am 23. März auf dem Waldfriedhof in Dahlem bestattet werden. Auf die öffentliche Trauerfeier dazu hat die Hochschule am Sonntag mit Anzeigen in mehreren Berliner Tageszeitungen hingewiesen. „Im Gedenken an Opfer von Verbrechen im Namen der Wissenschaft“, hieß es dort im Namen von FU-Präsident Günter Ziegler, dem Präsidenten der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Martin Stratmann, und Christoph Rauhut, Landeskonservator und Direktor des Landesdenkmalamtes Berlin.
Anmerkung: Namenslose Opfer aus welcher Zeit ???
------------------
Oranienburg/ Land Brandenburg:
Oder-Havel-Kanal wird wegen Bombensprengung gesperrt
Zwei Weltkriegsbomben werden morgen (13.3. 2023, Montag) in Oranienburg
(Oberhavel) gesprengt. Dafür wird ein Teil des Oder-Havel-Kanals für den Schiffsverkehr gesperrt. Um den Fundort werde ab 10.30 Uhr ein Sperrkreis von 500 Metern eingerichtet, teilte die Stadt Oranienburg mit. Nach erfolgreicher Sprengung der Blindgänger soll der Sperrkreis gegen 14.00 Uhr mit einem Sirenenton wieder aufgehoben werden.
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Kunst und Krieg/ art and war:
Source: TheGuardian.com 17.01. 2023:
French city believes Madonna may own artwork lost in war – and asks for loan
Amiens mayor wants singer to lend Jérôme-Martin Langlois painting after it went missing in first world war
Diana and Endymion by Jérôme-Martin Langlois
Diana and Endymion by Jérôme-Martin Langlois was exhibited in Amiens from 1878 but was thought to have been destroyed in 1918. Photograph: Sunny Celeste/Alamy (Foto hier nicht sichtbar, Anmerkung.)
Kim Willsher in Paris
Tue 17 Jan 2023 11.17 GMT
Last modified on Tue 17 Jan 2023 18.28 GMT
What do the singer Madonna and Amiens in northern France have in common? Not a lot, says the city’s mayor, Brigitte Fouré, who admits the global star has probably never heard of the city until now.
However, Fouré insists there is a “special link” between the two in the shape of an early 19th-century painting that once hung in the Amiens museum until it was lost without trace during the first world war.
Now the mayor is appealing for Madonna to loan a painting she possesses – Diana and Endymion, thought to be by Jérôme-Martin Langlois – for what she hopes will be Amiens’ successful bid to become the European capital of culture in 2028.
“Madonna, you probably haven’t heard of Amiens … but there is a special link between you and our city,” Fouré says in her video appeal.
“This painting is probably a work that was lent to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before the first world war after which we lost trace of it,” she adds.
French mayor asks Madonna for loan of painting that once hung in city's museum – video
The oil painting, commissioned by Louis XVIII to hang in the Salon of Diane at the Palace of Versailles and completed in 1822, was acquired by the French republic in 1873. It was exhibited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts – now the Musée de Picardie – in Amiens from 1878 but was thought to have been destroyed when the city was bombed in 1918.
A recent article in Le Figaro newspaper suggested the painting, or one almost identical to it but without Langlois’s signature or any date, reappeared in 1989 in a New York auction where Madonna paid $1.3m for it, more than three times its estimated price.
At the time, nobody in France appeared to recognise the work as painted by Langlois, but in 2015 a curator from Amiens noticed it in the background of a photograph of Madonna at her home published in Paris Match magazine.
On March 1918, in an attempt to break through allied lines, the Germans pounded Amiens with shells and bombs for 28 days and nights, destroying much of the city including part of the museum, whose paintings were evacuated to safety.
When they were returned to Amiens after the war, the Langlois was missing. It was first listed as “untraceable since the return of the 1918 removed works”, then “destroyed by the falling of a bomb on the museum”.
The painting Madonna bought is 3cm smaller than the artwork that disappeared in Amiens, leading experts to wonder if it is the original with the signature and date removed or a copy.
The museum has lodged legal action against “persons unknown” for the theft of the painting, none of which Fouré says need concern Madonna.
“Clearly, we don’t contest in any way that you have acquired this work legally,” Fouré says in her message to the singer … could you lend us this work for the occasion of our bid to become European capital of culture in 2028 so our local inhabitants can rediscover this work and enjoy it?
“That is my prayer, the wish I am presenting to you.”
The European Union will announce the 2028 European capital of culture in December.
Fouré told the Guardian she had only recently learned that the missing and previously long forgotten painting may be owned by Madonna and had been overwhelmed by the response to her appeal.
Madonna announces Celebration greatest hits world tour
Read more
“My initial aim was to do something a bit humorous to make people talk about my city, especially at this time, when the pre-selection for European capital of culture is happening. I thought there would be some response to the video, but not the reaction there has been,” she said.
“I thought it would be a good idea to ask her if we could just borrow this painting that we haven’t seen since the first world war. The painting was sold in a perfectly legal auction; she bought it and she owns it. I’m not asking her to give it to us but to allow us to borrow it for just a few weeks so people here can see it.”
Amiens’ current claim to fame is as the birthplace of President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. Fouré says the city would welcome a visit by Madonna.
“It would be amazing to have her come here but I can’t imagine it happening,” she said. “Still, now everyone is talking about Amiens!”
--------
Vgl. dazu:
Eine Anmerkung bezüglich der Zitierungen von TheGuardian.com Berichten:
Es erscheint beim Anklicken von TheGuardian.com immer der Hinweis, ob man eine finanzielle Unterstützung / financial support/ leisten wolle.
But financial support I just can´t afford, because I depend on Social wellfare... oder: In Deutschland systematisch und heimtückisch zum Bettler gemacht... jetzt mit systematischer Terrorisierung 24 Stunden lang... illegale Wohnraumüberwachung (unverschuldet im Obdachlosen-Asylbewerberheim, Bettplatz, 14 qm) - und 24 Stunden davor mit Autos auf- und abrasend - , illegale Online Überwachung, illegales Bewegungsprofil, verbunden mit systematischen Rufmord... von Kindheit können sie jetzt zu beleidigen anfangen mit Anleitung ... und andererseits systematischer Ideendiebstahl für kommerzielle Zwecke...ohne Rechtsschutz / without law inforcement ...
------------------------
Aktualisierung: 13.02. 2023:
Deutschland:
"...Die Plünderungen durch die Nationalsozialisten waren 1938 durch das `Gesetz über die Einziehung von Erzeugnissen entarteter Kunst´ nachträglch legitimiert worden. Das Gesetz ist bis heute nicht aufgehoben worden...der Klarheit wegen solle der Gesetzgeber das NS-Einziehungsrecht von 1938 ausdrücklich aufheben...". In: "Limbach: `Entartete Kunst´ zurückgeben", Südd. Zeitung vom 20.11. 2014 (vierzehn), 1. Seite, unten.
Vgl. dazu: Meine derzeit letzte Ausstellung fand statt: 20. 10. - 30.11. 2005!! Und in Berlin jetzt ca. 170 Kunst-Galerien und Museen- mit einem Kultursenator von der Partei "Die Linke" ...
UNAUSGESPROCHENE BERUFSVERBOTE - vgl. "cancel culture"..
--------------------
Quelle: kurier.at 10.02. 2023:
Republik (Österreich, Anmerkung) erhält für falsch restituiertes Klimt-Gemälde 10,6 Mio. Euro
"Apfelbaum II" wurde 2001 fälschlicherweise an Stiasny-Erben zurückgegeben.
02/10/2023, 03:27 PM
Nachdem das Gustav-Klimt-Gemälde "Apfelbaum II" 2001 fälschlicherweise restituiert wurde, hat sich die Republik Österreich nun auf einen Vergleich mit den Erbinnen und Erben nach der in der Shoah ermordeten Kunstsammlerin Nora Stiasny geeinigt. Diese zahlen 11,3 Mio. Dollar (ca. 10,6 Mio. Euro) an die Republik, wie das Kulturministerium mitteilte. Das Geld fließt in einen künftigen dauerhaften Standort für das Haus der Geschichte Österreich (hdgö).
Gustav Klimts "Apfelbaum II"
Kein NS-Kunstraub: "Ein peinlicher Vorgang"
Versuche, das Gemälde zurückzukaufen, scheiterten an den aktuellen Besitzern, die laut Aussendung in keinen Dialog treten wollten. "Wenn es auch schmerzt, dass es keine Möglichkeit gibt, das Bild 'Apfelbaum II' nach Österreich zurückzuholen, so ist es doch erfreulich, dass die langjährige und komplizierte Geschichte um die Restitution dieses Gemäldes mit dem nunmehr vorliegenden Vergleich ein Ende findet.
Gleichzeitig dürfen wir niemals vergessen, dass diesem und anderen Rückgabefällen die systematische Ausgrenzung, Verfolgung und Ermordung unzähliger Menschen während des Nationalsozialismus zugrunde liegen", wurde Kulturstaatssekretärin Andrea Mayer (Grüne) zitiert. Als "überaus erfreulich" bezeichnete Alfred J. Noll als Vertreter der Erben, dass "nach harten Verhandlungen" mit der Finanzprokuratur nun Einvernehmen hergestellt werden konnte.
Kultur
Falsch restituiertes Klimt-Bild aus Ausstellung zurückgezogen
Die Ausgleichszahlung wird als Rücklage im Budget des Ministeriums gebunden. Einvernehmen bestehe mit dem Finanzministerium, dass das Geld für eine künftige, dauerhafte Lösung für den Standort des hdgö zweckgewidmet werde. "Das Haus der Geschichte braucht seit Jahren eine dauerhafte und nachhaltige räumlich Lösung", so Mayer. An dieser werde derzeit gearbeitet, wenngleich noch kein konkreter Plan vorliege, seien 10,6 Millionen Euro "ein gutes Startkapital für eine derartige Herausforderung", meinte die Staatssekretärin.
Kultur
Vom Belvedere zum Microsoft-Gründer: Klimts "Buchenwald" wird versteigert
Das Klimt-Gemälde "Apfelbaum II" wurde im Jahr 2001 von der Republik Österreich auf Empfehlung des Kunstrückgabebeirats an die Erbinnen und Erben nach der Österreicherin Nora Stiasny zugesprochen. Fälschlicherweise, wie sich letztlich herausstellte. Denn dabei handelte es sich gewissermaßen um eine Verwechslung mit Klimts "Rosen unter Bäumen", das Teil der Sammlung Stiasny gewesen war. Dieser Ansicht folgte im Vorjahr auch die französische Nationalversammlung, die "Rosen unter Bäumen" restituierte.
---------------------
Vgl . Handsigniert und "unbekannt"/"unknown"...
29.11.2022, 07:35 Uhr:
Bob Dylan hat sich bei seinen Fans wegen angeblich handsignierter Bücher entschuldigt.
Der Musiker hatte bei der Veröffentlichung seines Buches "Philosophy of Modern Song" im Jahr 2019 auf eine Signier-Maschine gesetzt.
Mehr News zu Stars & Unterhaltung
US-Musiker Bob Dylan hat sich am vergangenen Wochenende bei seinen Fans in einem Facebook-Post für die Irritationen rund um seine für handsigniert verkauften, jedoch maschinell erstellten Unterschriften entschuldigt.
"An meine Fans und Follower, ich wurde darauf aufmerksam gemacht, dass es einige Kontroversen über Signaturen auf einigen meiner jüngsten Kunstwerke und auf einer limitierten Auflage von 'Philosophy Of Modern Song' gibt", begann er seinen Post.
Er habe im Laufe der Jahre jeden einzelnen Kunstdruck handsigniert und es habe nie ein Problem gegeben. "2019 hatte ich jedoch einen schlimmen Fall von Schwindel, der sich bis in die Pandemiejahre fortsetzte", erklärte Dylan.
Dylan: "Es war also unmöglich, etwas zu unterschreiben"
Es brauche ein fünfköpfiges Team, das eng mit ihm zusammenarbeite, um die Signierstunden zu ermöglichen, "und wir konnten keinen sicheren und praktikablen Weg finden, um das zu erledigen, während der Virus wütete", schrieb Dylan über die erschwerten Bedingungen in der Corona-Pandemie.
"Es war also unmöglich, etwas zu unterschreiben. Angesichts der sich abzeichnenden vertraglichen Fristen wurde mir die Idee vorgeschlagen, eine Signier-Maschine zu verwenden, zusammen mit der Zusicherung, dass so etwas in der Kunst- und Literaturwelt 'ständig' gemacht wird."
Die Benutzung einer Maschine sei ein Fehler gewesen, "den ich sofort korrigieren möchte", erklärte Dylan. "Dafür arbeite ich mit Simon & Schuster und meinen Galeriepartnern zusammen."
Verlag sichert Käufern sofortige Rückerstattung zu
Zuvor hatte sich bereits der Verlag Simon & Schuster in einem Social-Media-Post entschuldigt und "eine sofortige Rückerstattung" für die Käufer der Dylan-Bücher zugesichert.
Musik
Laut "Variety" kostete ein limitiertes Exemplar des neuen Buches "The Philosophy of Modern Song" rund 600 Dollar. 900 Stück sollen verkauft worden sein. Den Büchern war ein Brief beigelegt worden, der die Echtheit der Unterschrift versicherte. Käufer hatten jedoch verdächtige Ähnlichkeiten zwischen den Unterschriften festgestellt und bereits vermutet, dass eine Signier-Maschine dahintersteckt.
Lesen Sie auch: Bob Dylan kommt mit "The Rough an Rowdy Ways Tour" nach Deutschland © 1&1 Mail & Media/spot on news
Spotify: Taylor Swifts neues Album bricht Rekorde
Aktualisiert am 23.10.2022, 15:44 Uhr
Am Freitag veröffentlichte Taylor Swift ihr neues Album "Midnights". Nur einen Tag später geht sie damit beim Streamingdienst Spotify bereits in die Geschichte ein.
Häufig gesucht
Nach Musikern wie Bob Dylan, Shakira oder Bruce Springsteen folgen nun auch Genesis dem Trend.
Die Band um Phil Collins verkauft seine Musikrechte.
Dafür kassieren sie über 300 Millionen Dollar.
Mehr Musik-News finden Sie hier
Die Rechte an dem musikalischen Vermächtnis von Genesis und der einzelnen Bandmitglieder liegt nun fast vollständig in den Händen des Musiklabels Concord. Wie das Label auf Instagram mitteilte, haben Phil Collins und seine Band dem Unternehmen einen großen Teil ihrer Musikrechte verkauft.
Dabei handelt es sich um die Kataloge der Band Genesis, der Musiker Phil Collins, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford und der Band des Bassisten Mike + The Mechanics. Das "Wall Street Journal" berichtet, dass die Genesis-Aufnahmen mit Peter Gabriel, der bis 1975 Teil der Band war, nicht enthalten sind. Der Wert des Verkaufs wird von dem Wirtschaftsmagazin auf über 300 Millionen Dollar geschätzt.
Musik
"Eigentum ist alles" - Madonna lehnt Verkauf der Rechte an ihren Songs ab
29. Juli 2022
Trend in der Musikindustrie
Auf Instagram verkündete das Label den Deal mit den Worten: "Wir sind bestrebt, ein Zuhause für Künstler und Songwriter zu sein, die sich weiterhin auf ihr außergewöhnliches Vermächtnis konzentrieren möchten, und freuen uns darauf, ihre Musik in den kommenden Jahren an zukünftige Generationen weiterzugeben."
Collins und Co. folgen damit einem Trend, den seit der Pandemie viele Musiker, deren Gewinne durch Streaming-Plattformen und abgesagte Konzerte zurückgegangen sind, für sich nutzen. So haben in den letzten Jahren schon Musiker wie Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Shakira, die Red Hot Chili Peppers oder Neil Young die Rechte an ihrer Musik verkauft. © 1&1 Mail & Media/spot on news
Senden Sie uns Ihr Feedback Kontakt in die Redaktion (Anmerkung: Hier nicht möglich.)
--------------------------------
Source: TheGuardian.com:
Man pleads guilty to stealing more than 1,000 manuscripts
Filippo B..... impersonated agents and publishers to obtain works from writers including Atwood, McEwan and
Sally Rooney.
Sally Rooney was among the authors reportedly targeted by Bernardini. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Agence-France Presse
Sat 7 Jan 2023 10.51 GMT (Foto fehlt hier, Anmerkung.)
An Italian man has admitted to stealing more than 1,000 unpublished manuscripts, including from distinguished authors, solving a mystery that had puzzled the literary world for years.
Filippo B...., 30, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, federal prosecutors in New York announced in a statement.
B....., who worked in London for the publisher Simon & Schuster, impersonated agents and publishers over email to obtain novels and other works from writers and their representatives.
The scam had been known in literary circles for several years, with Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and Sally Rooney among the novelists reportedly targeted. It became public knowledge in January last year when Bernardini was arrested by FBI agents at New York’s JFK airport.
Beginning in August 2016, and continuing up to his arrest, the Italian impersonated hundreds of people in the world of publishing by sending emails from fake accounts. The addresses resembled the domain names of legitimate publishers but with some letters changed. Prosecutors say he registered more than 160 fraudulent domains.
“Filippo B.... used his insider knowledge of the publishing industry to create a scheme that stole precious works from authors and menaced the publishing industry,” said Damian Williams, the US attorney for the southern district of New York (SDNY).
In 2019, Atwood’s agent revealed that the manuscript for The Testaments had been targeted.
In 2021, New York Magazine reported that the Swedish editors of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series had been approached by a purported colleague in Italy who requested an advance copy so it could be translated before release.
A New York Times investigation at the end of 2020 found that Rooney, the author of Normal People, McEwan, who wrote Atonement, and the actor Ethan Hawke had also been targeted.
B.... motive has never been clear.
Alleged victims were baffled by the fact the thefts were never followed by demands for money, nor did the works ever seem to appear online or on the dark web.
Screenshots from B....
LinkedIn profile shortly after his arrest described him as a “rights coordinator” at Simon & Schuster. The profile also said he obtained a bachelor degree in Chinese language in Milan and a masters in publishing from UCL in London owing to his “obsession for the written word and languages”.
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Simon & Schuster, which was not accused of wrongdoing, said at the time it had been “shocked and horrified to learn of the allegations”. “Protection of authors’ intellectual property is of the highest priority for Simon & Schuster,” the publisher said in a statement on Friday.
Hanif Kureishi.
Hanif Kureishi says he may never be able to walk or hold pen again after fall in Rome
Read more
“We are grateful to the FBI and Department of Justice for its defence and support of the intellectual property rights of authors throughout the world.”
B.... initially pleaded not guilty. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to pay restitution of $88,000, the SDNY said. His crime carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
B.... will be sentenced in Manhattan federal court on 5 April.
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USA: Six-year-old intentionally shot teacher in Virginia school, police say....
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Source: TheGuardian.com 4.2.23:
‘I’ve given up getting paid’: global tech platform accused of exploiting artists
Talenthouse claims to ‘democratise creativity’, but designers who have completed commissions for top brands are out of pocket
Artist Helen Clamp at her home in Bristol.
‘I don’t want them to get away with treating people like this’ – artist Helen Clamp at her home in Bristol. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Observer
Shanti Das (Foto hier nicht sichtbar, Anmerkung.)
Sat 4 Feb 2023 14.00 GMT
Last modified on Sat 4 Feb 2023 14.49 GMT
It is a global technology platform that claims to “democratise creativity” by allowing up-and-coming artists to submit work to the world’s biggest brands.
But Talenthouse, which boasts clients including Netflix, Sony, Coca-Cola and the United Nations, has been accused of exploiting artists and failing to pay them, in some cases leaving them thousands of pounds out of pocket.
The company, based in London, shares briefs from its clients and invites artists to create work that matches the brand’s demands – from designing a poster for a Hollywood film to an illustration for a drink brand’s social media campaign.
If their submission is picked, the artist is paid a fee, and the potential career benefits are huge: their work could be used in marketing materials and seen by millions of people around the world.
Since 2009, Talenthouse claims its service has helped level the playing field for artists internationally. On its corporate page, it implores companies to partner with it because “purpose-driven brands do better”. “Up your integrity. Virtue signalling is not enough. Take action with Talenthouse today and democratise creativity,” it adds.
However, Talenthouse contributors say the company is failing to deliver on its promises. The Observer has spoken to 12 creatives including visual artists, a photographer and a scriptwriter, who say they have not been paid money they are owed by Talenthouse, after completing briefs for companies including DreamWorks, Nationwide and Snap.
The group includes creatives in the UK, US, Poland, India and the Philippines. The problems are believed to be more widespread, with others describing similar experiences on social media.
One artist, Sarah Sumeray, 37, from Crouch End, London, said she has been waiting six months to be paid for a Talenthouse project from March 2022, creating a poster for the animated DreamWorks film The Bad Guys. Sumeray spent three days creating a unique design, which she later learned had been selected by DreamWorks. According to Talenthouse’s terms, she should have been paid $2,000 (£1,600) within 90 days.
Sarah Sumeray’s poster for The Bad Guys
Sarah Sumeray’s poster for The Bad Guys, for which she is still awaiting payment. Photograph: Sarah Sumeray
But the payment window came and went, and despite emails showing she repeatedly chased the company, she says she has still not been paid. “At this point I’ve given up on getting the money. But it’s so disrespectful to treat hardworking artists like this,” she said. “It was quite a big deal to be selected for something like that, and it’s quite a chunk of money. It’s just not fair.”
Another UK artist, Helen Clamp, 39, from Fishponds, Bristol, responded to a brief posted in August on behalf of Nationwide, asking for artists to submit illustrations for use in a social media “money mindfulness” campaign.
Clamp’s design was chosen in October and should have earned her £500 from Talenthouse within 90 days. But she was not paid either. After raising the issue with Nationwide, Clamp and others who were selected for the campaign received the money directly from the building society.
While she says Nationwide dealt with her case “really well”, she is sharing her story because she believes there is a “bigger problem” with Talenthouse’s payment practices. “I don’t want them to just get away with treating people like this,” she said.
Others understood to have been affected by the payment issues include an artist from Poland who is owed €600, which she says is “six months late”, an illustrator from Florida who is owed $2,000 for a project completed in October 2022, and a script writer from Los Angeles who is owed $2,500 for a project completed via Talenthouse which he was supposed to be paid for three months ago. All provided documentary evidence such as emails and contracts to support their claims.
In the Philippines, Robert Acle, 47, said he is owed $3,720 after completing four projects via Talenthouse between April and August 2022, but only receiving payment for two. “The excuses are always the same. They are having some issues with client payments so they’re behind,” he said. “We felt exploited and discriminated against, and we have no legal means readily available to demand for our right to be paid.”
In emails to creatives, Talenthouse has admitted experiencing problems paying artists and has apologised. In one email sent to a creative, a company representative said they were “so sorry” the fee had not been paid, and that the company had “experienced delays with funding coming in, which has in turn put a delay on outgoings”.
But artists have questioned why the company continues to advertise new briefs on its platform. This weekend, several projects were live and actively inviting submissions.
In financial statements posted online for investors, Talenthouse has claimed to be enjoying strong growth. According to its latest report, from November 2022, revenue grew by 29% and gross profit by 64% in the third quarter of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, driven by a recent acquisition.
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The company, which is listed on the Six Swiss stock exchange, also began new deals which added to its revenue streams, including “signing exciting projects with Trivago, Razorfish (World Cup video campaign), and several others”. “The number of customers generating over $1m in annual revenue for the company grew considerably in the last two years,” the report added.
Zita Holbourne, joint chair of the Artists’ Union England, said it was “totally unacceptable” that Talenthouse contributors had not been paid. “Artists can’t live off thin air. The work is very precarious as it is and you really need to be paid promptly and on time,” she said.
She said the payment problems raised wider ethical concerns about the business models of companies like Talenthouse, which rely on artists submitting work speculatively. Those whose work is not selected are not paid. Artists are routinely asked to grant permission for their work to be used at the point when they submit it.
Roman Scharf, the co-founder of Talenthouse and chairman of the board, said: “We are extremely sorry for this unacceptable delay in payments and any inconvenience and upset it has caused. We take this matter extremely seriously and are working on a long-term robust solution that will benefit all Talenthouse creatives. This solution is well advanced and we plan to announce it soon.”
Nationwide said it had commissioned Talenthouse to help with content for its Instagram feed and that it had “paid upfront for the work”. When it found out artists had not been paid within 90 days as they should have, it “took the decision to pay the 11 artists directly … so as not to inconvenience them further”.
A spokesperson for the building society said that working with Talenthouse had enabled it to access artists it might not have found otherwise. It has one outstanding brief with the company and said it would ensure the selected artists were paid on time. “We have no plans to commission any further work with them,” they added.
DreamWorks Animation said it was addressing the allegations with Talenthouse. Snap said it was looking into the matter.
There is no suggestion that artists who responded to briefs for other Talenthouse clients have suffered payment problems.
Clamp said she had little sympathy for Talenthouse’s claims about cashflow problems. “An ethical company should be ringfencing the part of their income that is due to go to artists who need to be paid,” she said. “From the outside, it looks like a legitimate business. But its claim to democratise creativity is a sham.”
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