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Jenny, Thanks very much for sharing that anecdote. Your letter to the station sums up my feelings on the issue in a concise and articulate way, and I really like your analogy about asking restaurants to compete. Kudos to you for speaking out! Also, I wasn't familiar with that Tim Kreider article so I appreciate the link. Emily --- *Emily S. Damstra* natural science illustration Guelph, Ontario (519) 616-3654 *[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>* www.emilydamstra.com emilydamstra.wordpress.com Twitter: @EmilyDamstra On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 12:36 AM, Jenny Keller <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Here's an anecdote: > > Our local public radio station, KAZU, recently invited artists to enter a > contest to design a mug that will be given to donors as a thank-you gift > during their on-air pledge drive. I wrote the station a letter (the text of > which is included, below) explaining why these contests are unfair to > artists. I was pleasantly surprised when the manager of the station wrote > me right back and asked to talk on the phone. I'm happy to say that he > listened attentively, and said he hadn't really thought of things this way > before. When he asked if I thought that paying the winner would fix the > problem, I said that it would certainly help the winner of the contest, but > that it didn't get at the root of the problem -- i.e., all the other > artists that would have done the work for nothing. I told him what would be > better would be to simply hire an artist and pay him or her for their work. > > During our conversation, I used the analogy that it would be like asking > restaurant businesses to compete to donate *food* for the pledge drive. > As in, "Okay, you guys go ahead and make the food you want to donate, bring > it all over, and then we'll look at all the donations and pick the food we > like best. Be sure to do a nice job, because this is a contest, and if you > win, we'll mention your business on the air! If we don't pick your > donation, however, then tough luck -- you'll get nothing for all your > trouble. Sorry, too, for all the wasted time, effort and resources you'll > have put into it." This analogy (as well as a few key phrases quoted from > Tim Kreider's wonderfully-articulate NYT op-ed article: > http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/opinion/sunday/slaves-of-the-internet-unite.html?emc=eta1&_r=1) > -- helped get the message across! > > The station manager and I agreed that it'd be awkward to go on the air and > cancel the contest at this point, but he did agree that KAZU would not hold > any more such contests in future. > > Here's to small victories. (And I didn't even have to cancel my > membership!). > Jenny > > > *my letter to the radio station*: > > Dear KAZU, > > I've been a proud member of KAZU for over a decade, but I am writing to > tell you how dismayed I was to hear that KAZU is holding a "design > competition" to acquire free artwork for a mug that will be offered to its > subscribers. > > Citing such incentives as "we want to involve you in what we do" and "this > is a way you can leave a lasting impression on KAZU Public Radio", KAZU > is, in fact, asking any number of artist/designers to spend their valuable > work time and creative energy on something that, for all but one of them, > will result in no (absolutely zero) reward, and which for one "lucky" > winner will result in "significant on-air mentions during the Fall 2015 and > Spring 2016 membership drives" -- or, in other words, no monetary > compensation whatsoever. > > These types of contests are inherently unfair to artists who, despite the > myth of "getting paid to play all day", are actually highly-skilled > professionals who work long hours, often for modest pay. By holding a > "design competition", you are taking advantage of a large number of > creative people, (slimly) rewarding only one of them, and acquiring your > very own custom mug-design for free. > > This is completely different from a situation in which you might approach > an artist whose work you like and ask them to create *and even donate* a > design you fully intend to use. In such a case, the artist would at least > know from the outset that his or her work would end up being used for its > intended purpose, that it would not have been created for nothing, and > would -- presumably -- reach an audience the artist has deemed valuable to > the development of his or her business. > > As mentioned above, I have been a member of KAZU for many years. This > issue is of such moral and professional importance to me, however, that I > regret to say I will not be renewing my membership. Until I'm assured that > the station will no longer hold "competitions" that endeavor to induce > creative people to work purely on speculation, I'll not only withhold my > own membership but will strongly encourage my colleagues and illustration > students (as well as their friends and associates) not to support a radio > station that endeavors to take advantage of people in creative professions. > > For additional discussion on how spec work harms artists/designers as well > as the outcome of design projects themselves, please read more at > http://www.nospec.com (a site with which I have no personal affiliation). > > I look forward to a response from KAZU regarding this issue. > > Sincerely, > Jenny Keller > > > Need to leave or subscribe to the Sciart-L listserv? Follow the instructions at http://www.gnsi.org/resources/reviews/gnsi-sciart-l-listserv