Michael Ochs Archives

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elphesadente

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I did a search on here for this subject but couldn't find anything...

Has anyone heard of this archive?

Getty Images bought it, but as I have a great interest in older music and music photographs, I'm trying to find out more about it. Apparantely, the archive has over 3 million music photographs, but here's my confusion...

How did the company manage to 'secure' the copyright of sooooo many pictures, particularly, as they didn't take the pictures themselves? Fantastic pictures of The Beatles, Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Rolling Stones, The Who etc etc.

I have recently bought 7 original Doors / Jim Morrison vintage photographs, copyrighted "Stern Magazine". These original photos (not prints) are 42 years old and I am very proud to own them. I do not own the copyright though.

Does anyone have any answers? Thank you :wave:
 
You can buy anything, it's just a matter of negotiating the price with the owner. A physical print, the copyright of an image (or collection) or a license to use it are all seperate commodities that can be bought/sold.

Identify the owner of the archive (usually the photographer or his/her estate if they've died) agree a sum, sign a few legal papers and hand over a wedge of cash.
 
Thanks for replying. I understand how a company like Getty Images can by MOA, because he's done all the hard work, and they've come in at the last and just swiped the lot, BUT, how did Michael Ochs Archives do it year on year?

With what you're saying, it MUST have cost him a small fortune to "agree to this, agree to that?"

(not necessarily looking from another reply from you!) Thanks again...
 
Do what year-on-year?

Archives work on the basis of selling licenses for usage. They set fixed prices (there might be a variation depending on the customer, I imagine Stern! would get a better price than Joe off the street) so the ongoing licensing of images is very straightforward. Using standard contracts the process can be entirely automated and nowadays done online. You want this image for that use, that will be £X. Sign here (or click to accept the terms) and the job's a good 'un.

Getty won't have "swiped the lot", they've undoubtedly paid a sum of money for the rights. A sum of money based on the perceived value.. refelecting the historical uniqueness of the archive, the current income being achieved from it, the remainder of the copyright period applying to the archive, etc.

It's not much different to owning a building. You charge rent to individual tenants and earn an income. Some are short-term, some are long-term. One day you sell the building.. the new owner now receives the income and deals with prospective tenants, and you move on with a chunk of cash in your pocket.
 
First off, I meant Getty 'buying' Michael Ochs Archives...

As for 'year on year', what I mean is...Michael Ochs Archives in their 1st week of trading have bought the rights to 1 set of images, correct? Lets call it the Beatles in Liverpool 1968, then the next week, he comes across another set of images that contain Hendrix posing in Central Park, NY. Surely he has had to buy the rights to these images too? Then, there's a 3rd set that his office finds in the 3rd week...it's The Doors outdoor concert in Frankfurt, 1968. Once again, he buys the rights to these images.

So, unless I've got this completely wrong, Michael Ochs Archive have now bought the rights to 3 sets of images and can do what he likes with them? He has had to pay someone / a company 3 different times to 'accumulate' these images/rights? So, he's constanly buying the rights to images week in week out, year on year, correct?

That's what I was meaning. Have I explained it better?
 
elphesadente said:
So, unless I've got this completely wrong, Michael Ochs Archive have now bought the rights to 3 sets of images and can do what he likes with them? He has had to pay someone / a company 3 different times to 'accumulate' these images/rights? So, he's constanly buying the rights to images week in week out, year on year, correct?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's how image archives do business.
 
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