Resale royalty scheme goes from strength to strength

After eight months of operation the resale royalty scheme for visual artists has generated $90,800 in royalties for 467 artworks eligible for a royalty.

A royalty is not payable on the first change of ownership after 8 June 2010, even if that is a resale. As a result, the vast majority of resales reported to CAL to date are not subject to a resale royalty payment. The total number of sales over $1,000 reported to date is 4,702. A royalty was payable on approximately 10% of these.

CAL has invited artists to provide their contact details so that we can contact them easily if we receive royalties for them. To date, we have contact details for more than 3,000 artists.

Meanwhile, over 300 art market professionals (dealers, galleries and auction houses) have provided information about commercial resales to CAL.

So far, royalties have been generated for 152 artists, with multiple royalties for many of them.

The first artist to receive a payment by the scheme was Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, the daughter of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. Gabriella received the royalty for her picture titled, Seven Sisters Dreaming.
 
More than 80% of the royalties to date are for Indigenous artists. In some cases, the artists live in remote areas and can be difficult to reach, but CAL is successfully reaching artists through a variety of means, including through Indigenous art centres and agents.  CAL has been engaging with Indigenous art centres and artists in remote areas, including by travelling to art centres, and attending important gatherings of artists and art centres such as the Darwin Art Fair, the Garma Festival, and the annual general meetings of the art centres’ umbrella organisations.
 
Since the scheme commenced in June 2010, CAL has appointed two specialist staff members to assist artists and art market professionals in the day-to-day operation of the scheme. CAL has been providing particular support to art market professionals – dealers, galleries and auction houses – to help them meet their obligations under the scheme relating to reporting of resales and payment of royalties and to help incorporate these obligations into their business practices.

Item posted on 8 February 2011