15 major news outlets have joined together to oppose a restrictive photo agreement fot Ariana Grande’s upcoming Sweetener Tour. The agreement, which all photographers must sign to recieve a photo pass, includes a clause giving Grande ownership of all of the images.
The outlets – American Society of Media, Photographers American Society of News Editors, Associated Press, Associated Press Managing Editors, Association of Alternative Newsmedia, The Buffalo News, First Look Media Works, Inc., publisher of The Intercept Freedom of the Press Foundation, Gannett Company, Inc., Los Angeles Times Communications LLC., New York News Publishers Association, The New York Times Company, News Media Alliance, Radio Television Digital News Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists – are all arguing that Grande’s terms and conditions are so ridiculous that they enlisted the help of the National Press Photographers Association (NPAA) to send a letter formally requesting GrandAriTour, Inc. revise the agreement.
Points of contention include a “rights grab” clause, which would give Grande ownership of the photo copyrights, a waiver requirement that the photographer provide GrandAriTour, Inc. with digital files that may be used “for personal, commercial, and/or archival use by Company and Artist,” and a restriction limiting the photographer’s right to use certain photographs expressly approved in writing by Grande, “in a single instance, solely as part of a news item relating to the performance in the news publication of which photographer is employed.”
“This surprising and very troubling over-reach by Ms. Grande runs counter to legal and industry standards and is anathema to core journalistic principles of the news organizations represented here,” wrote NPAA general counsel Mickey H. Osterreicherin the letter.
Via the NPAA. read a pdf of the full Ariana Grande photo contract here and the letter of protest from the media here.
image: Ariana Grande, “7 Rings” Video via YouTube.