Why do I always have problems with the Allgemeine Zeitung, our local rag?
A couple of years back, they lifted an image from this post and used it in their sister magazine and online. (When I asked them where they got it, they said “The internet” with a snotty “Yeah and…./Duh..?” intonation.).
They got to pay full whack with a 100% penalty surcharge.
At the exquisite Dylan concert at the weekend – best one I’ve been to by far, played “Sad songs and waltzes”, a Willy Nelson cover he’s never done before, plus an EVIL version of “Ballad of a thin man” – and grabbed an espresso from Paul Bonna’s brand-new (the concept, anyway…) mobile Kaffeekommune.
(The organisers of the Summer in the City concert approached Paul and 3 other niche purveyors of culinary delights (Currykartell, doing excellent currywurst, N’Eis, the icecream parlour from the Neustadt and Möhrenmillieu, a vegan foodtruck) to make a step change away from the standard fare offered at events of this nature.)
Given that it’s only the second gig of the series, they had the process down to a fine art, moving us through at a rapid pace with smiles and their usual good nature, but the image was a pretty good one, I thought.
Stumbled over an online Allgemeine Zeitung article last night, moaning about logistic shortcomings at other vendors and NO MENTION OF PAUL AND HIS CREW.
Dropped them a line, pointing out that Kaffeekommune was also there, with the image as evidence.
“Oh, thanks” they shoot back” We’ll publish it and pay you a fee”
Write back with my fee tariff (the standard VG Bild-Kunst one, based on size and print run ), they print a 1/8 page this morning – even mentioning Paul – I drop off the bill at their reception, get a call from the journalist.
“That’s WAAAY over the top, not a very good picture, we’re doing you a favour by publishing it, our standard fee is 35% of what we agreed to pay, we were very busy last night”
Ho hum.
At least it got Paul and his crew 100,000 eyeballs that they wouldn’t normally have got….
Update:
Tweeted out my frustrations to the AZ, get a mail from the editor of the local edition with profuse apologies and a commitment to pay the agreed rate.
Good that there are people around who stand by their word….
Mainz Daily Photo 
You are getting good at that, jb!
Well done, JB.
We have a local rag that never did pay me for photos it used, not only without my permission but without crediting me. Oh well, just don’t contribute to them again, I thought. But when friends of mine researched and wrote important articles, then waited nearly a year to get paid, several of us decided to put out the word. On Twitter. Loudly.
They begged us to stop. Pay happened. But none of these writers will contribute again.
I can see that being a serious nuisance.