Google: Do no evil? Then pony up some dough for a starving artist.

By Lon S. Cohen

“You’d think that if anyone can afford to pay artists and designers it would be a company that is making millions of dollars.” – Illustrator, Joe Ciardiello in an interview with the New York Times about Google’s offer to artists to use their work for free “exposure”.

This still gets me angry so I thought I’d finally post this even though I wrote it months ago:

In an article in the New York Times titled, “Use Their Work Free? Some Artists Say No to Google” I was taken aback to say the least by the gaul of a company worth billions of dollars to ask artists (and we’re talking working, successful artists here) for the opportunity to use their work to decorate one of their new beta programs, for free. I find it appalling the level of disrespect that some people and most companies have for artists and writers. They always want us to work for free or for the vague idea of “exposure.” There is value in exposure but when it’s tied to a good cause or a charity not the product launch of a billion dollar corporation so they can appear cool and hip to the public. Want to be alternative, different, cool or hip? How about paying for an artists’ work. Paying what it’s worth.

I’ve been a painter and a writer in my years. In some form or another I’ve been creating art for my entire life. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve been approached my companies or groups looking for me to expose my work to the world all for their own benefit and for zero pay. Imagine how many people will see my work. Also imagine all those people passing me by with my credit card bills through the roof and my stomach grumbling. It’s been a long slog but I worked very hard to get to the point where people actually pay me to write. I’d be damned to give it up to Google for free! So I understand how illustrators approached by a multi-billion dollar corporation that claims to “do no evil” would be insulted/angry.

Google should at the very least offer like a full year of Advertising for these artists with an unlimited monthly budget. That would be of value. Seems to me that Google should understand the value of “exposure.” That’s how they make all those Billions.