Concert Photography: Part 3—The Rights-Grab Economy, Copyright, Control, and Why Concert Photography Is Journalism

You shouldn’t have to pay for parking to do your job. And you shouldn’t have to sign your copyright away to cover a concert.

That’s the core problem with today’s rights-grab economy around live music: the people asked to produce independent journalism are being treated like unpaid brand ambassadors — with contracts to match. These agreements aren’t just annoying; they strike at the foundation of how editorial photography works, how journalists keep the public informed, and how photographers make a living. (Yes, we can do all three at once. It’s called “Tuesday.”)