20% off all products!   Sale ends tonight at midnight EST.

Return to Main Discussion Page
Discussion Quote Icon

Discussion

Main Menu | Search Discussions

Search Discussions
 
 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

Az Peeps.....

I got in touch with an art agent there and I'm looking him up, seeing if any one knows him and how he works etc....you know the usual thing we do to protect ourselves. So just wondering if you know this guy.....

Russ Cannizzaro CEO, Editor In Chief
The Artrepreneur L.L.C.
http://www.artist.cm/
Glendale AZ

Reply Order

Post Reply
 

En-Chuen Soo

10 Years Ago

Hi, Steven,

It is no easy to maintain so many accounts. If that's work for you then you should keep it up. Wish you all the best.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Good morning.
En-Chuen, I think I've corresponded with Joanne a couple of times, but most of the time it was either Russ or Michelle. I guess it depends upon who happens to be minding the computers at the time you contacted them.

I've only been with them 4 months as well.
Given that we're still in a recession you have to keep in mind that the art market as a whole is very soft right now. I have 16 active accounts at various stock photo agencies and art sites and all of them are slow right now. As I mentioned in a prior posting I usually give a new agency I've joined at least a year to produce a significant sale for me before deciding whether or not to stay. Judging Artrepreneur after only 3 to 4 months is too soon. I was with FAA for several months before I made my first sale with them and they are not very consistent. I may have one sale one day and then go 2 months before I get another. A few of the stock photo agencies I belong to have gone 6 months without a sale, but I don't give up on them.

And Dan also has a point that it might also depend upon what kind of art you make. Sculptures and 2 dimensional wall art are 2 different animals and will draw a different line of clients.

As far as art shows or festivals, I've done plenty of those as well and they are no different. Some I make a profit, some I barely break even and some I lose money on. There is just no way to predict what the results are going to be in this economy.

 

En-Chuen Soo

10 Years Ago

That's the way how that game being play. I prefer to leave a comment at some related ideas , just to float for visibility. I think I probably doing better at art festival. Right now I'm looking to apply one . Thank s for your input & hope the Artrepreneur does work for you.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

I was on Houzz for a while ... But all I ever did there was solve other peoples problems and got thank You's. Never sold any work there... I ran out of time to spend searching for discussions.

It's ok...I will find a way and perhaps the Artrepreneur can work out.

 

En-Chuen Soo

10 Years Ago

I hear you. It is the same with me for FAA. Have you heard about www.houzz.com? You can set up a free a/c to engage a broarder audience.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

En-Chuen... It has been about 3 or 4 months. A few things separate my work from most others. I work in Sculpture. very different and unique sculpture. It is much harder to sell than paintings.... Also, FAA has not helped me get a sale in 4 years. I had to try something else or I may never sell anything.

 

En-Chuen Soo

10 Years Ago

@Steven, her name is Joanne.
@Dan, as I read on this thread, I figure that you have been working with them for around 6 months & you said there hasn't been any ales result yet, am I right? If that's is so, in my opinion, this is taken too long for an art representative who claims they have over 40 yeears experience. Don't you think so?

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

En-Chuen... Russ and some of his staff recently attended the licensing convention in Las Vegas to represent our work there. That is one venue. I understand that they are actively searching for buyers for work in the other places you mentioned. That is their job...It is my hope that they are able to make some connections and sales there. We have only been on board with them for a short while, but soon I'm sure there will be some results.

I also continue to refer prospective clients to my website. We wait to see what happens... as you know...Sometimes this process takes some time.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Hello En-Chuen.
If it was a woman that contacted you that could have been Michelle.
She works for Russ and handles some of the support questions.

 

En-Chuen Soo

10 Years Ago

Hi, All

I have been researching about this and found your thread. The lady (instead of Russ) who send same type of e-mail to me said their are marketing artists' works at venues like the Home and Décor Market, the Corporate Art Market, the Tourism Industry, Royalty/ Licensing Agencies, and the Collectible Gift Marketthey, etc, would represent their artists in selling our artists’ work, and negotiating consignments, commissions, sales, and licensing contracts for our artists, etc;

my question is: Has any of you (Steven or Dan) given such services they mentioned? If yes, in what way? How do they do their marketing?

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I've paid the $30 for a few years now, so I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember that the free account had limits of some kind. I think the free account was limited to a specific number of uploads per month and did not allow for sub-galleries. I didn't like the limits so I paid the fee.

As far as the customers being stingy, I looked it up. "Stingy" means to be miserly or unwilling to pay the asking price of an item for sale. The customers at the show were exactly that. Most of them did not want to spend more than $50 on any specific items, and since my metal prints were $350 I did not sell any of them. But they certainly loved to look at them.

You might say they had Champagne eyes but Beer budgets.

 

Donna Proctor

10 Years Ago

@ Dan - No, I don't believe he would since I did ask some of these questions in the thread he opened on FAA today... he never came back to answer anyone's questions. Then, kaput, it was closed!

@ Steven - actually, I believe that you are allowed as many uploads as you'd like with a free account here... and then up to 25 for print sales. The $30 is for premium membership and not for additional uploads over a specific amount... but rather to sell an unlimited number of prints. Sorry to hear about the art show..but I understand what you're saying...although, I wouldn't say it's being "stingy..." lol!

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Donna,
when I met Russ I asked him about the fee for the website and he said that is to pay for the hosting costs. I under stand that since I have my own business website and I have to pay a hosting fee plus an annual registration fee for my domain name. So naturally I would expect to pay something for him displaying my art on his website. After all, FAA charges a $30 annual fee if you want unlimited uploads for their site. Nothing is for free anymore if you want to keep most of the money from the sale.

The stock sites are free but you only get about 30 to 50% of the sale on average and they often only sell the images for a few dollars per copy.

As far as that art show I went to back in April, I barely broke even. People are very stingy with their money nowadays.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Donna... I was looking for the article I read...It was either on his site or in an email...Couldn't find it or I'm getting blind...

I'm sure Russ would answer any questions you have.

 

Donna Proctor

10 Years Ago

Thanks, Guys...appreciate your answering. :)

I guess I'd want to ask the person who wants my art resume if I can see his credentials or his resume showing me why he wants me to pay him for representing me and my artwork. I want proof that he is a successful marketer...since he says he markets to several types of clients. I want to see his list of clients and businesses where he's sold other artist's artwork, and not his own. I'd like to be able to talk to the purchasers for some of the companies. He has a website and he sells his own art. I think I read that the art company he is promoting is planning on printing and selling also, and I'm not sure how I would feel about a competitor marketing me...

Anyway - just some random thoughts in my head. I do hope the best for you that are paying him a fee on top of anything else that he is charging for... so, Best of Luck :)

--Donna Proctor

Edit: Steve, how was your art show in Sedona? LOL... I just read that you were having an artshow in April. So, hope it was successful :)

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I don't know about an art registry, but the BBB will only keep records of complaints.
If the business is not a member they will have no records unless someone has complained.
I know this for a fact because the BBB tried to recruit me as a member many times, but I could not afford their $600 a year membership fee.
I asked them if anyone complained about me and they said no but they also said that if you're not a member they won't keep any other records on a business unless there are complaints.

 

Brian Wallace

10 Years Ago

Isn't there records for businesses that can be referred to such as an art registry, or better business bureau, etc.?

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Hello Donna.
All I can tell you is that I met him in person and I found his company's articles of incorporation with the Arizona Corporation Commission, which means that he is most likely a legitimate business because it does take some effort and money to get that kind of paperwork done with the Corporation Commission.
As far as his credentials I only know that he is the Chairman of the Tempe High School Arts Dept and plans to retire from that to run his business full-time.

Other than that I cannot offer much more.

My personal policy is to give it a shot and see what happens.
I belong to many stock photo sites and several art print sites like FAA, and none of them are perfect. Some produce sales and some don't. I usually give a new company one year to produce some significant sales for me. If they cannot meet that requirement then I delete all of my images and close the account, which I have done a few times over the years.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Hi Donna... I believe I read more about his vision on his site. I am a bit busier than normal at the time and I'm really not too good at Multi tasking or typing, But I am interested in helping by answering. When I get a chance I will look up the article and see if I can get it posted.


Wow...What a busy day and I never even got started...LOL

 

Donna Proctor

10 Years Ago

I thought I'd jump into this conversation, since Russ' thread was shut down/closed suddenly... I say suddenly because it was still open and I was about to make a comment but I couldn't because it was close,d which was most likely by him since the mods don't shut down threads unless there is problems...

I did ask a question in that thread for Russ about his credentials. Since some of you have met him, did he share any of that with you? What makes him qualified to represent you and your work? Did any of you request his resume as it relates to representing artists?

TIA for any answers... :)

--Donna Proctor

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Hello Angelina.
I haven't made any sales with them yet, but it doesn't hurt to give something new a try for a while.
It is still slow at all the art sites I belong to. I've only made one sale at FAA in the last month.
But you can never have too much exposure.

Good luck with your meeting.

 

Angelina Tamez

10 Years Ago

Steven....how is it going?

I have an appointment tomorrow with the Ceo.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Caylena,
All I can tell you is that they are a legit business and I have met the CEO in person.
As far as sales, I've only been with them for 2 months and have not made any yet.
But then again I was with FAA for 3 months before making my first sale.
I also belong to a dozen other art and stock photo sites and all of them are not producing the sales I would like.
Apparently the market for art is soft right now because of this recession.

 

Caylena Cahill

10 Years Ago

I just got an email from this place as well. It is almost exactly the same email that is posted earlier on this thread. Usually that is a sign of a scammer - but apparently some of you have spoken to/seen this person in real life.

I'm wondering if there are any updates on this. Has anyone that is on this thread and who signed up actually making sales or at least having a decent ROI? What's the deal?

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I know what you mean Dan.
When I joined FAA I didn't get my first sale until 3 months later.
Hopefully you will do good, but don't be discouraged if it takes a few months.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Good luck at the Show Steve...Have a great time!!

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

I will Steve, I can't say I expect immediate sales, sculptures are difficult to sell, but you never know.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I plan to sign up after I finish with an art show in Sedona this weekend.
If you make any sales with them let me know.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Well, I'm in now and I spoke with Russ this afternoon. Since he lives in the area he will be able to view my work easily...A Big break for me because it's so hard for me to move my work. My work is all sculpture anyways, except for two paintings.

I Have to do something and I feel pretty good about this... My site is up, but still under construction. http://steelstuff.artist.cm/

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I've been using stock photo agencies and art print sites to sell my work since 2006. None of them are perfect.
Never judge a company on a few bad reviews. For every bad review there are probably 10 satisfied clients.
I usually give a company a year to produce sales for me. If they can't produce sales for me within that time period then I simply close the account.

For example; I belong to 14 stock photo agencies. Many photographers hate those sites because many of them sell the photos for as low as 20 cents.
Yet I have made several thousand dollars from those sites over the last few years, and that is from my less than perfect photos that I tend to send them.
If I had listened to those negative reviews I would not have made that money and probably would have ended up deleting those photos that were not good enough for the premium art sites.

My point is that it won't hurt to give them a try. From what I read in Artrepreneur's terms of service as long as you give them a 60 day notice you can always cancel the account if you're not happy with their service.

 

Alexandra Till

10 Years Ago


It was on a Google blog, but I can't find it again at the moment. Will search again later.

But don't forget, that's just someone's opinion ... and opinion is like a butt. Everybody has one.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Christine...Do you have a link to the Blog?

 

Alexandra Till

10 Years Ago


I got their email today, and read one blog on Google that said this company's services are not worth the money, implying that the $7.95 a month is just the beginning.

 

Gregory Scott

10 Years Ago

The fact that he's a CEO makes me think it's a one man show. While that does not mean it's a rip-off, or even that it might not be a good marketing tool, I would be careful. This is exactly what I would expect, and exactly what might mean he can't help you much. If he's legitimately trying to break into the business it might be good, or it might be very very bad, even without elements of scams or other such concerns. Don't sign anything, don't send unwatermarked digital originals. Ask about his brick and mortar resources, staff and their expertise, and so on. Ask for references from actual artists. If you can't find them on the internet, and communicate directly with them via phone, my reaction would be that he's not for real.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

OK... I had quite the busy day, but I wanted to touch bases with the questions that had been asked this morning.

Now bear in mind that My work is Sculpture, so for me specifically, this is a good fit. Mostly because these folks have agents in different areas consulting with Art buyers and corperations and actively marketing the work of the artists on their site. You have to qualify though.

I have been working on my new website, It's not finished yet, but I have been able to add a video page. Something that Sculpture needs I think, and after working on video's all day I believe it shows off my work much better than before. I still think I could do with some better images, but I'm working on that also.

Sales...LOL...Not yet...My site has only been active for a day, but I will be watching and keeping my eyes open for how things go. So far after all the research I did and the consultation, My wife and I are pretty happy with the possibilities and I'll let you decide what you think about my Site... (not finished yet). steelstuff.artist.cm

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Hello Roy,
I just finished testing a 10 foot wide tube frame I bought from the Flourish Company.
I used anchor shackles and U-Bolts to mount my grid-panels to it and then I covered the grids with black Felt Polyester Cloth.
There were a total of a 12 grids, each 2 foot wide by 6 foot high. They're steel, so there is roughly 200 pounds on that tube frame, plus the tube frame is about 76 pounds by itself.
I tied my 9 foot Umbrella to the top tubes of the frame with bungee cords.
I left it to sit outside for the last 3 days in high winds as part of the test.
It withstood 40 MPH wind gusts and the occasional Dust Devil sweeping by, so I think it is safe to say it will withstand the typical weather of an art show.

 

Roy Erickson

10 Years Ago

Back when I was doing art shows - my tent was a Light Dome - very sturdy - easy enough to put up. EZ ups are way to flimsy in the wind. I built my own stands - which were heavier than the tent - using 1X1s and peg board. It might not would have stopped a bull elephant - but it was very sturdy and there was very little problem with people bumping into it. It was a hollow square with an open front, a panel that came a little more than half way across from the center of the left side and had a 2 1/2' opening in the back right. I could use the peg hooks and hang my paintings all the way around. Once up - it was almost immovable by the wind.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

Susan,
If you look at your public FAA page you'll notice that there is a link in the upper right side of the page for emailing you directly.
That is probably how they found your email.
If I were you I would not disable that because that is how clients will reach you for sales requests that don't involve FAA.
I sold $250 to a client that contacted me using the email link from my FAA page.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

I am very busy right now but tonight I will be back with more info... Stay tuned...lol

 

Scott Sawyer

10 Years Ago

I just got a ping from them Monday and I'm trying to figure out what they are about. If anyone has chosen to use them, I'm curious if it has been useful / valuable yet. If so, I'll give them a try, but if not then I'll wait for the next art agent to discover me and want to pimp out my stuff.

 

Susan Rovira

10 Years Ago

I recieved a message from Artrepreneur at my private email address. They said they saw my work on FAA. So my question is how did they get my email address? Is FAA giving out our email addresses to this company?

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

You're welcome Dan.

I know about some shows requiring those tents.
I try to pick only shows that don't have tight restrictions on displays since I too am by myself and prefer to keep the setup as simple as possible.
I stopped using those EZUp tents because the last one I had got bent up in high winds at a recent show despite being weighed down.
I just ordered a tube frame to support my panels so that I can use a 9 foot wide patio umbrella for shade.
If the winds pick up I can simply crank it down so that it does not get damaged like the tent did.

Good luck.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

Steven... Artrepreneuar says that they handle sculpture, and it sounds like they do a lot more than just maintain a site so it may work well. After all it's in their best interest to promote and help sales.

I can do a few exhibitions, but Shows on a regular basis would have to be done from a trailer or something like that...I have trouble walking sometimes and can't lift much. Thunderbird Artists want you to have a White Pop up and don't give much consideration to the disabled. I would LOVE to do them though...

Either way I will find a way.. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

You could try art shows Dan.
I do art shows in Sedona and I've seen some people sell sculptures there, but they were either made of metal or wood.

But as far as on-line sales, there is a risk in any venue you try.
I belong to 22 on-line stock photo and art print sites and only some of them make me any regular money.

I don't know if Artrepreneur handles sculpture, but it would not hurt to email them and ask.

 

Dan Daugherty

10 Years Ago

I have been keeping this on the back burner... Seems I need to take a deeper look.

It is Soooooo Hard to put trust in online deals...and hard to sell sculpture on line also...

 

Steven Love

10 Years Ago

I know that this is an older discussion, but I also received an email from one of their representatives. Since I live in Arizona I had an in person hour long discussion with the company CEO today and I sensed no deception from him.
He told me that has been a professional artist for 35 years, and he holds the Department Chair for the art department at Tempe High School in Arizona.
He also said that he has 12 years of art marketing experience which is why he and a few other people decided to start this company.

The $7.95 monthly fee is for hosting the artist's artwork on their site. He explained that once you sign up all you have to do is upload preview images of your work. They don't want large high resolution images. All they need is website grade display images to show potential clients.
If they make a sale for you they get 10% and you get the rest.

Some of you raised concerns about the dot CM for their website URL.
I asked him about that, since dot CM is a country code for Cameroon. He told me that they had no choice on the URL because all the dot COMs and dot NETs that had the word Artist or Art in the URL were already taken. And he is right about that because I did a domain search and all domains with the words "Art or Artist" have been taken by other businesses. I asked him why he did not simply use his company "Artrepreneur" as the domain and he said that it is a difficult name to spell and using the word "Artist" was simpler and easier for clients to remember.

So, in my opinion, any concerns about this being a scam are unfounded.

I plan to sign up myself as soon as I finish some art shows in Sedona.

 

Laurette Escobar

10 Years Ago

I've been getting a lot of emails on this and so I think I'll put the answer here since this is where most of the emails said they looked for an answer.

So what happened is that I don't know how legitimate these people are. I think they are but the thing is I decided not to go with them simply because I didn't want to be shipping my work to AZ in hopes that it would get sold or into a gallery. So I decided to stay local. I'm working on getting my stuff up to Austin (hopefully this summer). So there's my answer.

 

Kim Jones Miller

10 Years Ago

I have also been contacted by Artrepreneur. I can say I am familiar with the name of one of the people involved. He used to own an art gallery in Sedona, Az. I have concerns that when you enter a search for the artists listed on the site using the artist.cm websites, most do not come up under those websites, which also makes me wonder if a lot of them have left.

 

Gabe Arroyo

10 Years Ago

Has anyone gone ahead and partnered up with The Artrepreneur? Is this a legit business?

 

Michael Anderson

11 Years Ago

Artist.cm has contacted me as well. I'm curious to see how this pans out for you.

-Michael

 

David Adamson

11 Years Ago

What concerns me is the ".cm" extension which does not show up on godaddy and has been used as a scamming responder through Cameroon. The also don't seem to have a lot of subscribers and clicking on some of the artists listed I got an error page which leads me to suspect some have left.

I did get a response back from one of their reps ( joanneschaeffer@artist.cm 480-277-7742) after posting some of the concerns I had.

I will be interested to see what you folk find out if you visit them.
David

 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

like i said, i havent been told i have join anything. i honestly hope this is a straight agent deal.

 

Dan Daugherty

11 Years Ago

ok...The $2.95 / Month, just jumped to $5.95 per month for the "Pro Plan" but you can't sell directly from "Your Personal Website" unless you have the Pro Business plan at $7.95 for more space and features.

So..... Unless the magazine subscription is a good thing...FAA is a better deal.

Even the Magazine is limited at the $2.95 rate. This one is not for me.

 

Dan Daugherty

11 Years Ago

There is a $2.95 fee for a subscriptionj to their On line Magazine, that has some good features....If it's legit... I'm going to check it out.

 

Ellen Heaverlo

11 Years Ago

Good luck to you and let us know how it turns out 8-)

 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

yeah i saw that but well look, here's the email he sent me:

Good Afternoon Laurette,

Thank you for your submission of your art. I really enjoyed the artistic
style you put into your work. Are you currently represented by any
galleries?

Regarding my background and experience, I am the CEO, and Editor In Chief
of The Artrepreneur (www.artist.cm) and we are both a Marketing Agency and
Resource Center for select artists. We do operate on a 10% commission
level for both selling our artists’ work, and negotiating consignments,
commissions, sales, and licensing contracts for our artists. We have also
created The Artrepreneur which is an online resource for artists that
provides important information, resources, and tools in the business of
being an artist.

Our marketing team consists of four outstanding marketing specialists who
collectively bring over 40 years of experience in art marketing.
I would be interested to discussing the opportunity to represent your
work. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.

Kindest Regards,
Russ Cannizzaro CEO, Editor In Chief
The Artrepreneur L.L.C.
www.artist.cm


No mention of fees or joinging their site so I guess I'll just have my phone meeting with him on Monday and see what happens!

 

Ellen Heaverlo

11 Years Ago

Laurette, I did a quick Google search and it looks like they are at least registered with the Arizona Corporation Commission....not sure if that would make them legit...here's the link:

http://starpas.azcc.gov/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=wsbroker1/names-detail.p?name-id=L17540589&type=CORPORATION

Looking at the website it looks like one has to buy a 'artist plan' for a monthly fee....then you can get your own website and access to some tools and discounts.

 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

check him out dan....we have a phone appointment on monday

 

Dan Daugherty

11 Years Ago

Laurette... I've never heard of this...And I am always searching for venue' here locally. I'm only about 2 minutes from Glendale too.

 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

yep, this is why i ask questions.

 

Daniel Rauch

11 Years Ago

yeah lol, wish i had some advise on this but all i really have to offer is a word of caution with whom ever you decide to do buisness with, check how long they have been in buisness for sure.

 

Laurette Escobar

11 Years Ago

HAHAHAHA.....that's good.

I answered an ad for a Houston Gallery. It turned out to be a way for them to get you to rent their gallery for a show.....$750 for a weekend show. If I wanted to pay to have my work shown, I'm sure I can hand over some loot to the Art Museum of S. Texas that is literally just 15 minutes away from me.

 

Daniel Rauch

11 Years Ago

the fact that he's a CEO leads me to believe he has no moral compass ....

 

This discussion is closed.