Usage rights (or “usage”) is the licence that defines where, how and for how long a client may use a model's images — one country or worldwide, one year or in perpetuity, print only or all media. Usage is negotiated and paid separately from the day rate, and often costs far more than the shoot itself.
What usage covers
Media — print, digital, social, out-of-home (billboards), TV.
Territory — one country, a region, or worldwide.
Term — how long, from a few months to “in perpetuity”.
Exclusivity — whether you're barred from competing brands during the term.
Usage vs day rate vs buyout
Day rate — pay for the day's work.
Usage — the licence to run the images; usually the bigger number.
Buyout — a broad, often unlimited transfer of usage.
What is the difference between usage and a day rate?
The day rate pays for the model's time on the shoot; usage is a separate licence for where, how and how long the images run — and it is often the larger fee.
What is a buyout?
A buyout is a broad transfer of usage rights, often unlimited in media, territory or time — the widest and most expensive form of usage.
Why does usage matter to a model's pay?
Because a big campaign's usage fee can dwarf the day rate. Agreeing wide usage cheaply gives away most of a job's real value, so agencies negotiate it carefully.