Looking for software to Manage your art business or gallery?

What to track limited edition artwork?

Want to manage and track art licensing contracts?

I’ve researched and collected the pros and cons of the various software out there into one place for review and evaluation. (Order does not necessarily indicate preference).

Summary of the Various Software for Artists and Galleries:

1. GYST – Get Your Sh*t Together
   • Summary -Made for the working artist this software focuses on educating artists  through the incorporation of a wide variety of resources and links to information about the industry. It incorporates all of these extras and a multitude of options for tracking in a nicely designed and easy to use interface and does it all at a very reasonable price.
2. eArtist
   • Summary - Primarily for the fine artist, this software focuses on preparing for and tracking artwork in exhibitions.
3. Masterpiece Artist Software
   • Summary -  Made primarily for a brick and mortar galleries or antique stores this software will track inventory for multiple artists, print receipts for sales, run reports on what is selling, and what is in inventory, and automatically update your website.
4. Artist Studio Software
   • Summary – Robust professionally made software, made primarily for galleries and museums, this company makes a lighter version for artists that has all the features, but carries a pretty hefty price tag.
5. Art Licensing Manager
   • Summary: Focused primarily on tracking contacts and licenses for art licensing.
6. ASX – Art Stacks
   • Summary – Made primarily for galleries and sales this software features a very easy to use drag and drop interface and hefty price tag.
7. Working Artist
   • Summary – Made mainly for the working artist this software’s functionality is more complicated, due to its utilitarian design and wide variety of data entry options. Blog states that a new online version is set to release sometime in the 1st quarter of 2011.

Gyst – Get Your “S$%&^$t” Together

Pros:

• Rewritten in 2010 from ground up.
• Available for both Mac and PC.
• $129!
• includes an archive of information on a variety of topics.
• Sections and ability to track information include:
  • Original Artwork, its locations, signature, condition etc.
  • Limited Editions
  • Artist Biography
  • Contacts, who they are and what industry they are in.
  • Exhibitions – where, when, what you need to hang, etc…
  • Grants and Proposal Writing
  • Information and resources – tracking books, web sites, magazines, etc…
  • Planning – Setting goals and getting them done.
  • Proposal tracking – who and when you’ve sent proposals too.
  • Research notes
  • Resume
  • And a Quiz/Survey on how together you’ve got it.
• Can track costs in making a piece to calculate pricing
• Link pictures with the artwork
• Contains a number of pre-built contracts.
• Contains already  built into it a LARGE number of links, contracts, checklists, articles on legal and financial issues, and presentation ideas. Really this software contains an amazing amount of info built right into it for learning about the various issues of art.

Cons:

• No specific data entry area for copyright information.
• No ability to track art licensing contracts.
• No export or update for to web site.
• Small interface that is not liquid (In other words it does not expand when you drag the corner down which means it can be a little hard to read.)

Screen Shots for the GYST software:

Screen shot of the Art Info tracking Page in GYST

Screen shot of the Contacts Page in GYST

Screen Shot of the Resources Page

eArtist by ArtScope

Summary: Primarily for the fine artist, this software focuses on preparing for and tracking artwork in exhibitions and collectors.

Pros:

• $125
• Runs on both Mac and PC.
• Tracks the exhibition history of a piece, costs associated with the art piece and the exhibition.
• Tracks limited editions.
• Can mark an artwork as sold, on proposal, traded, donated, gifted…
• Can add an image, print labels,
• Tracks “constituents” (ie clients) and can track when last contacted, create an invoice for client, or create mailing labels.
• You can import mailing lists from other sources.
• Find your major collectors and repeat customers.
• Enter and maintain your CV.
• Free 30 day Demo

Con:

• Mainly for the exhibition of fine art.
• No specific data entry area for copyright information.
• No ability to track art licensing contracts.
• No export or update for to web site.

Masterpiece Artist Software

Summary: Made primarily for a brick and mortar gallery or antique store this software will track inventory of multiple artist, print receipts for sales, run reports on what is selling and what is in inventory and update your website.

Pros:

• Features include inventory, sales, and contact control with automatic website updating.
• Offers Point of Sale
• Works well as a software for gallery, antique, and craft stores.
• Works with scanners and cash draw software.
• Free listing included on Masterpiece Online.com – Showcase 200 titles.
• Use the software to upload to a website.
• Offers credit card processing.

Cons:

• Has to run parallel on a Mac! (Support say there will be a version for Mac release in a few weeks. Date asked Mar. 20, 2011)
• Have to provide info to see details of software. No free demo.
• Version 9 + Website -1500!
• Masterpiece Manager – $1900!
• Not set up to track copyright information or registration on a piece.
• Not set up to do any sort of art licensing contract tracking.

Promotional Video from MasterPiece Manager – http://bit.ly/d4hE91

Promotional Video and Info on Latest version. http://on.fb.me/fzcZXX

Artist Studio Software

Summary: Very robust software, made primarily for galleries and museums, this company makes a lighter version for artists.

Pros:

• Does just about everything.
• Made by former gallery owners and artists for galleries and museums.
• Tracks limited editions and allows you to increase price as edition is sold.
• Although the web site package is expensive it is good for artists that are constantly uploading or removing work from their web site and can generate a web site from the database which can save money on hiring a web designer/developer.
• You can still export data from the database in another form for addition to a web site, but is not automatic and a bit more complicated.
• One time fee to purchase. No monthly or yearly fees.
• Free tutorial on how to set up, use and free”over the shoulder” support.

Cons:

• Studio version for artists is $795.
• Has to run parallel on Mac. (Mac version coming perhaps by end of year 2012?)
  • Have to Purchase Parallel or VR Ware – $79
  • Have to purchase Windows (recommended 7 Pro)- $100 – $200
• Additional Web Site Template that reads database and automatically updates is $2500! You can still export data from the database in another form for addition to a web site, but is not automatic and more complicated.

See Screen Shots…

Art Licensing Software by Tara Reed and Camp Software

Summary: Not really intended for tracking artwork per se, this software is focused primarily on tracking contacts and licenses for art licensing.

Pros:

• Build specifically by and for a successful art licensee.
• In the Collections (Art) tracking you can enter the name and the category of the piece and you can add an image.
• Tracks copyright date, date submitted, date received, and VAU #.
• Offers area to note where artwork is backed-up.
• Tracks license contracts, expiration dates, royalty rates, and commissions (how much you’ve made on both types of art and by company.)

Con:

• To work on multiple computers and with multiple users you have to purchase File Maker Pro as well. File Maker Pro 11 – $299, bringing the total price to $549.
• In Licensees data entry, no specified area to enter email or web site.
• Although you can include and track your art and the collection it belongs to, there is no data entry options for some basic art criteria such as medium, size, location, # prints, etc…

Screen Shots:

Art Licensing Manager Home/Summary Page

Art Licensing Manager Collections Page

Art Manager Licensee Page

ASX – Art Stacks

Pros:

• Easy drag and drop functionality.
• Made for mac
• Links to iPhone

Cons:

• $2400
• Made primarily for invoicing and sales.
• No specific data entry area for copyright information.
• No ability to track art licensing contracts.
• No export or update for to web site.

Working Artist

Summary – Made mainly for the working artist this software’s functionality is more complicated, due to its utilitarian design and wide variety of data entry options. Blog states that a new online version is set to release sometime in the 1st quarter of 2011.

Pros:

• Nice list of feature listed on front of we site: www.workingartist.com
• Support forum and knowledge base.
• $119 Download
• $134 CD

Cons:

• Has to run parallel on a Mac.
• Complicated interfaces
• Have to pay for demo
• No specific data entry area for copyright information.
• No ability to track art licensing contracts.
• No export or update for to web site.