This week our Tania is speaking to the one and only Margo Tantau (the licensing whisperer).Margo is a good ship Pal, founder of Tantau Studio and you might have heard her on her brilliant podcast Windowsill Chats. Here's a link: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/windowsill-chats/id1529045232 In this chat, Tania and Margo talk about all the important stuff liiiike:What is licensing? How do you get paid? Can you REALLY license work you've already made? Margo even shares her secret weapen for getting art directors to fall in love with your work.Some very good bits too: AI slop is NOT getting in the way of artists with real human hands. Hoorayyyy. That's good news for all of us, eh?Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:00:00 – Intro to Margo Tantau and her 360-degree licensing career 02:30 – Welcome back to the licensing whisperer 04:00 – Artist, shop owner, buyer, product developer, agent: Margo's done it all 06:00 – How Lilla Rogers passed the agency baton to Margo 10:30 – Why relationships are the real gold in licensing 12:00 – What licensing actually is (from spice labels to Nike) 13:00 – How you get paid: advances, royalties and typical percentages 16:00 – Can you licence work you've already made? Yes! 17:00 – Margo's secret weapon: show your art ON the product 20:30 – You don't need perfect mock-ups (a drawn teacup works too) 21:00 – A creative challenge: turn one piece into a mini collection 23:00 – Is AI hurting licensing? Why Margo's clients say no to AI art 25:30 – Tania's shock at the AI souvenir flood in Hong Kong 28:00 – The hand of the artist, texture, and quality signalling 30:30 – The UK licensing landscape, life after Surtex 32:30 – A London licensing expo 36:00 – People buy what they see: Margo's plates, fabrics and jacket stand 38:00 – The Licensing Lab at Spring Fair 39:00 – A sneaky tip for finding which exhibitors licence art 40:30 – Should licensing-curious illustrators go to Spring Fair? 41:30 – What does a stand actually cost? 44:30 – Why walking a trade fair beats a day of LinkedIn research 45:30 – Fancy matchboxes, candles, and buying things just for the art 46:30 – The big takeaway: people still want real art 48:30 – Community, Bologna, and the gold at the bottom of the rainbowLinks mentioned:Margo's website: https://margotantau.com/Tantau Studio: https://www.tantaustudio.com/Windowsill Chats podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/windowsill-chats/id1529045232Windowsill Chats on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windowsillchatsSpring Fair (NEC Birmingham, 7th to 10th February 2027): https://www.springfair.comByeeee for now!x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)p.s. Want Margo's full licensing class? It's waiting for you inside Illustration Business Club, along with aaall the other money-and-business bits art school forgot to teach you. Doors open on 25th of September 2026! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/businessCome and say hello! ✏️ @thegoodshipillustration🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.comp.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙

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