Click Model Management
To Whom It May Concern:
I can help to clarify the situation with the Click Models
and ModelWire relationship, as someone previously associated
with one of these companies.
ModelWire is not a website service, it is a software
provider of both booking and imaging software products.
The imaging software uses the Internet as a delivery
method of distributing portfolios securely to clients
of the agency.
Each agency is given specific scanning, image editing
and automatic uploading software when signing with ModelWire.
Bookers can very easily and automatically send "packages" of
model portfolios to clients using the system.
However, the
$600 bill that the model received is
troubling to me as well as her.
ModelWire charges a set amount per model, per month
to the agency.
Typically, this amount has been in the $30 range ($30/month/model),
but because ModelWire has been experiencing tremendous
financial difficulty, it worked out a deal with Click
for $10/month/model.
This deal was worked out by Joey Hunter at ModelWire.
Unfortunately, this billing procedure has presented many
problems.
First, ModelWire cannot charge different amounts to
different agencies; other agencies that are being charged
more per model are being ripped off.
Second, Click is now charging $600 a year for this service,
which is a $480 per year profit PER MODEL for Click ($600/yr
- 12mos@$10/month).
I know that ModelWire is aware of this profit margin,
and has thus decided to change from concentrating on
the professional model market, and deal primarily with
aspiring models, because they see a much larger profit
potential here.
But when this occurs, the agencies will assuredly not
be pleased with ModelWire.
In regards to this specific model's
complaint, the $600 per year charge
could be validated if you see a congruent decline
in your portfolio distribution fees. Have your FedEx
bills gone down? Has your modeling revenue increased?
I agree with the editor's comments that the system should
be based on performance. The $10 per month charged by
ModelWire is actually a fair price, and it seems that
you, as a model, should take up this issue directly with
your agency.
Other agencies such as Elite and Karin have used the
software extremely effectively and have charged their
models appropriately.
If you see results, then you should have no complaints.
But I know that the agreement between ModelWire and Click,
in particular, was made to make each company a quick
buck.
I.I.
I.,
It was immediately suspicious that ModelWire does not
include their price on their website. It is always suspicious
on modeling company websites when the pricing is not
given, because it is a basic question which many people
want answered.
By not providing this information publicly, ModelWire
are obviously in a position to charge two companies different
prices, one more, the other less, basically as much as
they feel the company will pay.
The business ethics of two different prices for the
same service for two different companies may not be inherently
bad, but it is obviously going to be a problem if the
company paying more finds out.
This type of situation was reported earlier by people
who attended modeling conventions. Apparently some parents
were charged more —even much more —than other
parents. No explanation was provided for the disparity.
Some of these modeling firms actually are so bold or
tacky as to include a questionaire with the initial forms
of prospective models, asking the parents if they are
rich. Then of course they aggressively market products
and services to the wealthy parents.
The irony here with Click and ModelWire is ModelWire,
according to you, was the company is dire financial straits,
while Click was presumably doing fine, but ModelWire
ended up having to offer Click a discount to win the
account, yet it was Click which then turned around and
jacked up the price to make a huge profit.
ModelWire could be understandably upset or annoyed by
this, because it is their software, they did the work,
but Click did no work and makes the lion's share of the
money, what, about $500,000?
How many models does Click represent? How much money
are they making off this? And why is ModelWire "experiencing
tremendous financial difficulty"?
It is a bad situation for a Click model, because they
are trapped, presumably, and cannot refuse to pay for
this ModelWire service, right?
Click would obviously get a huge guaranteed income,
violating the modeling industry standard of income only
from commissions.
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