AudioMicro, Inc., which operates a network of digital content licensing marketplaces, has announced that
ImageCollect.com, its celebrity picture marketplace launched just five months ago has more than 1,500,000 mostly “red carpet” images available for download. The company expects to have more than 4 million images on its site before the end of the year. The collection includes archival imagery from companies like Globe Photos and current content being supplied by top entertainment photographers.
The company calls itself a “Microstock Celebrity Photo Marketplace” and currently use the “credit pricing” system made popular by microstock companies. Among the companies venture capital backers is Fotoilia LLC.
The company’s press release says, “ImageCollect aims to disrupt the celebrity photo market by applying the microstock business model of successful sites like iStockphoto, Shutterstock, and Fotolia to the editorial licensing space. The company aims to make celebrity imagery available to new media buyers and fans under simple pricing and licensing terms. Early customers include US Weekly, Life & Style, Tribune Media Services, NY Times Magazine, and Star Magazine, among many others.”
However, the company seems to be uncertain as to whether it wants to be a microstock company and address individual consumers, or focus on the traditional market for red carpet imagery. Currently it costs 20 credits to download an image. It is possible to purchase 25 credits for $19.99, but that seems a hefty price for a high school groupie to get a picture of her favorite star. If the customer wants a lot of images and is willing to spend $199.99 she can get 500 credits and that brings the price of one image down to $8.00. Subscription deals are even cheaper.
This company may create some problems for Corbis’ new acquisition,
Spash News. Both cover the same events and the images are similar. It is much easier for the occasional customer to search ImageCollect, than to search Splash News. But currently Splash provides a more full service offering than ImageCollect. Depending on the prices Image Collect finally settles on charging it may force Getty and AP to lower their prices as well.
Ryan Born, chief executive officer of ImageCollect said, “we plan to move to a different pricing system without credits soon. Unlike most stock sites, we do not price based on file size or subject matter - i.e.there is one price for full res imagery. I have never heard of editorial license pricing varying based on file size (space rates in print yes, but file size no) but perhaps I'm just limited in my experience (though I did spend 3.3 yrs at WireImage).”