Index Stock Photographers Happy And Energized

4

January 11, 2006

We're hearing more and more comments from photographers happy with the recent acquisition of Index Stock by Photolibrary of Australia. The photographers are getting regular payments in amounts more than they had expected. The fact that photographers are being paid for the use of their work wouldn't normally be a news story, except that in the case of so many other acquisitions in the last few years photographer's royalties have dropped substantially or disappeared entirely. Photolibrary is to be commended for the way it is handling this acquisition.

The Photolibrary US website is currently live in a soft launch and has approximately 1.5 million images. The company is aggressively scanning the Index archive and expects to add more images soon. In addition, the company is working hard to reinvigorate Index's photographers most of whom had given up offering new images to Index some time ago.

Photolibray has been acquiring companies since October 2002 and I now believe it is one of nine producers and sellers of stock photography that generate in excess of $20 million in revenue annually. We all know that the big three are Getty, Corbis and Jupiterimages. According to my estimates the next six in order are: Associated Press, amana (Japan), DPA (Germany), Alamy (UK), Photolibrary (Australia) and Image Source (UK). (For more information on agencies at the next level see my Story 564.)

Photolibrary's acquisition include:

• - October 2002: Photographers Library (UK)
  
  
  

  
  

• - March 2004: VPA Images now Photolibrary Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand plus now Philippines and Indonesia)

  
  

• - May 2004: Oxford Scientific Films footage and stills (UK)

  
  

• - June 2005: Garden Picture Library (UK)

  
  

• - November 2005: Stock Image Group now Photolibrary NZ (NZ)

  
  

• - May 2006: Photolibrary India

  
  

• - June 2006: Monsoon Images (US)

  
  

• - August 2006: Anthony Blake Food Library (UK)
  
  
• - September 2006: CDI Images now Photolibrary Middle East (Middle East)

  
  

• - November 2006: Indexstock Imagery (US)

The company has a staff of approximately 130 split evenly between the Northern (ie Europe and US ) and Southern (ie Asia Pacific/subcontinent and Middle east) hemispheres. They have offices in 11 countries around the world and can provide customers and contributors with a global sales presence rather than just a "website".

This company is one that photographers looking for representation ought to take a look at.