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PRESS RELEASES 29
January 16, 2007
Shutterstock Offers Largest Microstock Collection
Shutterstock® (www.shutterstock.com), already the world's largest subscription-based stock photo agency, today announced another milestone: Shutterstock has the largest photo collection in the microstock industry. "Microstock," a term that describes the newest wave of stock photo agencies, generally refers to companies that are web-based, source their photographs from a diverse pool of talent, and sell royalty-free images at rates lower than traditional "macro" agencies.
Founded in 2003, Shutterstock distinguished itself immediately with its user-friendly subscription model and superb photo library; today it has further differentiated itself from the competition by the sheer magnitude of its collection.
While this most recent achievement is about the quantity of images in its collection, Shutterstock's focus has always been on quality. Portfolios are carefully screened before photographers are allowed to submit images; once a photographer is approved as a contributor, each photograph he submits is then subject to screeners' strict criteria. Shutterstock currently accepts about 40% of the photographs submitted to the site, and, thanks to proprietary technologies, is proud to have one of the fastest approval times in the industry. The running total published on Shutterstock's homepage refers only to the photographs that have made the cut and are accepted into the collection, unlike other stock agencies that include rejected or deleted images into their "total" figures.
"We are absolutely committed to high standards for photo quality," said Jon Oringer, founder and CEO. "Numbers are irrelevant if the integrity of the collection is compromised in the growth process. We're proud that Shutterstock's collection has continued to grow while maintaining the level of quality the creative community has come to expect from us."
Keeping pace with the collection's growth, Shutterstock has seen significant increases in subscribers over the past months and is now the preeminent resource for creative professionals. Shutterstock's customer base encompasses professionals in industries like advertising, publishing, and the graphic arts as well as entrepreneurs in countless fields-but they are united in their constant need for fresh imagery. Shutterstock adds 15,000+ new premium images every week, ensuring that every search turns up fresh results.
"Feedback from our subscribers is very gratifying," said Oringer. "In today's highly visual marketplace, people need great images to compete. With the quality and size of our collection, we are able to offer great photographs at affordable prices that make a difference to our customers' businesses."
Zurich-Based Agency Announces Launch Of Sodapix.com
The new Swiss stock photo agency for RF and RM photography is now online. Sodapix.com offers a broad spectrum of images, especially to creative photography buyers and enables many new functions to Web 2.0.
With that in mind, Sodapix introduces the brand "SodaStyle": Images that are simply "more", whether lifestyle shots or challenging compositions. However, classical stock photographs are also part of the inventory of the more than 50,000 images encompassing the sodapix.com database. And it is growing a weekly rate of about 1,000 photos.
Both the visual language as well as the functionality of the Buyers' Portal is exceptional. Web 2.0 was consistently employed through the use of Ajax programming, which increases the speed and efficiency of the image retrieval process. Therefore light boxes and shopping carts are filled without the images reloading on the page. Image licensing happens instantly online, regardless whether the images are RF or RM.
The fees for RF images start as low as $50. Fees for RM images are in accordance with prices suggested by stock photo associations. This renders Sodapix economical but not "cheap". Photographs are subject to strict quality control and only superior photographers are accepted.
Also the rights to all image data offered have already been obtained, and each image indicates whether model releases exist and/or the image is restricted to editorial use only. This saves image buyers a lot of headaches.
Sodapix was founded in 2005 as a publicly traded corporation. Sodapix is a typical stock photo agency that does the exceptional: Typical is that we are the middleman between photographer and photo buyer. Exceptional is our holistic approach which enables shoppers to organize the entire purchaswe, including licensing, online. Exceptional is that our search engine is far more precise than what you are used to from other agencies. Exceptional is our visual language as well as out Photographers' Portal.
Corbis Names Sales Director For Australia
Corbis (www.corbis.com), which recently acquired Australian Picture Library (APL), today announced the hire of Sarah McCarthy as Sales Director to head the Corbis Australia office. McCarthy brings 20 years of advertising agency and marketing experience to Corbis and will oversee maintaining existing clients and building new relationships with commercial and editorial customers.
"I'm delighted to announce Sarah's appointment," said Sophia Yu, Vice-President, Corbis Asia Pacific. "From her experience at JWT, Young & Rubicam and the Accor Group, she has developed an expert understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the advertising and media industries. She is well placed to serve the needs of these creative professionals, and we're excited to have her join the Corbis family."
McCarthy will help manage the seamless integration of Corbis and APL operations, which will be completed over the next few months. She will also help roll out Corbis' Creative Resources offerings including Corbis Rights and Music Clearances, Artist Representation and Media Management.
"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to grow Corbis' business in Australia," said McCarthy. "Corbis has a strong commitment to providing innovative visual solutions and creative resources for our customers, and I'm looking forward to demonstrating this to the marketplace."
McCarthy is a graduate of the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts in History.