Since 2004, Corbis has devoted significant resources to preserving the historic image collection. The Sygma Preservation Initiative will move 50 million slides, negatives, prints and contact sheets to a new, climate-controlled, fire-safe and secure home near Paris.
ImageSpan's newest product, LicenseStream, nears a full launch on Oct. 31. Although the online platform will host photographers' images and other content, its purpose is to offer transactional support with the rights-management process.
The Bodø, Norway-based microstock underdog Crestock has unveiled the third version of its Web site. Crestock sells individual-image licenses, bulk-credit packages and subscriptions. Its business model is similar to other microstock providers in all ways save one: competing on image quality.
Former Getty Images CFO Lawrence Gould wants to appeal to the Google generation of creatives with his new royalty-free stock library ImagePick. Co-founded by Gould and former Getty director of e-commerce Tom Donnelly, ImagePick promises search simplicity and image quality.
The explosion of video has already affected the stock-licensing and photography industries. The largest stock-image companies have all diversified into video-related service lines. And the impact is felt by companies large and small.
Two British image companies, Rex Features and Loop Images, launched redesigned Web sites this week. London-based Rex Features made over its site completely, adding new features, while Surrey-based Loop Images streamlined its home page to make it more user-friendly.