Photographers should be aware of the number of images already in online
databases and recognize that any images they produce will be competing
against those that already exist.
While proliferation of digital stills has not led to growth of
still-licensing revenue as a whole, continued and explosive growth of
online video most certainly will. Video, particularly advertising and
corporate projects, continues to command higher budgets than print.
Online video advertising is also more affordable than spot television,
which has led to growth on both ends of the spectrum: larger companies
are adding it to their mix; smaller businesses that never produced video
before are adopting it.
The Picture Archive Council of America has announced that Condé Nast vice president of editorial operations will kick off the 2010 PACA conference.
So far in this series we’ve learned there is declining demand for images
that will be used in print, and growing demand for images that will be
used online and in electronic formats. Photographers just starting out
should be aware of the number of images already in online databases and
recognize that any images they produce will be competing against those
that already exist.
Photopreneur—a popular Web
site dedicated to helping professional and enthusiast photographers earn
income from their images—has announced the release of the
Amazing Public Domain Images Sourcebook. Published by New Media Entertainment, Photopreneur’s parent company, and available via Amazon.com,
the title helps art directors, photo editors and others seeking free
images source them among the millions currently available online.
As recently as five years ago, almost all (an estimated 98%) of all stock-photo revenue came from print uses. In the last five years, demand for images to be used electronically has
grown dramatically. Today, such uses account for roughly 20% of the
total industry revenue.
Though
unit sales are declining for many iStockphoto sellers, many of the same people are also seeing significant revenue increases. Here’s how.
Toronto-based Masterfile has launched a royalty-free subscription service, which provides a fixed number of images in a set resolution for a flat fee.
Ed.: Tom Grill originally wrote on the subject of volume relative to
price last November. The sentiment remains true today: like it or not,
the industry is changing dramatically, and the winners will be those who
can adapt to the new paradigm.
Traditionally, the primary uses of still pictures were in printed
products such as magazines, newspapers, books, brochures, direct mail
promotions, catalogs and—to a much smaller degree—posters and product
packages. An estimated two thirds to three quarters of all revenue
generated from stock pictures (in the range $1 billion worldwide) comes
from print image uses, but this demand has steadily declined for a number of years.