New Stock Agency - Definitive

Posted on 8/27/1998 by Jim Pickerell | Printable Version | Comments (0)

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NEW STOCK AGENCY


August 27, 1998

Definitive Stock, a new Seattle based stock agency, has announced it will

officially launch service on September 15, 1998 and will supply both RF

(royalty free) and RP (rights protected) images. Their web site is already

in operation at www.definitivestock.com.

They expect to publish a catalog of a selection of their royalty free images

later this fall and another catalog of their rights protected images in the

spring of 1999.

They claim to have a library of about 25,000 RF images (about 10,000

currently on-line) and 50,000 limited use images.

The web site includes the complete RF or unlimited use collection and about 5,000

images from the rights protected collection. Their rates for usage for the

RF images are $19.95 for a 1MB file, $79.95 for an 18MB file and $129.95 for

a 45MB file.

Definitive will also be supplying CD-ROM collections with 100 images on each

disc. Topics include Corporate Communications, Industry and Production,

Business and Occupations, People and Lifestyles, Characters and Expressions,

and Transportation and Shipping.

The core of the Definitive Stock collection comes from an acquisition of

Borland Stock founded by Charlie Borland. Other photographers with

significant content are Bryan Peterson, Ken Anderson, Philip Coblenz, Sean

Sullivan and they currently have images from about 50 photographers.

The founders, Michael Carpenter and Dave Roberts have previous experience

working with Apple, Claris and Aldus Corporation and are experienced in

understanding and providing services to the graphic design field.

According to Michael Carpenter, CEO, "Many stock agencies are operated by

professional photographers and favor the needs of the supplier-photographer

over those of the customer-designer. Our focus will be toward the customer."

Carpenter also said that currently they are in an acquisition strategy and

will be growing both sides of the business. They employ 16 staffers and that

number is growing as well.

Ellen Boughn founder of After Image in 1976 in Los Angeles, and recently with

Corbis as Director of Content is the new VP/Managing Director and in charge

of acquisitions of all the rights protected images. She will also oversee

the development or their international distribution.

One of Boughn's jobs at Corbis, and an important part of her job at

Definitive will be to help define which images should be licensed as royalty

free and which as rights protected in order to maximize income for both the

photographer and the agency.

"In determining whether a specific image should be marketed in one way or

the other there are many issues to be considered including: legal

constraints, photographer philosophy, image content, style of the image, the

subject of the image and the state of the market at the moment," Boughn

said.

Boughn's goal is to keep the number of photographers they represent small so

each can have a significant position in the collection.

The percentages offered to photographers are the standard 50/50 for RP sales

and 20% to the photographer for RF sales. Boughn did indicate that in the

future they may have to look at adjusting the percentages for on-line Rights

Protected sales to 40% as TSI is now proposing to their photographers.


Copyright © 1998 Jim Pickerell. The above article may not be copied, reproduced, excerpted or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author. All requests should be submitted to Selling Stock at 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 162, Bethesda, MD 20817, phone 301-461-7627, e-mail: wvz@fpcubgbf.pbz

Jim Pickerell is founder of www.selling-stock.com, an online newsletter that publishes daily. He is also available for personal telephone consultations on pricing and other matters related to stock photography. He occasionally acts as an expert witness on matters related to stock photography. For his current curriculum vitae go to: http://www.jimpickerell.com/Curriculum-Vitae.aspx.  

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