Articles by Jim Pickerell
In less than 30 days, the Picture Archive Council of America will launch the beta version of pacaSearch, a new search engine expected to enable stock agencies -- particularly the smaller specialists -- to more effectively compete in today's very crowded market. The service will be free to PACA members.
One of the things that is a mystery to most photographers, microstock and traditional, is the inspecting (or editing) process. Every microstock agency has slightly different standards that it rigidly enforces. Microstocksolutions founder and managing director Mark Milstein shares the workings of his micro-inspection company, which operates in central and southeastern Europe and services a growing number of microstock agencies.
In a letter signed by Jonathan Klein, iStockphoto's exclusive contributors have been invited to contribute to Getty Images' rights-managed collections Stone and The Image Bank. Klein said, "We've been dreaming about this one for years and today we are proud to call it a reality."
Jonathan Klein was recently interviewed by Dan Sabbagh of London-based TimesOnline, where Klein revealed that Hellman & Friedman will own Getty Images for longer than the investment company's typical period of three-and-a-half years. Another revelation: On a non-remarkable October Thursday, Getty-owned iStockphoto did $850K worth of business.
A survey of attendees at last weekend's Picture Agency Council of America's 14th Annual International Conference in Miami, Fla., found that, on average, stock agencies and production companies have had a 21% decline in 2009 revenues compared to 2008.
There are some who have been in the stock photo business for a long time who would like me to say that nobody can make any money selling microstock, or something along the lines of, "If you'll just license your images as rights-managed like I've always done, you'll get rich like I am." Such assertions are patently false and irresponsible to the next generation of photographers.
The microstock submission process is an issue that frustrates many photographers. Lookstat simplifies this process for those more interested in spending their time taking pictures than sitting in front of a computer.
Kelly Thompson recently said: "Today, some artists are finding they can make a good living exclusively selling microstock. iStockphoto has many contributors making anywhere from $40,000 to $500,000 a year." Let's examine the earning potential based on the figures of some of iStock's top earners.
To most, "one-time rights" licensing means the customer gets the right to use the image only once, not multiple times, for the purpose specifically outlined in the invoice. Any use beyond that is viewed as copyright infringement. However, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is currently trying to argue in court that "one time" means the publisher can print any number of copies of one edition of a book, so long as they do not use the image in other unauthorized editions.
In "Adding Microstock as a Revenue Stream," Kelly Thompson argued that "technology and innovation perpetuate our ability to lead better, longer and healthier lives." Unfortunately, this is a false premise. Technology and innovation MAY do these things, but not always, not automatically and not necessarily for all stakeholders.