Getty Images reported record first quarter revenue of $156.5 million, a 20.1% growth over the $130.3 million earned in Q1 2003, and 16.4% growth over the $134.4 million in sales in Q4 2003. They benefited significantly from currency exchange rates, but even excluding this benefit revenue still grew by 11%.
PictureArts has completed an agreement to acquire Nonstock and will establish an East Coast office in the Nonstock offices in New York. Currently PictureArts has two RM brands -- FoodPix and Botanica -- and the RF brand, Brand X Pictures. This acquisition probably makes Picture Arts the 4th largest image seller headquartered in the U.S.
Some lessons for stock photographers farom the fashion industry. Are the high fashion, edgy looks the best sellers in clothes or pictures, or is it really about basics?
Alamy Images has announced that they have more than one million RM and RF images available for licensing from over 175 agencies and 2,500 plus photographers. This represents a 33% growth in content since this time last year.
PicScout image recognition software and Image-Tracker is now being used by Zefa and Masterfile to identify unauthorized uses. The technology searches commercial areas of the web for images and compares them with a database of images supplied by the agency. It can detect images that have been cropped, resized or colorized.
This issue has stories on Media Bakery being temporarily off-line; Central Stock going out of business and selling assets on E-Bay; Corbis giving away Apples; and a new Photoshop magazine from Dynamic Graphics.
This issue has stories on a Fire at Panoramic Images, Corbis Partners With InfoSpace Mobile, ImageState Staff Changes, AbleStock Adds Partners, and Index Stock Imagery Names Portuguese Distribution Agent.
The NFL has offered WireImage a three-year contract to take over management of its NFL photo archive that will cost WireImage at least $500,000 per year in payments to the NFL. Observers think the deal is too heavily weighted in favor of the NFL and WireImage is expected to make a counter offer.
Jupitermedia Corporation has acquired all the assets of Comstock for $20.85 million in cash. Jupitermedia had gross revenues of almost $47 million in 2003, but only $4 million of that was for licensing rights to stock photos and illustrations. It is believed that Comstock's current gross annual revenue is about $10 million.
The SAA (StockArtistsAlliance)is engaged in an ongoing study of Rights Managed usage fees worldwide and has uncovered some surprising price differentials. For some uses the price of purchasing an RM image from Getty Images in the UK is more than four times the price for the same usage in the U.S. In addition the price is determined by where the use is PURCHASED, not where the image is USED.