A reader asked recently, “Is it true that Unsplash is now getting more downloads than Getty, Shutterstock and Alamy combined?” According to
Unsplash’s statistics page they currently have
70,263,886 downloads per month. Based on Shutterstock’s last
quarterly report they have about 15,433,333 downloads monthly. Their downloads per quarter haven’t changed much quarter-to-quarter over the last two years so I think this number is a pretty good average and not really growing.
A key tool for professional photographers for more than 50 years will no longer be available to future photographers as DynaLite Inc. files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (all assets will be sold off to pay creditors).
Freepik Company, a platform of free and exclusive graphic content, has signed Rod Oliveira to a newly created position of Chief Marketing Officer in a move to strengthen an area of great strategic relevance for the brand.
It won’t be long until commercial image users, and possibly news outlets, will no longer need photos taken by human photographers. This will particularly be true for photos of people. Every image will be digitally created from existing photos and nothing will have any relevance to reality.
Photo District New, the preeminent publication for professional photographers in the U.S. has folded. See the sad story of its demise in
ProPhotoDaily. Individuals thinking of, or trying to establish, a career as a photographer should carefully consider whether this line of work has any long term future if the business is not healthy enough to support an industry publication for professionals. This certainly is another nail-in-the-coffin of the idea of photography as a career.
I just read a story on
Passive Income. The writer suggests that
stock photography is one way to earn passive income and says it “is income you earn from things you would normally do in your spare time, or when you’re not working at a salaried job.”
Active Income, on the other hand is the salary you get from the work you do by investing time and effort directly in return for money; if you don’t work, you don’t earn. Whether you are a teacher, a builder, a banker, a software developer, an athlete, an actor, or a doctor, you have to work to earn a living.” The time you spend working is tied to the income you receive.
In 2019 among the most successful creative industry events in New York were
footageMarketplace and
imageMarketplace. This year these two events have been combined and renamed
creativeMarketplace New York 2020. The event will be returning on April 1, 2020 to the Midtown Loft at 267 Fifth Avenue (29th St & 5th Av.) in New York City and will be open from 9:30am to 7:00pm.
Shutterstock says it is excited to announce a new
annual music subscription for only
$199 per-year or $16.60 per-month. This subscription gives the user the freedom to download as many tracks as needed, whenever they need them, for one low yearly price. Those interested may visit the
pricing page to start their subscription.
The
2020 CEPIC Congress, the largest networking hub for agencies worldwide will take place at the Gran Melia Victoria in Palma de Mallorca from 27 to 29 May 2020 with a welcome reception on May 26th. Registration is now open. For fees and other registration details check out
this link.
The
“Lean In” concept in business generally suggests the idea of moving forward on an idealized path. Chest out. Chin up. Figuring it out along the way. Watch out, world — here I come.
“Step Back” is more about taking the time to assess the overall business landscape and consider long term risks and potential, and the likelihood of achieving long term goals. After carefully assessing one makes a decision as to whether to aggressively Lean In on the path they have been headed, or make radical adjustment in direction for their long term good. It is time for everyone in the stock photography business to
“Step Back.”
About Michael Masterson
Michael Masterson has a broad range of experience in marketing, business development, strategic planning, contact negotiations and recruiting in the photography, graphic design and publishing industries. In addition to his long experience at the Workbook and Workbookstock, Masterson owned and was creative director of his own graphic design firm for several years.
Masterson has been a speaker or panelist at industry events such as Seybold, PhotoPlus Expo, Visual Connections and the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) national conference. He is currently the national president of the American Society of Picture Professionals (ASPP). He also serves on the board of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in his Los Angeles community. He chaired the marketing committee for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a historic preservation advocacy group, for many years.
He currently heads Masterson Consulting, working on projects ranging from business development for creative companies and sourcing talent for them to promoting and marketing industry events as well as providing resume and professional profile services for job-seekers. He can be reached at zvpunryqznfgrefba@tznvy.pbz.