7
PHOTO SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
May 15, 2006
The figures below give provide some comparative information of 19 Subscription sites that are relatively easy to locate. There may well be more.
The data is what I could determine from looking at the first few pages of each site. The sites vary greatly in what they charge for their subscriptions and in their licensing strategies. These sites also make varying efforts to build community among buyers and to supply the buying community with some free information as well as photos. This community aspect is one of the things that draws customers to the sites.
Two of the sites - iStockphoto and Fotolia - are commonly referred to as "micro-payment" sites, but customers have to buy a minimum block of credits which has the same effect as a subscription. The minimum price for iStockphoto is $10 and for Fotolia $20. Discounts are available if you buy larger blocks of credits and Alan Meckler estimates that the average buyer spends $70 to $100 for the first block of credits.
|
Images
|
|
Single
|
1 Months
|
3 Months
|
6 Months
|
Year
|
| iStockphoto.com |
789,000
|
|
$1.00
|
|
|
|
|
Fotolia.com
|
667,884
|
|
$1.00
|
|
|
|
|
Shutterstock.com
|
751,097
|
|
|
$139.00
|
$395.00
|
|
|
Photosights.net
|
751,999
|
|
$6.95
|
|
|
|
|
Photos.com
|
180,000 |
|
$219.95
|
$139.95
|
$249.95
|
$349.95
|
$599.95
|
Ablestock.com
|
100,000 |
|
$199.95
|
$229.95
|
$299.95
|
$449.95
|
$699.95
|
| JIUnlimited.com
|
400,000
|
|
|
$599.00
|
|
|
$2,499.00
|
| Comstock.com
|
110,000
|
|
|
$229.00
|
$499.00
|
$799.00
|
$1,199.00
|
| Liquidlibrary.com
|
90,000
|
|
|
$125.00
|
|
|
$1,500.00
|
Photoobjects.net
|
100,000
|
|
$199.95
|
$99.00
|
$169.95
|
$249.95
|
$399.95
|
| Photosubscribe.com |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clipart.com
|
6,000,000
|
|
$9.95
|
|
$59.95
|
$99.95
|
$169.95
|
Photospin.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$299.00
|
Bigstockphoto.com
|
349,000
|
|
$2.50
|
|
|
|
|
123rf.com
|
300,000 |
|
|
$89.00
|
$199.00
|
|
|
Photostogounlimited.com
|
80,000 |
|
|
$49.00
|
|
$99.00
|
$149.00
|
| Indexopen.com
|
80,000
|
|
|
$199.00
|
|
$599.00
|
$999.00
|
| PurestockX.com
|
100,000
|
|
|
$139.00
|
$249.00
|
$449.00
|
$599.00
|
| Dreamstime.com
|
500,000+
|
|
$1.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total
|
11,537,981
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It should be noted that eight of these sites are JupiterImages brands. They are: Photos.com, Ablestock.com, Jiunlimited.com, Comstock.com, Liquidlibrary.com, Photoobjects.net, Photosubscribe.com and Clipart.com. Photosubscribe is designed to link users to Ablestock, Comstock, Photoobjects and Liquidlibrary.
Index Stock Imagery has two sites that are: photostogo.com and indexopen.com.
In most cases it is not easy to determine how many image suppliers or customers the sites have, but Fotolia says they have 75,788 members which includes buyers and photographers.