StockPhotoTalk | Special Interest Blog

QuickLinks For 2006-04-30

• New book on licensing:
  Allworth Press has a new book out on licensing your images. Written by photographer Richard Weisgrau and and copyright and itellectual property lawyer Victor S. Perlman, Licensing Photography covers all aspects of rights management for the digital photographer.
  Jay Savage/TDPW.
  Tags: Licensing images photos pictures

QuickLinks For 2006-04-29

• Business 2.0 - Fotolia the eBay of Stock Photography:
  In the May 2006 issue of Business 2.0 the “What’s Next Section” Fotolia is as an eBay for stock photography. They recognize that Fotolia’s business model, and technology create an eBay like marketplace for photographers and artists to buy and sell stock photography. Fotolia hosts over 600,000 royalty free images.
  Fotolia blog.
  Tag: Fotolia

Google Finance And Web 2.0 In The Stock Photo Industry

Only 21 months ago, Jim Pickerell wrote about "Leading Stock Photo Sellers" (Story 564, July 2004, requires registration).

The story specifies numbers for the biggest 80 photo agencies worldwide. Some of these numbers are estimations. In the meantime, nine of the listed companies were sold to other stock agencies (that´s anyhow 11.25 percent). And, for example, JupiterImages was listed at that time as one of the mid-sized companies, with sales under $20m annually.

QuickLinks For 2006-04-28

• Corbis Outline Loses Two Top Executives:
  Bill Hannigan, the director of Corbis Outline, and his deputy, Elodie Mailliet, are leaving the company. Is Getty Images gaining ground in the celebrity photography market?
  For years the one distinct advantage the Corbis Corporation had over its bigger rival Getty Images was Corbis Outline, the high-end celebrity portraiture division that is the jewel in the crown of the Bill Gates-owned imagery company. Now that advantage appears to be shrinking, as Getty continues to build out Exclusive by Getty Images, its alternative to Corbis Outline, largely with former Corbis employees.
  Jay DeFoore/American PHOTO in a two-page report, quoting a memo from Corbis´ SVP, Images, Gary Shenk.
  Tag: Corbis

QuickLinks For 2006-04-27

• The future of digital imaging and DAM:
  DAM is an exploding field right now, and digital photographers are really just the leading edge of the crowd. Soon everyone will have hundreds of gigabytes or more of valuable data that they will need to manage for a lifetime. It will be interesting to see how the photographer tools will move into more mainstream. [...]
  In the words of the Firesign Theater, “everything you know is wrong.” It's a huge change in how you think about what you are doing as a photographer, from shooting, to image handling, to business practices.
  Adobe´s Jeff Tranberry interviews Peter Krogh, who is on the National Board of ASMP´s Directors, the founder of ASMP´s Digital Standards Committee (now UPDIG) and the author of The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers, after his DAM tour with ASMP.
  Tags: Digital imaging Digital Asset Managament UPDIG

A21 Releases Q4/2005 And Full Year 2005 Results

A21 (ATWO), the parent company of SuperStock, the Royalty-Free brand Purestock, the subscription brand PurestockX and Ingram Publishing/Ingram Stock, has released the Q4/2005 and the full year 2005 results.

Some highlights:

A21 Revenues (in T$)

YEAR	Q4/04	2004	Q1/05	Q2/05	Q3/05	Q4/05	2005
Total	2.100	7.475	2.313	2.327	2.064	2.859	9.563

QuickLinks For 2006-04-26

• ShutterStock annound today that ShutterStock Footage is up and running:
  ShutterStock Footage is a resource for royalty-free video footage. Pricing is determined by the resolution of the footage and starts at just $39 per clip. Each clip is available in three versions: "Original" refers to the format in which the video was received, and every clip on the site also comes in "Standard Definition" and "Low Res." Once a video clip has been purchased, the buyer can use the footage royalty-free, forever.
  More details.
  Tags: ShutterStock; ShutterStock Footage

QuickLinks For 2006-04-25

• OpenRAW releases initial results of the 2006 RAW Survey:
  Many photographers and archivists believe that camera manufacturers are making important decisions (continued proliferation of proprietary RAW formats, encryption of camera settings in RAW files, and the disappearance of camera brands from the market) about RAW image technology with little or no input from the people who buy and use their equipment, or who are involved in the preservation of photographic works.
  More details here.
  Tag: OpenRaw

Why Corbis Essentially Acquired eMotion

MarketWatch today in "Venture Capital firms turn to M&A more for exits":

Beringea [a $250 million transatlantic VC firm focused on the media sector] invested in eMotion in 2000, along with media giants such as TimeWarner.
The company burned through lots of cash and required more investment, which diluted Beringea's original stake.
Last summer, investment bankers were hired to arrange a sale and in July visual-solutions firm Corbis acquired eMotion for an undisclosed amount.
"The magic hadn't happened and we needed to move on," Bocan [investment director at Beringea] said.

Related: Corbis Acquires eMotion (July 28, 2005)

Tags: Corbis eMotion

QuickLinks For 2006-04-24

• The Hamburg-based photo agency plainpicture has signed two distribution deals to sell
  
  • over 8,000 images from the swedish photo agency Johnér (the company offers lifestyle, food, interior design, nature and business images)
  • RF images from the japanese agency Aflo (Aflofoto.com/Aflo.com; try out the link to the new english version)
  Tags: plainpicture Johnér Aflo

QuickLinks For 2006-04-22

• Munich-based image database and middleware technology provider Picturemaxx, the company behind the APIS network, announces a partnership with publishing house Bauer Poland.
  Bauer will use picturemaxx´s middleware technology product opengate as communication and administration platform for the inhouse picture research.
  Picturemaxx closed earlier this week a deal with PAP, the national polish news and press picture agency, and its subsidiary PAP Foto.
  More about the new middleware technologies en detail here:
  • Middleware Technologies: Corbis´ Imagery Now Available Through Picturemaxx´s APIS Network (March 21, 2006)
  • News From The Trenches: More On Middleware Technologies And New Image Push Services (Feb. 15, 2006)
  • "Middleware Technologies For The Picture Business: Who Cares?" (December 02, 2005)

  Tags: picturemaxx opengate

Getty Images Shares Fall 11.6 Percent In Midday NYSE Trading

Shares of Getty Images closed up yesterday $1.31 at $76.13 (+ 1.75%) on the New York Stock Exchange before the Conference Call.

As written earlier yesterday, Jonathan Klein noted during the Conference Call that mainly three reasons are responsible for the somehow disappointing RF Volume sales in the Americas (down 6%, although the revenue grew by four percent from royalty-free sales):

• "The reorganisation of our sales force"
• "The competitive landscape has become significantly noisier" through the activities of competitors
• Emerging "alternative licensing models" (like micropayment sites)

QuickLinks For 2006-04-21

• American PHOTO has recently published two podcasts:
  • Podcast: Chris Hondros Live in Iraq
    Since the Iraq war broke out in 2003, photographer Chris Hondros has been there to document the fighting up close and personal.
  • Podcast: Vincent Versace Unplugged
    Vincent Versace, a Nikon shooter, instructor and all-around digital photography expert, explains his "cinematic" approach to still photography.
  Tag: Podcasts

Idée And Adobe Close Second License Agreement

Toronto-based visual search engine providing company Ideé Inc. disclosed that Adobe Systems has completed its second license of Idée’s visual search technologies. Adobe had previously licensed Idée's visual search for the integration in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements.

Idée Inc. is well-known for its visual search solutions Espion Photo Search and Espion Video Search.

Getty Images Announces Q1/2006 Results: Quarter Revenue Surpasses $200M For The First Time, But RF Is Partially Disappointing

Getty Images (Quote, Profile, Research, Upgrades/Downgrades History) has announced today the results for the QI/2006.

Quarterly I/2006 Highlights:

• Revenue grew 13 percent over the first quarter of 2005 and 17 percent on a currency-neutral basis
• Reported earnings per diluted share increased to $0.61 from $0.54 in the first quarter of 2005
• Exclusive of stock-based compensation expense of $0.03, earnings per diluted share increased 19 percent to $0.64 and 26 percent on a currency-neutral basis over the first quarter of 2005
• Net cash provided by operating activities was $66.0 million, an increase of 22 percent over the first quarter of 2005

Third Light Offering 20% Discount

Third Light, the Cambridge (UK) based software company that develops and hosts specialist software for online image archival, galleries and collaboration, is offering a 20% discount on the Image Management System (IMS) Subscription products.

If a new customers orders any IMS Standard, Standard Plus or Premium product before 1 July 2006, Third LIght will discount their fees (perpetually) by 20%.

QuickLinks For 2006-04-20

• PAP, the national polish news and press picture agency, and its subsidiary PAP Foto (with currently over 2 million images) have decided to install image database and middleware technology from Munich-based technology provider Picturemaxx.
  The company announced additionally to expand the reach of its APIS network system within Poland and additionally into Eastern Europe. Picturemaxx is indirectly a subsidiary of the mighty German Press Agency (DPA).
  Earlier Corbis signed a distribution deal with PAP Foto in 2005.
  Tags: PAP Picturemaxx

More Wholly-Owned Music: JupiterImages Acquires Steve Shapiro Music Library

During the last JupiterMedia Conference Call on March 10, 2006, Alan Meckler mentioned shortly the possibility of new movements into the field of royalty free music.

JupiterImages announced six days later that it had acquired Ohio-based Crank City Music, a provider of RF music CD´s and RF MP3 downloads (together a wholly-owned music library of about 1,300 royalty-free music tracks).

Earlier JupiterImages acquired BBM.net, the "world’s first searchable database of music for websites" which offers "royalty-free flash music loops".

Datacraft Japan Looking For International Distribution Partners

Datacraft, the japanese company that claims to be the Number One stock photo company in Japan through its stock brands, disclosed today that it is actively looking for international sales and distribution partners for their following collections:

• "QxQ"(Q by Q; also available here)
  

• "sozaijiten" (also available here)

by single image download.

QuickLinks For 2006-04-17

• A new sort of Paidcontent.org:
  Ever since the british student with the idea of the MillionDollarHomepage went online with his site last year, nearly any one had spent a thought whether or not to adopt this idea for the own industry.
  Those with a conscience did not, the others went with an advertising banner to About The Image, in return for a blog post.
  What a poor idea to call the copycats which launced Stock Photo Ads (the people behind of Stocktrek Images) "entrepreneurs".
  Tags: AboutTheImage; Stocktrek Images Stock Photo Ads

QuickLinks For 2006-04-14

• Podcast interview with execs from photo search and facial recognition startup Riya:
  In the fifth episode of Talkcrunch we are joined by founder and CEO of Riya, Munjal Shah, and Riya’s online marketing and blogging head Tara Hunt. We talk about the launch, how Riya was developed, the challenges they faced in developing the application and other topics.
  TalkCrunch, continue here.
  Tag: Riya

QuickLinks For 2006-04-13

• EMPICS has confirmed an exclusive deal with the world’s largest independent motorsport picture agency, Sutton Motorsport Images, to deliver Formula 1 coverage to picture buyers in the UK.
  Sutton has appointed EMPICS as its exclusive agent for live sales to UK newspapers for the 2006 Grand Prix season.
  Sutton’s live F1 images are also available to the general editorial market (excluding specialist motoring press) through EMPICS.com.
  More details here.
  Tags: EMPICS Sutton Motorsport Images

VISUELL´s Dieter Brinzer Is Back With The Latest Media Data News

VISUELL, the leading magazine for the stock photo industry, started recently on March 06, 2006, the meanwhile legendary fax machine optimized opinion poll (don´t click unless you´re talking Kraut).

At that time editor-in-chief Dieter Brinzer disclosed that "thousands" of users are visiting the website of VISUELL daily. Given the incredible high Alexa ranking at that time (874,809) that seemed to be some kind of wishful thinking with the only intent to attract more ad customers.

QuickLinks For 2006-04-12

• Allen Murabayashi Interview, Part II:
  Wayne E. Yang/Eight Diagrams runs the second part of the interview with the CEO of Photoshelter.
  Related: Interview With Allen Murabayashi, CEO Of Photoshelter (July 25, 2005)
  Tag: Photoshelter

Imagestate In Trouble And For Sale, Suspended On London Stock Exchange´s AIM

Hints from business partners of Imagestate that the company had been running into severe financial difficulties accumulated some months ago, shortly after Imagestate started to offer (as written earlier: "for whatever reasons") up to 70% off selected CDs. Imagestate told business partners at that time "we have quite a bit of news coming up", but things have now turned completely with that other kind of news coming up.