StockPhotoTalk | Special Interest Blog

QuickLinks For 2011-05-13

• FotoFringe Exhibitor WENN Seals Deal With Twitpic:
  "WENN has concluded an exclusive worldwide arrangement with TwitPic to represent images posted by celebrities on Twitter. Twitpic is the largest and most popular image sharing service on Twitter and is used by hundreds of celebrities to post their candid photos online.
  With about 500 million page views and 50 million uniques per month, Twitpic continues to grow exponentially.
  Lloyd Beiny, CEO of WENN comments, “In what was a hotly contested tender, we are extremely pleased to be selected as the exclusive photo agency partner. The belief by some that any photo posted on Twitter is available at no cost is completely wrong, anyone wishing to publish celebrity photos posted on Twitter via TwitPic will be able to do so legitimately via WENN."
  Will Carleton/PhotoArchiveNews, similar in "Agency signs deal to sell celebs' Twitpic photos" by Press Gazette UK.
  
  [Update May 16] Some updates on the legal consequences:
  
  • Your photos? Not so according to many popular photo-sharing apps (TNW)
  • All your pictures belong to YOU (Picuous)
  • TwitPic Plans To Sell Your Images So It Can Profit (APE)

 

QuickLinks For 2011-05-07

• +++ HOLLEREE +++ The next new collection from iStock +++ HOLLEREE +++
  Called Photo+, it´s open to non-exclusive contributors, with "the best files from the Main collection selected by the artists, available at a slightly higher price point" and the pricing for Photo+ being the same as for iStock´s Exclusive collection.
  The usual suspects in the iS forum are yodelling: "I can't understand why you would increase the price on files that are already much cheaper else where" and "exclusive collection prices with non-exclusive royalties".
  Some other opinions, and also more positive ones, over there.

iStockphoto Makes More Than 10 Percent Of Its Revenues with iStockvideo

• "Though stock photos account for the bulk of iStock's business, video is its fastest-growing category, and last year it surpassed 10 percent of revenue, Thompson said.
  In 2010, revenue outside North America surpassed 50 percent, he said.
  The company also expects it eventually will offer high-end "2K" and "4K" video, which has roughly quadruple the resolution of mainstream 1080p video".
  Starting today, iStock is making the shift with [the introduction of] Vetta video.
  Editorial videos will come too, though Thompson wouldn't say when.
  
  Strongly compiled, more over there in a long & smart report from Stephen Shankland.
  As of November 2010, 65% of the video files on iS were exclusive content.
  On the quoted revenue numbers above ... you do your own math.

QuickLinks For 2011-05-05

• ASMP to Getty Photographers: Time to Bail.
  Mopsik told PDN in a telephone interview that he's not telling Getty photographers what to do. "I say evaluate your relationship. If it works for you, stay there. If it doesn't, now is the time to look elsewhere."
  "I see this as a strategic move on Getty's part to cull out their contributors," to focus on those who actively produce and those who are willing to go along with Getty's marketing strategy, Mopsik says. But he hardly faults the agency, adding, "If images haven't sold in 36 months, what would you do?"
  David Walker/PDN, original statement from Mopsik/ASMP here.

Stipple And Editorial Microstock: Would It Work?

PicApp, GumGum, Fotoglif ... they all had their stories and histories. Stipple launched today officially (press release; TechLunch), right now with a clear focus on editorial and celebrity imagery, and it`s still early days to tell whether or not it would work together successfully with editorial microstock images, as there are many things to consider.

Admittedly editorial microstock never really took off in a way comparable to simple micropayment stock, and it truly remains to be seen how things will work out with iStockphoto´s recent editorial offer (where things might be different because of additional sales and distribution channels).

In a first statement Dreamstime´s CEO Serban Enache said they will watch Stipple closely, "the technology is interesting and there could be many possibilities", but noted understandably that he can't comment right now more in-depth because "there are too many factors involved."

Stipple´s VP of BusDev Paul Melcher said: "Micros, why not ? We do not get involved in the licensing aspects of images, we just tag them for publishers who would like to add value to their offering and for viewers interested in going beyond the image.

Since the display of photographs and tags is ultimately controlled by the publishers, there is no reason why we cannot include micro, if they so request it. Right now, we are launching with a strong focus on editorial celebrity but we will certainly look into it very soon."

Getty Images On A Shopping Spree: Acquires PicScout, Photolibrary

For those which were on easter vacation at the end of April and the beginning of May, Getty Images announced one minor and one mid-sized acquisition within a few days:

1. The takeover of PicScout, on April 27th.


2. The transfer of Photolibrary (which once bought the remains of Index Stock)/PhotosToGo) today.

While the financial details of the deal with PicScout were not officially announced in the press release, a few facts finally leaked out elsewhere.

Given the hiccups, the discussions, the back and forth over at iStockphoto since September 2010 with respect to (simplified) reduced photographer/videographer* royalty rates and higher product prices, the acquisition of heavyweight Photolibrary, once a few years ago in the golden ages estimated to exceed yearly revenues of way over $30 million, represents the next, but not the last move in making Hellmann & Friedman´s property Getty Images more attractive for potential investors and media partners.

(*For videographers, Simon Krzic was a major force recently in negotiating a better deal)

Image: © gregrublev - Fotolia.com