StockPhotoTalk | Special Interest Blog

"StockXpert is ceasing regular operations"

From the newsletter:

We are sorry to announce that beginning today, StockXpert will no longer sell new credits or accept new members. On February 11, 2010, searching and downloading at StockXpert will cease. This will be the end of image sales at StockXpert.

All SXP members have the opportunity to transfer their remaining credits to iStockphoto. iStock offers the highest quality affordable microstock imagery in the industry. Come and see for yourself. SXP credits will be honored 1 for 1 at iStockphoto.

QuickLinks For 2009-08-04

• Late summer Free Images Madness:

  1. Stock.xchng:
  Breaking News - 400,000 images!
  (July 20, 2009. Related News)

  2. PhotoXpress:
  Offering over 400,000 free professional high-resolution images and illustrations, PhotoXpress.com has officially become the largest online supplier of free stock imagery.
  (August 04, 2009. The website says "443,951 photos")

  3. Free Stock Images:
  Google Trends shows people searching for stock images is declining year on year.
  (Source)

• Late summer Gossip Madness:
  Bruce Livingstone, who founded online stock-photography provider iStockphoto, paid $2.5 million for a landmark midcentury Los Angeles home that was on the market very briefly. The 1966 home, on a slope in the Los Feliz community, has been given landmark status by Los Angeles.
  Mr. Livingstone, 38, bought the house including much of the artwork and furnishings, by designers including Isamu Noguchi, Herman Miller and Arne Jacobsen. “It’s a bit of a time capsule,” said Mr. Livingstone who is relocating with his family from Seattle to Los Angeles for a digital media venture.

Stock Photos and Vectors from iStockphoto soon available on Photos.com and JupiterUnlimited

Following the announcement from iStockphoto´s Kelly Thompson (Subscription Shuffle) this Friday at 2:07 PM MST that "iStock contributors will have the opportunity to sell their images through Photos.com and Jupiter Unlimited subscriptions", and his calculation:

The royalty paid will be 20% or 22.5% of the value of each download, which in turn is calculated by dividing the monthly value of the subscription by the number of downloads in that subscription that month (much like is currently done on iStock subscriptions, but monthly instead of daily). We’re projecting the average royalty payout to be 30¢ – 55¢—a significant upside to similar competitive subscriptions. At the high end, you could see earnings as high as $17.99 per image.

... a pretty vibrant discussion with pros (e.g. "exclusives now have a much bigger market to sell in") and - very unusual for the iStock forum - some cons (e.g. 1, 2 and 3) with currently over 600 responses on over 30+ pages appeared, also driven by questions of iStockphoto´s exclusive photographers about the remaining exclusivity of their iStock content*.

Jupiterimages to be sold to Getty Images for $96 million

So where had Alan been?

In Spring 2007 it sounded like a $450 million deal (the New York Post story), now it comes down to $96 million which will "allow Jupitermedia to pay off all of its bank debt".

Getty Images´ press release, followed by Jupitermedia´s press release for Jupiterimages.

More financial details here in the last two paragraphs of this article at 24/7 Wall St.