Photographer
markEdwardPhoto
Posts: 1398
Trumbull, Connecticut, US
From Daryl Lang at PDN Online...
Getty Images announced today that it has acquired iStockPhoto.com for $50 million, making it the first major stock agency to offer a low-cost "micropayment" service.
iStock is the best-known of the micropayment sites, which sell royalty-free images for as little as $1 to clients on a budget, such as small office and home office users.
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Wonder if Getty will shut it down? They said they will run it as a seperate entity.
Mark
Photographer
artist
Posts: 294
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
markEdwardPhoto wrote:
From Daryl Lang at PDN Online...
Getty Images announced today that it has acquired iStockPhoto.com for $50 million, making it the first major stock agency to offer a low-cost "micropayment" service.
iStock is the best-known of the micropayment sites, which sell royalty-free images for as little as $1 to clients on a budget, such as small office and home office users.
...............................
Wonder if Getty will shut it down? They said they will run it as a seperate entity.
Mark More likely they wanted an outlet for images they could not sell under their main logo, and to tap a new source of fresh content.
Scott
aka Bodyartist
Photographer
BandiPhotoGraphy
Posts: 68
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
markEdwardPhoto wrote:
Wonder if Getty will shut it down? They said they will run it as a seperate entity. That's the same thing Getty said about EyeWire and other similar companies... two years later Getty shut down EyeWire and stating that the "real" reason for buying the company was because it is easier to buy the competition than to compete ...
Photographer
markEdwardPhoto
Posts: 1398
Trumbull, Connecticut, US
Andre Tanchaz wrote:
That's the same thing Getty said about EyeWire and other similar companies... two years later Getty shut down EyeWire and stating that the "real" reason for buying the company was because it is easier to buy the competition than to compete ... I agree....I think Getty will shut them down....I do think that they are too cheap.
A photographer makes $.20 max per image down loaded. They sell them from $1 to $5 each. Come on some images can take hours to make and for what $5!!!
So, I hope Getty does shut them down.
Mark
Photographer
Serge Kozak
Posts: 17
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
It is more like: Canât beat them, buy them out not join (Than see what is best to do with them)
Photographer
ZKWC
Posts: 548
Malibu, California, US
markEdwardPhoto wrote:
From Daryl Lang at PDN Online...
Getty Images announced today that it has acquired iStockPhoto.com for $50 million, making it the first major stock agency to offer a low-cost "micropayment" service.
iStock is the best-known of the micropayment sites, which sell royalty-free images for as little as $1 to clients on a budget, such as small office and home office users.
...............................
Wonder if Getty will shut it down? They said they will run it as a seperate entity.
Mark maybe getty will turn it into something that actually benefits photographers instead of companies.
Model
Asha
Posts: 47
aww i'm on getty! it was my first photo shoot...ironically the only one i've been paid for.
Photographer
Legacys 7
Posts: 33899
San Francisco, California, US
Zoe Wiseman wrote:
maybe getty will turn it into something that actually benefits photographers instead of companies. didn't realize how old the thread is. Feb. anyways, time will tell. Corporate companies have funny ways. I'm a member of Istock. As a matter of fact, a MM model who is also a photographer is on Istock. If you look at her avatar image, it's also on a magazine called 'advance photoshop.'
I haven't tapped into it yet, but I get emails from them. My concern is something that took place with a company callled Exact Photo now know as Photobyte.
Years ago Exact photo offered a free cd that was found inside of PDN during the dot.com boom. The software provide contracts, paper work, tax forms for each State, Release forms and stock options. Tom zimberoff the creator of the software had something going on with a camera company called Unique Photo. I'm not sure if they are still around. Anyways, the company would send you monthly upgrades via email or snail mail. The company stop because of big business was looking over their shoulder waiting to kill them off and ironically during the dot.com bust. So out of fear of not being able to compete, Exact Photo. closed shop do to Unique Photo breaking it off. The company is still around but under the name Photobyte. The company or owner hasn't upgraded the software but he's still around with it. It's free.
It's too bad that he doesn't have the backup anymore to upgrade it. It's a nice piece of software.
Makeup Artist
Camera Ready Studios
Posts: 7191
Dallas, Texas, US
I used to work for ISTOCK and have worked for Getty for a few years.... They purchased Istock awhile back, not sure why the news was just announced. Getty and Corbis are buying all the smaller stock agencies up to own a monopoly on stock, its working, its been happening for over a year....most of the smaller stock agencies were purchased by one of these 2 companies and in fact a few of these companies were built in order to sell out to larger companies...the idea is, spend money and build something the the big boys will buy from you at a huge profit.
Getty and Corbis have the money to spend on makeup, hair, stylists, good photographers...the other smaller companies can't compete with them anymore.
Photographer
Duncan
Posts: 2135
New York, New York, US
Mary wrote:
Getty and Corbis have the money to spend on makeup, hair, stylists, good photographers...the other smaller companies can't compete with them anymore. In the past Stock agencies gave freedom to photographers to "Create " now photographers are button pushers and make much less money when they do a commissioned shoot for a "Getty" . I liken it to a public library hiring writers to write what the libraries want to show and that is not the way it should be.
Photographer
Boho Hobo
Posts: 25351
Santa Barbara, California, US
Mary wrote:
I used to work for ISTOCK and have worked for Getty for a few years.... They purchased Istock awhile back, not sure why the news was just announced. Getty and Corbis are buying all the smaller stock agencies up to own a monopoly on stock, its working, its been happening for over a year....most of the smaller stock agencies were purchased by one of these 2 companies and in fact a few of these companies were built in order to sell out to larger companies...the idea is, spend money and build something the the big boys will buy from you at a huge profit.
Getty and Corbis have the money to spend on makeup, hair, stylists, good photographers...the other smaller companies can't compete with them anymore. Whoa. Mary, this announcement is old but relates to iStockPHOTO, which is microstock site where independent freelancer photographers can park their images for sale. iStockphoto doesn't hire photographers or MUAs for assignment, though individual photographers might employ those sort of services.
I couldn't in my wildest imagination see you being affiliated with istockphoto--they DON'T PAY!!!!
Makeup Artist
Camera Ready Studios
Posts: 7191
Dallas, Texas, US
actually istockphoto did pay, it depends on the assignment. I made full rate for a week straight, another time 2 or 3 days of full rate. They didnt have a stylist like Getty usually does but they did pay. The photographer was actually very good, he works for getty now.
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