The next major disruption  in the photo world will be individual licensing. The ability for any individual to license images directly. There are a few forces pointing in  that direction. First, and most visible , is the sheer volume of photos taken. Among those, probabilities tell us, are images ofContinue Reading

  Earlier this week, Picscout/Getty released a new licensing tool to deal with social media platforms of all kind. In a nutshell, it works like this. Social media platform ( think Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter) install an API on their site that allows to automatically recognize if an image posted belongsContinue Reading

With more and more brands getting involved in social media and social media becoming more and more visual, the need for photography is exploding. To be a relevant brand today, especially if your target audience is the young and connected, you need, at minimum, accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram,Continue Reading

IT’s not the money you earn, but what you leave behind. Traditionally, RM pricing has been about covering the perceived value of an image during its life  by estimating its exposure. Let me explain : RM pricing is based on usage. The more an image has a chance to beContinue Reading

A little while back, a bunch of Englishmen ( and women) sat down around a table to discuss the state of the photo licensing industry. Organized by Alamy, recently under heavy attacks from its contributors for embarking in heavily discounted Getty-like pricing, it ended up as a white paper. AContinue Reading

It is going to be interesting to see how the market reacts to Shutterstock IPO. For once, the stock photo market will be taken out of its own little world and confronted to the business world. Also of importance, obviously, is KKR investments in Fotolia for 50 % of theContinue Reading

In a financial report hardly seen by anyone, it is mentioned that Getty Images will take a loan of $275 million in order to pay dividend to it’s shareholders. Those are well known. It is a equity firm called Hellman & Friedman . This payment will, in addition to previous ones, coverContinue Reading

There is a story in Greek mythology that says that long ago, an Italian sailor on his way to home heard someone screaming from the shores of Greece: “the great god Pan is dead”. It was later on interpreted as meaning that the last of the Greek gods has passedContinue Reading

In this video, Jonathan Klein from Getty images explains the company’s strategy regarding image sharing. In a few words, he confirms that Getty is fine with image sharing as long as it is non commercial. As soon as a site starts earning revenue, Getty will show it’s teeth. This means,Continue Reading