WebMediaBrands, the former owner of Jupiterimages, has reported that the image division generated $96.3 million for all of 2008, with only $20.6 million of that during the fourth quarter. These figures represent an 11.6% decline from $108.9 million in total 2007 revenues and a 23.1% decline from $26.8 million in last year’s final quarter.
In the first half of 2008, Jupiter revenues were steady, only slightly down compared to 2007. However, the third quarter of 2008 saw a drop of 10% from the previous quarter, and the fourth quarter was down an additional 12.3%. These numbers offer another clear indication of how quickly and severely the general economic trends have affected the stock-photo industry.
The numbers Alamy reported last week offer an interesting comparison. While Alamy’s gross revenue for the year was up about 7% compared to Jupiter’s drop of 11.6%, both companies had significant fourth-quarter drops, compared to 2007 figures: 16% for Alamy and 23% for Jupiterimages. Alamy’s 21% drop between the fourth and third quarters of 2008 was more drastic than Jupiter’s 12% decline.
It would not be surprising if most other industry companies, which are not required to report earnings, had similar experiences. Thus, photographers whose royalty payments declined by less than 10% to 20% should feel fortunate.
Unlike in its previous revenue statements, WebMediaBrands did not provide breakdowns of the proportions of revenue that came from single image sales, subscriptions or distributors. Now that Jupiterimages is owned by Getty Images, this is the last revenue-trend information the industry is likely to get.