Pricing
This story provides links to a series of articles that include the results of a photographer income survey, analysis of the sales of microstock photographers, the size of the market for stock photography and other data useful to understanding stock photo industry trends.
If you license rights to your photos for textbook use then here are a few articles you should read.
iStockphoto has introduced its new round of price increases for 2011.
For those in the macro world (RM and traditional RF) who like to argue
that it is impossible to make money selling images on a microstock site
it may be time to take another look at what iStock is doing.
“Our contention is that the iPad version of a magazine is part of the
rate base of that magazine,” said Condé Nast vice president of editorial
operations Richard Levine at the recent conference of the Picture
Archive Council of America. “A new strategy for acquiring content is
needed because it will be impossible to anticipate how imagery initially
acquired primarily for print use might be repurposed,” he continued.
This is not unique to Condé Nast issue, but rather a position other
publishers have already taken or will need to take in the near future.
As we move forward in the digital publication age, a group of
celebrity photo agencies has untied into the Editorial Photo Agency
Guild, which is leading the way in attempting to establish some pricing
principles for the use of photos in iPad applications. The need for a
unified approach in bargaining became apparent when People magazine announced its plans to launch an iPad application and provide it free to print subscribers.
There are two primary factors that should be considered when quoting a
price for textbook use: image size (1/4, 1/2 or full page) and size of
the print run. This article provides a historical perspective on pricing images for textbook uses and offers an update for the current economic climate.
When I was recently
interviewed by Photonetcast, it became clear that my position on the best strategy for licensing
rights to images is misunderstood, so it is time for another
explanation. Granted, my position is radical, so bear with me.
Though
unit sales are declining for many iStockphoto sellers, many of the same people are also seeing significant revenue increases. Here’s how.
Ed.: Tom Grill originally wrote on the subject of volume relative to
price last November. The sentiment remains true today: like it or not,
the industry is changing dramatically, and the winners will be those who
can adapt to the new paradigm.
This story provides links to a five part series of articles designed to help photographers understand the major trends impacting the industry in 2010 and help them plan for the future. We outline some of the issues to consider, new business models to explore and things to focus on in order to have a profitable business. Following the first five stories are links to some additional articles on the business of stock photography that may be of interest.
Veer has relaunched its Web site,
billing the new treatment as uncomplicated. While Veer still carries traditionally priced stills, it is certainly
catering to the no-hassle customer segment with simplified licensing
and prices that span the gamut—starting at $1.
U.S. educational publishers are admitting to more and more unauthorized
uses during the past decade and quietly entering into out-of-court
settlements with an increasing number of image suppliers for large
numbers of uses. In cases where the original license fee was well under
$1,000, publishers are now paying multiple thousands of dollars to
settle claims.
If you are in the stock imagery business and want to stay current with
worldwide industry trends, the annual CEPIC congress is a must-attend
event. Held every year in early June—this year in Dublin, Ireland, at
the brand new Aviva Stadium—the congress provides an opportunity to
meet industry leaders and exchange ideas.
On LinkedIn’s ASMP group James Cavanaugh outlined the following client
request
, “A client wants you to create photographs that
they can use on social network sites so they can "go viral" to promote
their company. It means potentially countless people may use your
copyrighted work,” and he asked “How would you approach such a request?”
This story provides my answer.
A comprehensive comparison of the various sizing and pricing strategies between the top 6 microstock photography sites.
What is top-quality photography for a major advertising campaign worth?
Evidently, art buyers at Campbell-Ewald, one of the largest advertising
agencies in the U.S., think $2,500 for “all advertising” and “all
print” rights is fair and reasonable, as evidenced by a recent
negotiation for the use of one of Hans Halberstadt’s photos.
Is it time to institute a system of floor prices for the use of
rights-managed images for editorial purposes? Is there any price so
low—$50, $30 or $20—that the image creator would prefer not to make the
sale?
This story provides links to some of the stories on this site that may be of interest to someone new to the stock photography business, or someone who might to have a
brief refresher course on some of the things that have been happening in the
last few years. Many of these stories will also give you some idea of developing trends and what the
future might hold.
Sometimes there is a silver lining when your stock agency gets acquired or you get kicked out of the agency. For example, clients that previously licensed Stock Connection imagery through Jupiterimages now have to re-license them directly, because Getty Images has phased out some content.
In the next few years, there will be two major trends in the education
business: There will be less demand for books as a teaching resource.
Electronic “learning objects” will be used to a much greater degree in
classroom and online instruction. Photographers
who agree that these changes will occur, and who supply images to those
producing materials for educational use, should begin to restructure
their businesses and produce content that will be in demand by this new
educational delivery system.
As methods of supplying educational information to students change and schools adopt more and more electronic tools and techniques, photographers not only need to revise their image production strategies, but also to examine the way they will charge for their services in the future.
Can the reader trust the reporting not to be biased when photojournalism projects are funded by non-profit and non-governmental organizations?
Street vending your photography is not for everybody. But if you can live within the income limits, are innovative, like the outdoors, and truly enjoy people- you can have a lot of fun. Experience and suggestions from NYC.
There is a persistent idea among many image creators that a photographer somehow devalues his work if he ever licenses it for low prices. Yet recent years have shown that volume can be as significant a factor as price, and there are numerous other considerations.
If stock photography as a profession is going to survive, we are going to have to find a way to develop a two-tier pricing system. One tier would be for commercial use of images, and the other for personal and small use.