- Joined
- Apr 9, 2009
- Messages
- 41,401
- Reaction score
- 5,706
- Location
- Iowa
- Website
- kharrodphotography.blogspot.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I used to make some nice money from stock.
The stock photography industry back then was lots of stock photography agencies that sold Rights Managed (RM) use licensing of stock photographs. RM licensing has very specific terms that define how, where, and for how long an image can be used.
Getty Images (Mark Getty, son of Billionaire J Paul Getty Jr. & Jonathan Klein) and Corbis (privately owned by Microsoft founder & Billionaire Bill Gates) started buying up stock houses and consolidated the industry. Alamy was started in 1999 and is privately owned by James West and Mike Fisher CBE.
In 2009 Jupiterimages, about the last of the independent big stock agencies at that time, was sold to Getty Images.
With the emergence of the Internet microstock photography agencies began to appear.
Microstock agencies sell Royalty-Free (RF) use licensing which is not only way less expensive than RM licensing, the use licensing terms are very much broader for non-commercial usage and usually allow high volume perpetual use.
Being way less expensive, once the microstock agencies takes their cut, little money is left for the copyright owner - the photographer.
In the mean time the big boys - Getty, Corbis, Alamy - have been buying up microstock agencies continuing their consolidation and dominance of the stock photography market.
At any rate, getting a check for $100 once a year won't buy much photography gear.
BTW - $100 a year is an average of $8.33 a month.
Eliminate 2 lattes or 3 Red Bulls a month and you can save as much as what stock photography pays.
By submitting your photos to stock agencies you're just helping the rich guys get richer while they pay you pennies (litterally) for your time and talent that lines their pockets with $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
The stock photography industry back then was lots of stock photography agencies that sold Rights Managed (RM) use licensing of stock photographs. RM licensing has very specific terms that define how, where, and for how long an image can be used.
Getty Images (Mark Getty, son of Billionaire J Paul Getty Jr. & Jonathan Klein) and Corbis (privately owned by Microsoft founder & Billionaire Bill Gates) started buying up stock houses and consolidated the industry. Alamy was started in 1999 and is privately owned by James West and Mike Fisher CBE.
In 2009 Jupiterimages, about the last of the independent big stock agencies at that time, was sold to Getty Images.
With the emergence of the Internet microstock photography agencies began to appear.
Microstock agencies sell Royalty-Free (RF) use licensing which is not only way less expensive than RM licensing, the use licensing terms are very much broader for non-commercial usage and usually allow high volume perpetual use.
Being way less expensive, once the microstock agencies takes their cut, little money is left for the copyright owner - the photographer.
In the mean time the big boys - Getty, Corbis, Alamy - have been buying up microstock agencies continuing their consolidation and dominance of the stock photography market.
At any rate, getting a check for $100 once a year won't buy much photography gear.
BTW - $100 a year is an average of $8.33 a month.
Eliminate 2 lattes or 3 Red Bulls a month and you can save as much as what stock photography pays.
By submitting your photos to stock agencies you're just helping the rich guys get richer while they pay you pennies (litterally) for your time and talent that lines their pockets with $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Last edited: