There are some interesting statements and observations made by PACA of which Getty, Masterfile, and most of the big stock photography firms are a member of.
From what I can see, the industry is seeing a crisis and they are doing everything they can to save an industry that has assets that are devaluing each year.
http://blog.pacaoffice.org/?p=2027"Abundance of options, imagery the same on lots of sites. Cross-pollination at multiple agencies"
Customers have been brainwashed that web usage should be lower priced, but since it is now the most frequently used method of advertising, we need to rethink pricing for this medium and re-educate our buyers. We need to think about the internet as being the delivery method rather than the usage. Website is the usage. There is a difference between a site that is turning over images rapidly and one that is using images for branding or for publishing.They are trying to change the rules of the game now that they have realized that legacy publishing is dying out. All of a sudden, what was considered a secondary, lesser-valued market (Internet media) is now become the prime market.
If they think can shift the glut of inventory and suddenly make the more valuable, they must think their business customers are suckers. And some of them are!
As far as I am concerned, I would just say no to all Rights-Managed photos and stick to Microstock royalty-free photos. You avoid the biggest legal headaches.
Because of the abundance of supply, as a buyer, you can name your terms. If you don't like it, just go elsewhere.
Topic: Look at what PACA is discussing about the stock photography business (Read 2234 times)