Archives: April, 2006
News
Pepper Stark relocates
The stock photo business management consulting specialists, Pepper-Stark, have moved to more centrally located offices in London. Pepper Stark is operated by Liz Pepper and Claudia Stark who have unrivalled knowledge of the developments, the people and the workings of the stock photo industry with more than 10 years of combined industry experience. Their new address: Pepper Stark Ltd., 29-31 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8SW, Tel: +44 20 7831 0745, fax: +44 20 7831 0818. Stefan Hartmann, VISUELL
Click here to visit http://www.pepperstark.com.
News
Ethno Images representing Big Cheese Photo
The multicultural specialist stock photography agency, Ethno Images, has announced that it now represents royalty free content from Big Cheese Photo. This deal with Big Cheese Photo is the first such deal for Ethno Images to begin offering royalty free images. "We are delighted to join Ethno Images and are excited to be their first royalty free partner, stated Katy von Brandenfels, Managing Director of Big Cheese Photo. Ethno Images has been operating since 2000 and thus far has specialized in lifestyle focused multicultural rights managed imagery. “Big Cheese Photo is a perfect complement to our agency,” said Troy Jones, President of Ethno Images. “Big Cheese Photo’s multicultural images provides depth to our collection and enables us to become a player in the royalty-free market.” Ethno Images has stated a strategy to become the largest multicultural portal site and given the stated goals it seems likely that more representation deals will be announced as Ethno Images works to expand its offering. Click here to view the original press release.
News
NewsCom launches RSS feeds
NewsCom, a leading provider of images and stories to the global publishing community, has launched RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds in order to deliver content (news stories and images) directly to the customers desktop. This allows Newscom to push out content to the customer rather than wait for the customer to visit the site. Customers can subscribe to view content based on specific topics they are interested in – such as Academy Awards fashion, lifestyle tips & trends, the NCAA Championship or Word Cup Soccer, for example – from a directory of hundreds of well-defined categories.
News
Getty Images denies 20% discount rumor
Rumors circulated earlier this week about a move by Getty Images to offer an across-the-board 20% discount on both RF and RM image license fees during the month of April and May set off a minor flurry of emails and speculation about why Getty would make such a move and what waves it might create for the rest of the industry (such as a price war.) We at abouttheimage decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth and ask Getty directly about it. Our email to Deb Trevino, Getty’s VP of Communications, elicited the following response: “…Getty Images has always offered targeted single-use discounts to select customer groups (as have most of our competitors). We communicate these discounts directly to our customers. There is no across-the-board sale in place, nor do we have plans to announce one.”
Click here to view reporting of discount from industry analyst Jim Pickerell (Subscription required to view site).
News
Blend Images working with Digital Railroad to manage workflow
Royalty Free producer Blend Images has signed a deal to begin using Digital Railroad's workflow solution to manage distribution of its collection of images. Blend Images currently works with dozens of resellers around the world and the Digital Railroad platform allows small agencies and photographers to upload their archive of images and easily make the content available to any number of partners with a single click. "Our goal is to most efficiently distribute our photographers' images to the widest buying audience around the world, and Digital Railroad is the best solution on the market to solve all of our needs," said Rick Becker-Leckrone, Blend Images. "Our photographers, editors and production team work in several different locations and can access our archive management tools from any web-connected computer in the world."
News
Shift now offering LiveSurface 3D layered images
Shift, a noteworthy font resource for designers since 1995, has announced that it now offers single images from its innovative line of LiveSurface images. LiveSurface images are three dimensional (3D) images pre-built with layers, layer masks, and Photoshop Vanishing Point planes intended for designers who quickly want to convert 2D artwork into a professional quality 3D layout. Each image is a 300dpi Photoshop-ready TIF file and included with every LiveSurface image is an Adobe Illustrator sizing template to ensure that the user's artwork will fit proportionally every time.
News
Getty Images acquires Stockbyte for $135 million
Getty Images has announced the acquisition of Ireland-based Pixel Images Holdings Limited, the parent company of Stockbyte and Stockdisc for $135 million in cash. The acquisition of its largest image partner gives Getty approximately 80,000 wholly-owned images, 60% of which are already live on its site, without the future obligation to pay royalties. In addition to better margins, the wholly-owned content will also provide greater flexibility and there is a chance some of this content will find its way into the Creative Express subscription product and/or the micro-payment site iStockphoto. According to Stockbyte the royalty-free stock photography industry worldwide is estimated to be worth 500 million US dollars annually. Stockbyte and Stockdisc are believed to have captured a 10% share of this global market.
State of the Stock Picture Licensing Industry, 2006
By Jeffrey Burke
President, Picture Archive Council of America
April 7, 2006
Greetings
Current state of the business
As most of us have seen over the past year and a half, our industry is in the midst – or possibly the trailing end – of another consolidation. Lots of companies have been acquired by other companies. The big companies seem to keep getting bigger. And because these big companies are creating ever more powerful and sophisticated websites and other internal systems, I believe that the barriers to entry into our business get higher and higher all the time. Yet, despite the acquisitions and increased barriers to entry, I am happy to report that PACA now has more member companies than at any time in its history.
News
PictureHouse stages successful Chicago debut
On April 6, 2006, PictureHouse held its first annual picture fair in Chicago, Surrounded by the impressive mosaic-tiled walls and high vaulted ceilings of the Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago, approximately fifty stock photo companies exhibited their images and other products at the trade show. An estimated 250-300 art-buyers from the Chicago area attended. The exhibitors were universally pleased with the turn-out of potential clients, given this was the first time PictureHouse had ever held an event in the Windy City. Roberta Groves, representing Philadelphia-based Robertstock and Classicstock, echoed the comments of most of the exhibitors this writer spoke with when she said "The crowds ebbed and flowed like any trade show. But, unlike the more fast-paced NY crowd, the Chicago visitors to the show actually sat and talked with us for a good ten minutes each!" Groves estimates that, of the art-buyers and picture researchers who attended the fair, about 70% represented editorial users and 30% commercial advertising. (She beleives the NYC show, which brought in a reported 600 art-buyers last November - its fifth show in that city - breaks down to about 60/40, editorial to advertising.)
The coordinator of the PictureHouse event, Deborah Free, says she's thrilled with the way the event turned out and looks forward to bringing PictureHouse back to Chicago next year.
News
Jeffrey Burke announces retirement at PACA conference
In his opening remarks today at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA,) acting President Jeffrey Burke gave a comprehensive overview of the state of the stock photo industry. His statements about where the industry is now headed left little doubt as to the strategic plans of his current employer, JupiterImages. Burke also announced his and his wife, Loraine Triolo’s, plans to step down from their respective positions at from Jupiter at the end of this month, and to depart from the stock photo industry.
News
H. Armstrong Roberts Co. launches Classicstock website
One of the oldest, if not the oldest, stock photo companies in the country, H. Armstrong Roberts Co. of Philadelphia, has launched a new web-site dedicated to its vast and unique archive of vintage and historical stock photographs at www.classicstock.com. The site is well worth visiting, if only for the entertaining slide show of often humorous vintage images that runs on its home page. The slide show gives a small taste of the depth and breadth of Classicstock's on-line collection of over 120,000 mostly rights-managed images from the 1920's through the 1980's. The archive includes a deep collection of authentic "retro" model-released imagery from the company's own collection, accumulated since its inception in 1926, as well as a strong historical archive.
News
Image Source moves London headquarters
Leading royalty free stock photography producer, Image Source, has announced the relocation of its London headquarters. Image Source was launched in 1999 by industry veteran Christina Vaughan and the company has now grown to more than 60 employees with an international distribution network of over 250 image distributors. Due to its rapid growth, the company has moved into larger offices, having out-grown its current space in only two years. The new address is located at: 41 Great Pulteney Street, Soho, London, W1F 9NZ
News
Jupiter Images 20% discount for RM and RF images
Last week Jupiter Images announced that it is offering a 20% discount off one-time purchases of any rights-managed or royalty-free images including CD’s. To take advantage of this promotion enter the promotion code ”HaveYouHeard” in the shopping cart to receive your discount. Customers are allowed to stock up on as many images and CDs in a single purchase to make the most out of the one-time discount. This offer is valid only in the US and Canada through April 30, 2006. This discount appears to be a direct response to rumors of a 20% discount being offered by Getty Images.
ImageState Press Release: Could you help
From: "Monica Hart" <monicah@imagestate.co.uk>Date: April 11, 2006 10:00:41 AM PDT
To: "Cathy Aron" <execdirector@pacaoffice.org>
Subject: Could you help
Imagestate plc (“Imagestate” or the “Company”) Suspension of Trading on AIM
The Company has today requested that the trading of its ordinary shares on AIM be suspended pending clarification of the Company’s financial position.
Following discussions with its largest shareholder and principal provider of capital, the Directors of the Company have resolved to seek purchasers for all or part of the business. There can be no certainty however that any offer will be forthcoming. Shareholders will be kept informed of further developments in due course.
The Company confirms it has 2,138,543,089 ordinary shares of 0.1 pence in issue with ISIN GB0001263606 in accordance with Rule 2.10 of the City Code.
10 April 2006
Dealing Disclosure Requirements
Under the provisions of Rule 8.3 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the “Code”), if any person is, or becomes, “interested” (directly or indirectly) in 1% or more of any class of “relevant securities” of Imagestate (the offeree company), all “dealings” in any “relevant securities” of that company (including by means of an option in respect of, or a derivative referenced to, any such “relevant securities”) must be publicly disclosed by no later than 3.30 pm (London time) on the London business day following the date of the relevant transaction. This requirement will continue until the date on which the offer becomes, or is declared, unconditional as to acceptances, lapses or is otherwise withdrawn or on which the “offer period” otherwise ends. If two or more persons act together pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or informal, to acquire an “interest” in “relevant securities” of Imagestate, they will be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule 8.3.
Under the provisions of Rule 8.1 of the Code, all “dealings” in “relevant securities” of Imagestate by the offeror or the offeree company, or by any of their respective “associates”, must be disclosed by no later than 12.00 noon (London time) on the London business day following the date of the relevant transaction.
A disclosure table, giving details of the companies in whose “relevant securities” “dealings” should be disclosed, and the number of such securities in issue, can be found on the Takeover Panel’s website at http://www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
If there is any way of highlighting this to people at PACA and directing them to me if they are interested, that would be great as I am keen to tie this up as soon as possible. Here are my details:
Monica Hart
Chief Operating Officer
imagestate™
t: +44 (0) 20 7734 7344
f: +44 (0) 20 7434 0673
w: imagestate.com
News
Imagestate suspends trading pending “clarification of the company’s financial position.”
Imagestate has announced in a press release that it has suspended trading of its ordinary shares on AIM pending “clarification of the Company’s financial position.” Imagestate’s COO, Monica Hart, states: “Following discussions with its largest shareholder and principal provider of capital, the Directors of the Company have resolved to seek purchasers for all or part of the business. There can be no certainty however that any offer will be forthcoming.” No mention was made in the press release about the current state of business operations however rumors are circulating that both London and New York offices have been closed since Monday April 10th when employees were sent home. Parties interested in possibly purchasing parts of the company are instructed to contact Ms. Hart at the company’s London office: by email at or by telephone at ++ 44 (0) 20 7734 7344. Click here to view the original press release.
News
Getty offers 20% discount on multiple images
Now through April 30th Getty Images is offering 20% off any order of two or more images. This offer applies to both rights managed and royalty free content and the promotion code can be re-used. The discount is being offered to customers in North America and the United Kingdom. To take advantage of the promotion enter the promotion code "3YZPC46N" in the shopping cart. Rumors of this promotion had leaked early this month and has prompted what seems like a bit of a price war with Jupiter Images. So far there is no indication whether Corbis will enter the fray.
News
iStockphoto offering 700,000 images to HP customers
The recently acquired micro-payment stock photography site iStockphoto has announced that it has signed a new deal with Hewlett Packard (HP) to offer more than 700,000 image to HP customers starting at just $1 each, via the HP In-House Marketing Portal, an online resource that provides small and medium businesses (SMBs) with tools to create marketing materials internally. “iStockphoto provides outstanding imagery for a great price,” said Vince Ferraro, vice president of marketing, LaserJet Business, HP. “By using iStockphoto’s extensive online image library combined with HP’s industry-leading color printers, small businesses can now develop professional-quality marketing and presentation materials at a fraction of the traditional time and cost.” One has to think that deals like this are exactly what Getty Images had in mind when it acquired iStockphoto. Click here to view the original press release.
News
New VP of Creative Strategy and new Seattle office for UpperCut
Punchstock’s RM brand, Uppercut Images has promoted Benjamin Winters to the post of Vice President of Creative Strategy. Winters, who has been part of Uppercut’s creative team since 2004, has also worked for Getty Images and Imagestate. In this new position, Winters will be responsible for leading the content strategy for the RM collection. In addition, Uppercut has relocated its offices from Bainbridge Island to a new space just blocks from the Starbucks world headquarters located on First Avenue South in downtown Seattle. Click here to view the original press release.
Features
Press Release: Photolibrary Group Announces New Operation in India
Singapore - April 2006: The Photolibrary Group announces the latest in their expansion into the Asian region with the opening of client sales offices in India.Photolibrary Group CEO, Glenn Parker says of the expansion “Photolibrary has consistently demonstrated their strength in the Asian market and have seen rapid growth since launching in the region 3 years ago. India has proven a strong market for us, via our Singapore office, and was a logical choice for opening a direct sales office to support our local Indian customers. This is an exciting step for Photolibrary, solidifying our presence in the region and allowing us to service a highly creative market with an ever-expanding content offering.
The new Indian website - providing customers with local pricing in Indian Rupees - will be launched on 1 May 2006. Initially, Photolibrary will have offices in Mumbai, with plans for further expansion within India over the next six months.
ABOUT PHOTOLIBRARY
The Photolibrary Group represents over 100 different brands and over 1,000 photographers from around the world. It has established a dominant position in the territories in which it operates, through a strong content offering and committed customer service. The Photolibrary Group also includes the specialist agencies Oxford Scientific (OSF). OSF is revered worldwide for being THE natural world specialist for both stock footage and stills. OSF offers in-depth coverage of flora, fauna, mammals, science and the environment, all available for license. The Photolibrary Group has access to over 1 million images and over 2,000 hours of footage, available online via http://www.photolibrary.com and its specialist websites http://www.osf.co.uk and http://www.gpl.co.uk
Contact:
Kathryn Meekings
Marketing Director
Photolibrary
Telephone: (61 2) 8913 6017
Email:
News
Photolibrary opening Mumbai office in India
The Sydney-based photo agency, the Photolibrary Group, has continued its Asian expansion by opening an office in Mumbai, the business capital of India. The move adds another territory to the company’s growing list of locations, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. According to CEO Glenn Parker, the decision to set up a physical presence there was based on the healthy sales Indian clients had generated through Photolibrary’s Singapore office. No doubt, the company recognizes the rapid growth in India’s economy, accompanied by a strong middle class and a cultural respect for intellectual property rights, making it a viable emerging market for our industry. The company plans to open a new Indian web-site with local currency pricing on May 1st. Click here to view the original press release.
Features
Salary survey of photo industry professionals
The editors at PDN are conducting an anonymous salary survey in order to understand how much money professionals in the photo industry are earning. Responses from the survey will be used to calculate average and median incomes by job title and geographic region. PDN is particularly looking for data from stock agency owners and their employees as well as photographers, photo editors, reps and other industry professionals. For those who need an additional incentive, complete the survey and be eligible for a $200 prize drawing. The results of the survey will be published in June.
Click here to participate in the survey.
News
Entrepreneurs launch Stock Photo Ads site
The father and son entrepreneurial team behind StockTrek Images, Frank and Ryan Rossotto, have launched an Internet advertising platform for all businesses and companies related to the stock photo industry. The web-site, www.stockphotoads.com will offer advertisers of anything from photography and lighting equipment to print services to stock photo agencies the opportunity to advertise on the site for the next 5 years. The site folows the format ofthe highly successful Million Dollar Homepage where advertisers could purchase space for $1.00 per pixel on a million pixel homepage. Unlike the Million Dollar Homeapge, Stockphotoads is focused on the worldwide photography industry and currently offers space for just $0.50 per pixel.
E-mail from Rose Marie Araya-Farias of Imagestate
From: Rose Marie Araya-Farias
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 10:20 AM
Subject: FW: Imagestate update
Dear Agents,
We would like to keep you up to date with the current situation with Imagestate. There has been lots of rumours out in the market, however we would like to confirm that Imagestate position in the market still the same, we are businesses as usual. Adding to this we have experienced problems with our server and your access to the search and downloading facilities, we are currently working around the clock to solve the situation. We profusely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Also we would like to inform you that Imagestate as a public company is currently looking for a potential buyer. In the mean time we are committed to continue our service. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me or Charissa Meredith
Charissa 00 44207 292 9500
Rose Marie 00 44207 292 9514
Best regards
Rose Marie Araya-Farias
International Sales Director
imagestate(tm)
direct: +44 (0) 20 7292 9514
f: +44 (0) 20 7434 0673
w: imagestate.com
News
Imagestate claims business as usual
As reported last week, Imagestate has suspended trading of its ordinary shares on AIM pending “clarification of the company’s financial position.” There has also been speculation about the current state of the business as rumors have circulated the industry about offices being closed and employees sent home. To answer these rumors, Rose Marie Araya-Farias, Imagestate’s International Sales Director, sent an e-mail last week stating the following. “There has been lots of rumours out in the market, however we would like to confirm that Imagestate position in the market still the same, we are businesses as usual. Adding to this we have experienced problems with our server and your access to the search and downloading facilities, we are currently working around the clock to solve the situation.”
Features
Wayne E. Yang interviews Allen Murabayashi of PhotoShelter
New York Photographer / Writer, Wayne E. Yang has recently interviewed Allen Murabayashi, the CEO of Photoshelter, a leading online storage and marketing solution for Photographers. Wayne was kind enough to let us publish the entire interview for our readers.
Wayne: You say your interest in photography started when you were in junior high school back in Honolulu. How exactly?
Allen: My father owned an Olympus OM-10, which he lent to me one weekend to do a photography seminar with a neighbor. We shot our first roll of black and white that weekend, which was thrilling for me. I really got hooked on the idea after that, and joined the loosely knit “photo club,” which was three of us plus one of the junior high science teachers.
News
Picture fairs in London Paris and Hamburg
For those interested in reaching potential new customers in Europe there are several picture fairs in various European capitals scheduled in the month of May to connect stock photo buyers and sellers. These fairs are typically attended by serious image buyers looking for new sources for images, and photo buyers looking to meet the people they work with on a regular basis.
News
Jupiter acquires Steve Shapiro Music
JupiterImages has announced the acquisition of certain assets of Steve Shapiro Music, a wholly owned royalty-free music collection offering moods, themes and instrumentation ranging from hip-hop to classical styles. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The acquisition adds yet another off-beat (!) content collection to Jupiter’s growing and varied repertoire (!) of digital content. Jupiter clearly intends to take a dominating position in the RF sound and music space having acquired Crank City Music in March 2006 and BBM.net in December 2005. Says Jupiter CEO, Alan Meckler, "Steve Shapiro, founder of Steve Shapiro Music, will continue to work with Jupitermedia on a consulting basis as we build out a world class royalty-free music distribution operation. We anticipate significant synergies in cross marketing royalty-free music across our vast array of digitized image and other media properties.” Click here to view the original press release.
Press Release: NewsCom Partners with WireImage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Lily Cheung
(202) 383-6198
NewsCom Partners with WireImage
Photo service offers outstanding images to NewsCom customers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 19, 2006) – NewsCom, a leading worldwide provider of news and visual content, is proud to announce that it has added WireImage and FilmMagic to its extensive roster of industry-leading content partners. WireImage specializes in entertainment and sports photography, including coverage of movie premieres, awards ceremonies, and charity events, the National Football League, the PGA TOUR and Major League Soccer.
“NewsCom is committed to offering our customers images from the industry’s leading content providers, and WireImage is a front-runner for entertainment and sports photography,” said NewsCom General Manager Bill Creighton. “NewsCom customers will be impressed with the depth and scope of coverage provided by WireImage.”
WireImage was launched in January 2001 and today has a roster of more than 1,700 photographers. Their images are frequently featured in major domestic and international magazines, newspapers, websites, television programs, advertisements and wireless applications.
“We're pleased to partner with NewsCom in making thousands of images available to the publishing community in a timely fashion,” said Marc Kurschner, Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations at MediaVast, Inc. “Faster access to relevant content is perfectly consistent with WireImage's core value proposition and NewsCom will leverage our key expertise in both quality of content and delivery.”
NewsCom now offers the following WireImage collections for editorial use by subscribers in the United States, Canada and Mexico:
· WireImage Entertainment is spearheaded by a team of veteran photographers whose privileged relationships with celebrities and publicists ensure WireImage’s unrestricted access to all entertainment events, including award shows, premieres, film festivals, concerts, fashion shows, and parties.
· WireImage Sports is the preferred partner of sponsors, licensees, and broadcasters. Most recently, three of the most prominent sports organizations have entrusted the agency with their photography needs through multi-year exclusive deals--the National Football League (NFL), the PGA TOUR, and Major League Soccer (MLS).
· FilmMagic provides media companies with immediate access to high-quality celebrity, music, and fashion photography. Launched in September 2002, FilmMagic has rapidly carved a solid reputation for its exclusive coverage, flawless editing, and keen understanding of the entertainment media.
About NewsCom: NewsCom is a world leader in providing publishers with high-quality content from a variety of global sources. A joint venture of Tribune Media Services and Knight Ridder, NewsCom provides access to more than 15 million visuals and stories from 95 content providers in one stop with a single password. NewsCom offers photos, graphics, news text, full-length text features, rights-managed and royalty-free images.
About WireImage: WireImage is the top-ranking digital photo agency and wire service for entertainment. Launched in 2001, WireImage has become the authority for celebrity imagery by bringing together a first-class delivery platform and the best photographic service team. WireImage has also brokered deals with major sports leagues, developed a significant stock photography offering and launched a video division. Today, the agency makes over 4.2 million images available to the world media on a daily basis through http://www.wireimage.com <http://www.wireimage.com/> . Headquartered in New York, WireImage has offices in Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, Atlanta, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, and Sydney. WireImage also provides image syndication through a global network of agency affiliates in over 50 countries. WireImage is part of MediaVast, Inc., a leading provider of high-quality visual content and related services to the world media.
News
NewsCom to carry WireImage
NewsCom, the joint venture partnership between Knight Ridder and Tribune Media Services that provides both visuals and stories to its editorial subscribers, has announced it will now offer entertainment and sports imagery from WireImage and its sister agency, FilmMagic. NewsCom customers in the US, Canada and Mexico will now have access to the WireImage Entertainment, WireImage Sports and FilmMagic entertainment archives. "NewsCom is committed to offering our customers images from the industry's leading content providers, and WireImage is a front-runner for entertainment and sports photography," said NewsCom General Manager Bill Creighton. Marc Kurschner, Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations at MediaVast, Inc. which owns WireImage and FilmMagic adds, "Faster access to relevant content is perfectly consistent with WireImage's core value proposition and NewsCom will leverage our key expertise in both quality of content and delivery." Click here to view the original press release.
News
Cinematographer launches HD stock footage site
Dallas, TX based cinematographer Mike Schrengohst has just launched www.motionzonehd.com offering affordable High Definition stock footage. The footage on the site is mostly brand new as it was shot with the increasingly affordable Panasonic’s AG-HVX200 DVCPRO HD P2 hand-held camcorders. The footage was shot by Schrengohst and cinematographers from around the country including Bob Gundu (from 10 Frame Handles, Toronto), Justyn Rowe (HDbaby, Orlando), Richard G. Darge, RGD Films, Los Angeles), and Jethro Senger and Roberto Ballesteros (both of Firelabs, Orlando). According to Schrengohst “My background is in video production, where I mainly shot and edited corporate programs. Now with the HVX200, I will be focusing on providing stock footage, which has been my goal since I become involved in video. I used to shoot some high-end corporate pieces with 16mm, and the HVX200 comes real close to duplicating that experience, except now I don't have to wait (or pay) for film and film transfers!” Click here for more information.
News
Getty Posts Improved Sales, Flat EBITDA for 1Q ‘06, Stock Declines
Getty Images reported gross revenue of $200.9MM for the first quarter of 2006, a 13% increase over the $178.1MM the company posted for the same quarter in '05. CEO Jonathan Klein attributed the increase to "strong growth rates in non-English speaking countries far exceeding our overall growth." At the same time, the cost of revenue rose by only 2% allowing for a three percentage point improvement in the gross profit margin from 71% on 1Q05 to 74% in 1Q06. Management attributes this growth in the gross margin to the increase in its inventory of wholly-owned material which generates no commissions payable to contributors or suppliers.
FeaturesNews
Caricatures, orphan works, and the legacy of the Normans
Stefan Hartmann interviews Charles Swan
The English lawyer Charles Swan is considered one of Europe’s leading experts on the law relating to photography. After leaving the Simkins Partnership last year, he set up Swan Turton, a London based media law firm comprising twelve lawyers covering all areas of the media and entertainment sectors including music, film and TV, theatre, advertising, publishing, visual arts and photography.
Swan is also Chairman of the international lawyers’ association Adlaw International, which advises advertisers and agencies on cross-border advertising campaigns. He was the first non-photographer director of the Association of Photographers in the UK.
News
NewsCom consolidates subscription products into single offering
NewsCom has recently announced that it is offering a new royalty free subscription product with a combined content offering from the leading subscription services of Jupiterimages, SuperStock and Index Stock. The NewsCom Royalty-free Collection allows publishers from around the world the opportunity to access more than 300,000 royalty free images all available for one convenient site. “We are very pleased to add this subscription service to our menu of content products," said NewsCom General Manager Bill Creighton. "The vast selection of visual content offered by Jupiterimages, SuperStock and Index Stock can meet any publisher's creative or editorial needs." Subscriptions to the NewsCom RF Collection are priced from $1,800 annually for an enterprise license. An additional one-time set-up fee is determined by a user's circulation and location. Click here to view the original press release.
Press Release: NewsCom Offers New Subscription Service
NEWSCOM OFFERS NEW SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
Users can access 300,000 Royalty-free Images
Washington, D.C.– NewsCom, a leading worldwide provider of news and visual content, now offers a subscription service for royalty-free images from three of the industry's foremost agencies.
By subscribing to this new service, NewsCom customers have access to more than 300,000 royalty-free photographs provided by Jupiterimages, SuperStock and Index Stock.
The NewsCom Royalty-free Collection features a great breadth of images to meet the needs of publishers around the globe. Photographs cover themes including travel, geography, nature, food and beverage, business, technology, sports, entertainment, health, holidays, lifestyle, news and historic events.
"We are very pleased to add this subscription service to our menu of content products," said NewsCom General Manager Bill Creighton. "The vast selection of visual content offered by Jupiterimages, SuperStock and Index Stock can meet any publisher's creative or editorial needs."
Subscriptions to the NewsCom RF Collection are priced from $1,800 annually for an enterprise license. An additional one-time set-up fee is determined by a user's circulation and location.
"NewsCom is committed to providing our customers with useful, relevant content at competitive prices," Creighton said. "We believe our subscribers will enjoy the convenience of ‘one-stop shopping' for creative, royalty-free images."
About NewsCom (http://www.newscom.com)
NewsCom is a world leader in providing publishers with high-quality content from a variety of global sources. A joint venture of Tribune Media Services and Knight Ridder, NewsCom provides access to more than 15 million images and stories from more than 95 content partners in one stop, with a single password. The NewsCom website offers photos, graphics, news text, full-length text features, rights-managed and royalty-free images.
News
Kitamura Growing in Japan
On April 1, 2006 Kitamura Co., Ltd acquired two consumer photo service businesses from Konica-Minolta, their Digital Photo Printing Lab service and the Portrait Studio Network, for approximately $3.5MM . Kitamura, which had gross sales of over $1 billion in 2005 and employs over 4,600, formerly had the number two digital printing network which covered mostly western Japan. Executive Operations Manager, Mr. Masashi Kitamura, saw the opportunity to take a number one position in the market with the acquisition. Kitamura already dominated the children’s portrait studio market in Japan, and further solidified that position with this purchase. Kitamura now lays claim to the largest network of digital photo labs, the highest total film sales and the highest volume of print orders via the Internet in that country. Takashi Yoshida of PLANS, Ltd.
News
In memory of George Hall
Yesterday, we learned of the passing of expert aviation photographer, George Hall. He owned George Hall Photography and the Check Six and Code Red stock archives and was co-owner, with several fellow aviation photographers, of Planepix.com, a web-site that sells aviation photo prints. George operated his business in the San Francisco Bay area for the past thirty five years.
News
A21 SuperStock Posts $4.7MM Loss for 2005
A21 Group, owner of SuperStock, PureStock, and Ingram Publishing, reported its 2005 full-year results, posting a net loss of $4.8MM on revenue of $9.6MM. Compared to adjusted(*) figures for 2004, this represents a 7% increase in the company’s gross sales and a near doubling of its net loss. The company’s gross profit margin decreased from 70% to 68% as its cost of revenue rose at a faster rate than revenue. Management attributes this relative increase in the cost of revenue to the normal fluctuations in the proportions of higher vs. lower commission imagery it licenses. Conversely, Selling General and Administrative expenses dropped as a percentage of revenue leading to a relatively flat negative EBITDA of $928K in 2005 vs. an adjusted $834K in 2004.
Press Release: Photolibrary Group Appoints Deepak Malhotra to Lead Mumbai Office
Sydney – April 28, 2006: Photolibrary Group Ltd is pleased to announce the latest in their expansion into the Asian region with the opening of an office in Mumbai, India. The office will be headed up by the newly appointed, Deepak Malhotra. Malhotra brings experience to the role as past Director, Business Development for Visage Images, for whom he set up operations in India in 2005.
Malhotra says of his new role “Photolibrary has evolved into a major player in the SAARC Region and it is an exciting challenge for me to assist in expanding their operations further. The Indian market is growing rapidly and is driving trends in some areas. Photolibrary wants to be there for these trend introductions and support the creative community through fast internet access, a local currency website and the eventual development of local content.
Photolibrary Group CEO, Glenn Parker says of the expansion “Photolibrary has consistently demonstrated their strength in the Asian market and have seen rapid growth since launching in the region 3 years ago. India has proven a strong market for us, via our Singapore office, and was a logical choice for opening a direct sales office to support our local Indian customers. This is an exciting step for Photolibrary, solidifying our presence in the region and allowing us to service a highly creative market with an ever-expanding content offering. “
The new Indian website - providing customers with local pricing in Indian Rupees - will be launched on 1 May 2006. Initially, Photolibrary will have offices in Mumbai, with plans for further expansion within India over the next six months.
ABOUT PHOTOLIBRARY
The Photolibrary Group represents over 100 different brands and over 1,000 photographers from around the world. It has established a dominant position in the territories in which it operates, through a strong content offering and committed customer service. The Photolibrary Group also includes the specialist agencies Oxford Scientific (OSF). OSF is revered worldwide for being THE natural world specialist for both stock footage and stills. OSF offers in-depth coverage of flora, fauna, mammals, science and the environment, all available for license. The Photolibrary Group has access to over 1 million images and over 2,000 hours of footage, available online via http://www.photolibrary.com and its specialist websites http://www.osf.co.uk and http://www.gardenpicture.com
Contact:
Kathryn Meekings
Marketing Director
Photolibrary
Telephone: (61 2) 8913 6017
Email:
News
Pepper Stark wants to put you back in the classroom
The London based stock photo consulting firm Pepper Stark, run by industry veterans Claudia Stark and Liz Pepper, has recently announced a new series of training programs for stock photo companies and picture libraries. These programs seem to be targeted at those looking to break into the stock photography industry but may also be appropriate for those who feel they could benefit from some remedial training. The new training programs are offered on the following topics.
Press Release: Photolibrary Acquires Monsoon Images of New York
London – April 28, 2006: Leading global stock image group, Photolibrary, are excited to announce its further expansion with the acquisition of Monsoon Images of New York, one of the last few truly inspired stock archives. In Monsoon, you'll find a riveting collection of contemporary photographic fine art and photographer's personal work. Monsoon Images are visionary, unexpected and at the same time relevant to our daily themes.
Monsoon Images will join a rapidly expanding group, which includes Photolibrary, Garden Picture Library (GPL) and Oxford Scientific (OSF). This merged collection continues Photolibrary Group’s strategy of providing the picture buying community with easy access, striking imagery and unbeatable service across an ever-growing subject range. Glenn Parker, Photolibrary Group CEO, says: “Monsoon is another unique addition to our group and once more provides customers with a range of superb specialist images which cannot be obtained anywhere else. Monsoon offers a broader range of images, allowing for unique identity in a cluttered market where frequently content is created in the same colour, lighting, location and style.”
Monsoon founder, Brian Phillpotts says: “Photolibrary provides a strong foundation for Monsoon Images’ US market penetration and solidifies a global presence for our artists. What better way to continue the creative vision of our great founder and Stock Photography Industry pioneer, Jerry Karpf.”
Glenn Parker continues: “We will be retaining the Monsoon brand and creative team in New York, along with our creative teams in Sydney and London. This is our first foray into the US market and we are excited about Monsoon’s development and that of Photolibrary within the US. We can now truly say to our present and future artists that we can service customers across all major territories around the world. Our major sales channel, http://www.photolibrary.com will carry the Monsoon content and we will also be looking at launching Photolibrary in the US over the coming months.”
ABOUT PHOTOLIBRARY
The Photolibrary Group represents over 100 different brands and over 1,000 photographers from around the world. It has established a dominant position in the territories in which it operates, through a strong content offering and committed customer service. The Photolibrary Group also includes the specialist agencies Oxford Scientific (OSF). OSF is revered worldwide for being THE natural world specialist for both stock footage and stills. OSF offers in-depth coverage of flora, fauna, mammals, science and the environment, all available for license. The Photolibrary Group has access to over 1 million images and over 2,000 hours of footage, available online via http://www.photolibrary.com and its specialist websites http://www.osf.co.uk and http://www.gardenpicture.com
Contact:
Kathryn Meekings
Marketing Director, Photolibrary Group
Email:
News
Photolibrary expands to USA by acquiring Monsoon Images
Photolibrary Group Ltd, with offices in Sydney, London, Singapore, and Mumbai has continued its global expansion with the acquisition of NYC-based stock archive Monsoon Images. For the first time, Photolibrary, which has steadily expanded into South East Asia and Europe over the last several years, will have creative and direct sales teams in the US. Monsoon joins the other Photolibrary brands such as Garden Picture Library and Oxford Scientific. Glenn Parker, Photolibrary Group CEO, says, “Monsoon is another unique addition to our group and once more provides customers with a range of superb specialist images which can not be obtained anywhere else.” He adds, “We will be retaining the Monsoon brand and creative team in New York, along with our creative teams in Sydney and London. This is our first foray into the US market and we are excited about Monsoon’s development and that of Photolibrary within the US. We can now truly say to our present and future artists that we can service customers across all major territories around the world. Our major sales channel, www.photolibrary.com will carry the Monsoon content and we will also be looking at launching Photolibrary in the US over the coming months.”
