Wow, that is quick/soon. PhotoShelter announced yesterday that they are no longer licensing stock. This move is devastating to some. I am especially interested in the circumstances surrounding this decision, which Vincent Laforet talks about here. In his words:
“In the end – I think that what really hurt the PhotoShelter Collections chances, was that while they could compete toe to toe with the larger agency in terms of providing original content in a timely manner – and even remain competitive in terms of pricing – they could not match the “subscription prices” that the other “incumbent player” was engaging in. This “subscription pricing” – like microstock – is and will hurt us ALL.”
I do think that this paves the way for new companies, decent companies like PhotoShelter, to form. They will have to come up with a stock solution that is all about quality imagery and compensating the photographer fairly to fill the void. Also, I think new licensing-content-for-the-internet technology, like GumGum are using will also help new companies to start up and take on the Getty giants and the mass of mediocre microstock. With so much print going online, this does seem like the way forward.
Lastly, since I enjoyed PhotoShelter’s blog, it’s great to see that Rachel Hulin has her own blog now. Go check it out.
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